Blues fall for first time this season, 5-2 to Panthers

Second period mistakes, failure on quality power-play 

opportunities cost St. Louis; Dunn scores first NHL goal

By LOU KORAC
SUNRISE, Fla. -- Well, they weren't going to go 82-0-0.

The Blues' hot start to the season was in full throttle as they headed for sunny Florida to wrap up the final two games of a season-high tying four-game trip. But the Blues, looking to make history with their fifth consecutive win to start a season, saw that come to an end with a 5-2 loss to the Florida Panthers on Thursday before 10,846 at BB&T Center.

Vince Dunn scored his first NHL goal, but there was not much else to be happy about for a first loss of the season.

(St. Louis Blues photo)

Blues center Brayden Schenn (10) fends off Panthers defenseman Aaron

Ekblad during action Thursday at BB&T Center. 

After taking a 1-0 lead, the Blues (4-1-0) surrendered three goals in a span of 6 minutes, 16 seconds and could never quite grab the game again despite numerous opportunities on the power play (17 of their 39 shots at Roberto Luongo came with the man-advantage, including 10 in the second period that saw the Blues have a 5-on-3 for 1 minute, 3 seconds).

It was a night where the game could have been grabbed, but lost in an instant with mistakes that turned into goals and the first loss of the season after trying to play catch-up.

"That's all it takes, against a team like this with that much skill, a couple breakdowns, then then score a power play goal and we don't score on our 5-on-3," said Blues defenseman Alex Pietrangelo, who had two assists to extend his point streak to five games to start the season and nine dating back to last season but was minus-3 for the game. "It snowballed quick, but starting with me, it wasn't good enough. We kind of played into their hands. Our structure wasn't where we needed it to be. That's the result."

"We had our moments, but we couldn't bury on a couple power plays," defenseman Joel Edmundson said. "They just kept the pressure coming and we didn't really respond to that. We've got to forget about this game and be ready for Tampa."

A great start to the second period by the Blues saw them go up 1-0 on Paul Stastny's power play goal, also extending his point streak to start the season to five games 1:14 into the period, but that's when the Blues had some uncharacteristic breakdowns.

Twelve seconds after Stastny's goal, Ian McCoshen's first NHL goal tied it 1-1, and then the Blues coughed up the puck in the neutral zone and allowed Trochek's shorthanded tally to put Florida up 2-1 at 2:45.

Coaches always harp on the next shift after scoring a goal as the most important of the game. The Blues just grabbed momentum with the Stastny goal, and coach Mike Yeo sent on the line of Oskar Sundqvist, Magnus Paajarvi and Dmitrij Jaskin to go with Pietrangelo and Edmundson. But Edmundson got caught up in the neutral zone trying to pinch on a puck, then the forwards found themselves caught deep before McCoshen took a pass from Connor Brickley and beating Jake Allen with a slapper.

"Disappointing moment there for sure," Yeo said. "We've got to be sharper. You've got to come on the ice and know in a situation like that, number one, you grabbed a little bit of momentum, you want to make sure you continue to push forward with that and know that they're going to have a push there at that moment. That was obviously a key factor in the game tonight.

"We just got loose in our coverage and an awareness factor as far as coming back in the zone."

"They just kept on pushing and we really had no response," Edmundson said. "That's what lost this game. We've got to push back in those situations. Tonight just didn't go our way. We've got to have a short memory. We knew we weren't going to win them all. It's a tough one to swallow, but we'll get over it."

On the Trochek shorthanded tally, Pietrangelo had to race up a bit in the neutral zone for Vladimir Tarasenko's pass, got to it and tried to chip off the wall a backhand to Stastny, but Colton Sceviour got a piece of it, the Blues were caught heading up ice and Sceviour sprung Trochek in before beating Allen with a snap shot high glove side.

"I put it in Paul's feet and we all just got caught going the wrong way, myself included," Pietrangelo said. "That happens. We're trying extra hard trying to get that next one back." 

McCann's power play goal at 7:42 made it 3-1 on a redirection in the slot after the Blues were whistled for a delay of game/faceoff violation.

"There's lots of parts that were good, to be honest with you until we scored the first goal, and then I thought we started beating ourselves," Yeo said. "They played a great game over there for sure, and that's a very good team. We knew we were going to have to play a strong, smart game and I didn't think that we did that. You look at that first goal and then all of the sudden, we give them a shorty and we give them power plays that we gave them. That's obviously a bad recipe against a good team."

But St. Louis missed out on a terrific chance to get right back in the game after a late-period 5-on-3 for 1:03. The Blues produced six shots but nothing past Luongo, who tied former Blue Curtis Joseph for fourth on the all-time wins list for goalies with win No. 484.

"We've got to score on the 5-on-3," Stastny said. "We had a 5-on-3 for ... even if it's over 40 seconds, you score, usually you win the game. If you don't score, usually the other team wins the game. It happens like that all the time. For some reason, our 5-on-4 is better than our 5-on-3. We've got to fix that and almost simplify and get more shots and really kind of out that foot down when we get a chance to get that next goal.

"But it was a lot of stuff, top to bottom. First of all, we should never let up a shorthanded goal when we're on the power play. It's 1-1 and have a chance to make it 2-1 and they take the momentum, they take the lead there and then they score another special teams' goal. Over-backcheck there on the fourth one. ... I thought we had a lot of chances offensively. Some turnovers here and there, but maybe there's one or two that we want back. I think earlier in the year, we were finding ways to win. Today, we lost. You've got to take the positives out of it, but defensively, a little more communication. I think it gets a little too quiet sometimes and then worry about Tampa tomorrow."

"That could have got us in it, for sure," Yeo said. "You need to score 5-on-3 and certainly when you're down by a couple goals heading into the third, that was obviously a big lift for them.

"It's one thing to have plays, but you have to create the scrambles and the numbers around the net situations. The first one was nice, 'Petro' gets a real good shot and 'Schenner' (Brayden Schenn) gets a real good second whack at it, but their goalie makes a nice save. But it can't be one of those; we've got to try and generate more than that. But I did look after the second period and we had 17 shots on goal on the power play. The power play was doing a lot of good things, it grabbed us the lead. Obviously that's a moment where we need to score there."

Schenn thought he had scored in the second to make it 3-2 at 10:05 of the second period on a tipped puck of Robert Bortuzzo's shot, but referee Frederick L'Ecuyer immediately waved it off and review was conclusive to uphold the call on the ice.

The first period saw the Panthers get the early jump, outshooting the Blues 7-0 and 11-4 at one point thanks in large part to the Blues having to kill two early penalties, including a four-second 5-on-3. But the Blues came back and had the last nine shots at Luongo in the period for a 13-11 advantage.

"We just couldn't find our way," Pietrangelo said. "It seemed like it kind of summed up the night. We seemed a half a step off. Just couldn't get a stick on the bounces. It's not good enough. We know that. When you lose 5-2, it's not a good feeling in here.

"We had 40 shots and probably half of them came on the power play. We've just got to find a way to get the puck in the back of the net. We're getting the looks that we want. We're getting shots. You've just got to get results."

The Blues had a Jaden Schwartz break-in on Luongo get thwarted that could also make it 3-2, and seconds later, Aaron Ekblad made it 4-1 at 3:16 and that pretty much was the final nail.

Nick Bjugstad beat Edmundson to the edge and score at 14:02 before Dunn wired a shot high glove side on Luongo from the high slot with 1:09 remaining.

"We felt like we were right in it and then maybe we opened up too much to not give ourselves a chance," Yeo said. "But they played a really good game. They defended us really hard. You have to try and make a push at some point there.

"We've got a chance to have a really good trip or a so-so trip here. Obviously our next game's a big one for us. It's always going to be about how you respond. You have to make sure you that you come back to the rink, you prepare, and for us, it's about our game. We'll look at this the same way we did the other ones. There's some areas that we have to be better in. We can talk about missed chances and what-not, but we gave up five goals. You're not going to win like that and too many quality chances, so we have to tighten up."

(St. Louis Blues photo)

Blues center Oskar Sundqvist (right) fights off Panthers center Derek 

MacKenzie for the loose puck of Florida's 5-2 win on Thursday.

"When we were down 3-1, we were still pretty positive on the bench," Edmundson said. "I thought our first half was pretty good. Second half, they just took control and we didn't really respond."

"'Schwartzy' almost had that one and I think 20 seconds later, they score," Stastny said. "That's hockey, that's how fast things change. One big save at one end, then they come back down the other end. We had that work early in the year for us, and now it went the other way."

Of the Blues' 39 shots, Schenn led the way with nine, followed by Pietrangelo (seven) and Dunn (five) as the three combined for 21.

(10-12-17) Blues-Panthers Gameday Lineup

By LOU KORAC
SUNRISE, Fla. -- The message from Blues forward Dmitrij Jaskin was simple.

"It will never happen again," Jaskin said Thursday morning.

Sounds like the words of a son or daughter after being scolded by their parents for doing something wrong.

Well Jaskin did do something wrong, albeit not of his intention, but the consequences for sleeping through an alarm and showing up late for a team meeting Tuesday was a benching against the New York Rangers.

"It's my mistake," Jaskin said. "There's no excuses."

Consider the one game benching over and done with, and Jaskin will be in the lineup when the Blues (4-0-0) play the third of a four-game trip against the Florida Panthers (1-1-0) at 6:30 p.m. (FS-MW, KMOX 1120-AM).

Jaskin, who has one assist in three games, will be given a chance by coach Mike Yeo to redeem himself tonight, and he will play on a line with Magnus Paajarvi and Oskar Sundqvist.

Jaskin met with Yeo and general manager Doug Armstrong to clear the air and feels all is right. Park the mistake and move on.

"He made a mistake, we dealt with it and we addressed it," Yeo said of Jaskin. "Now I also believe in giving a player a chance to respond and that's why he'll be in the lineup tonight.

"Learn from it and move forward. We obviously want to make sure it doesn't happen again."

- - -

Jaskin will replace rookie Tage Thompson, who will be a healthy scratch for the first time this season.

The 2016 first-round pick doesn't have a point in four games but Yeo 

"We've been very conscious as a staff to make sure we're not overloading him," Yeo said of Thompson, "but at the same time, young players need coaching and they need feedback. For me, that was an opportunity to talk about some of the things that we've seen and give him a little tap on the shin pads."

Like any rookie, Thompson has had good stretches of play and there are signs of what he can become as his NHL career progresses, but the learning curves will also be there.

"For Tage, when you look at his game, there's certainly some examples of his skill-set coming through. Obviously he's big, he's strong, great hands, and I think there are other times where it shows that he's still learning the game and that's understandable. This is the best league in the world, so an understanding of sometimes moving the puck a little bit quicker, making sure we're not turning some pucks over in some areas and then obviously, he's an offensive guy, but when the offense isn't going in the net for you, you have to make sure you're not giving up anything against and those are just things with a young player like that is coming up and they've been as dominant in their whole life, there are things that maybe you haven't had to think about and build into your game."

- - -

The Blues, through all the injuries and using young players through four games, have the chance at making history with a win tonight by becoming the first team in franchise history to begin a season with five straight victories.

The Blues' only other 4-0-0 start to a season was 2013-14, and they will be looking for a fourth straight road win to start a season, which has only been done one other time (2002-03 when they went 5-0-0).

"Obviously it's a really good start considering what we've gone through," defenseman Colton Parayko said. "I think it just goes to show what kind of character and the kind of team we've got in this locker room. It just goes to show the kind of depth as well. If you look at the guys that are coming in, they're playing well. 

"You mention the franchise record, it's pretty special that we have that opportunity. If we're going to want to do it, it's going to be a challenge tonight obviously. At the end of the day, we want to get the win and get the two points, but whenever you can get to a mark like that and set the bar, it's pretty cool. It's obviously the beginning of the season and a lot of work to be done, but it's exciting for everyone in this locker room. To hit a stride like that early on, it's fun."

The Blues have that tunnel vision outlook and focusing on the next game mentality, but it goes to show that the opening run is something nobody could envision considering the injuries to Alexander Steen (hand), Jay Bouwmeester (ankle), Robby Fabbri (knee), Patrik Berglund (shoulder) and Zach Sanford (shoulder).

"I'm exctied about the opportunity and hopefully proud after the game," Yeo said. "It's something we talked about obviously. 

"This is going to be a hard game. Watching the video on them, they really come at you. You look at a guy like (Aleksander) Barkov and what he can do, this kid's a stud and has the ability to control the game. They have a lot more than that, they're playing well, they're playing aggressive, they've got strength up front and on the back end. Getting that fifth one is going to be tough, but it's something we all want."

- - -

Blues defensemen are making things hard on Yeo and when to insert veteran defenseman Nate Prosser into the lineup.

Prosser will be a healthy scratch for a fifth consecutive game, but Yeo was asked if at some point, will Prosser get into a game playing on a four-game, six-day trip.

"I talked to him out there, too, and he's a great pro," Yeo said. "Having 'Pross' in the past, I know when he comes into the lineup that he'll be ready to go. He's a competitive guy and he understands this game well. It hasn't worked out right now. I think the guys on the right side -- all the guys for that matter -- have played very well. He knows to stay ready and we know that we can count on him when he comes in."

Rookie Vince Dunn is one of those who is making decisions tough for Yeo.

"I would say that last game was probably his best game he's played for us," Yeo said. "I think the last two games, he's looked more instinctive on the ice. It seems like the game is kind of slowing down for him a little bit, which is what you want to see.

"We need him to be solid. We need to make sure he doesn't make mistakes and obviously not hurt the team, but at the same time, he's in the lineup because he's an offensive defenseman. He's a guy that has the ability to skate and transport the puck and move the puck and help us get to our game. I've seen a lot more situations and examples of that the last couple games."

- - -

Speaking of Steen, Yeo said it was another good preparation day for him on the ice back in St. Louis on Wednesday, but Steen will miss his fifth and sixth games of the season; he did not make the trip and will not play tonight or in Tampa on Saturday either.

"He had a good day yesterday," Yeo said of Steen. "So we'll just keep going here. 

"He's definitely getting closer. He's inching along. He's out until the end of this trip."

- - -

Three Blues players (Jaden Schwartz, Alex Pietrangelo and Paul Stastny) all will put four-game point streaks on the line tonight.

Schwartz (two goals, five assists) leads the way followed by Pietrangelo (two goals, four assists) and Stastny (one goal, four assists).

- - -

The Blues' projected lineup

Vladimir Sobotka-Paul Stastny-Vladimir Tarasenko

Jaden Schwartz-Brayden Schenn-Ivan Barbashev

Magnus Paajarvi-Oskar Sundqvist-Dmitrij Jaskin

Scottie Upshall-Kyle Brodziak-Chris Thorburn

Joel Edmundson-Alex Pietrangelo

Carl Gunnarsson-Colton Parayko

Vince Dunn-Robert Bortuzzo

Jake Allen will start in goal; Carter Hutton will be the backup.

Healthy scratches include Nate Prosser, Tage Thompson and Wade Megan. Alexander Steen (hand) and Jay Bouwmeester (ankle) are day-to-day, Patrik Berglund (shoulder) is out until December, Zach Sanford (shoulder) is out until at least late February and Robby Fabbri (knee) is out for the season.

- - -

The Panthers' projected lineup:

Jonathan Huberdeau-Aleksander Barkov-Evgenii Dadonov

Jamie McGinn-Vincent Trocheck-Radim Vrbata

Connor Brickley-Jared McCann-Nick Bjugstad

Micheal Haley-Derek MacKenzie-Colton Sceviour

Keith Yandle-Aaron Ekblad

Mike Matheson-Mark Pysyk

Ian McCoshen-Alex Petrovic

Roberto Luongo will start in goal; James Reimer will be the backup.

Healthy scratches include Denis Malgin, Owen Tippett and MacKenzie Weegar. The Panthers report no injuries.

Blues looking to continue strong start

Team is 4-0 to start season for only second time in franchise history, 

looking for first-ever 5-0 run to begin season, doing it without key injured players

By LOU KORAC
SUNRISE, Fla. -- Honestly, did anyone think the Blues would be in this position four games into the season?

Really?

Come on!

Even without a handful of injured players (Alexander Steen, Jay Bouwmeester, Robby Fabbri, Patrik Berglund and Zach Sanford) that would have logged key minutes and played significant roles?

(St. Louis Blues photo)

Blues center Brayden Schenn (10) takes a shot on Tuesday in a 3-1 win at 

the New York Rangers. Schenn has five points in four games this season.

You may be among the few if you honestly answered yes.

But here the Blues are, sitting at 4-0-0, trying to become the first team in the NHL to reach five victories when they continue a season-tying long four-game trip Thursday against the Florida Panthers (1-1-0), who opened the season with a home-and-home set against the Tampa Bay Lightning, who the Blues will finish the trip against Saturday night.

The Blues and Panthers will drop the puck at BB&T Center at 6:30 p.m. (CT) on FS-MW and KMOX 1120-AM.

We already know Fabbri (knee) will miss the remainder of the season, Sanford (shoulder) will not be available until at the very least, late February, and Berglund (shoulder) will is out until December.

Steen (hand) and Bouwmeester (ankle) are on the horizon, and Steen was projected to possibly join the team on this trip, but the Blues have done this with a mix of key veterans, young players and two kids (Tage Thompson and Vince Dunn) who made their NHL debuts this season.

The Blues have started 4-0-0 one other time (2013-14) and have never won five straight games in franchise history to open a season; they've opened with three straight wins on the road only twice, and are inching closer to the 2002-03 team that started with five straight wins away from home to begin a season.

Wins against the New York Islanders (3-2 in a shootout) on Monday and 3-1 on Tuesday against Kevin Shattenkirk and the New York Rangers has kick-started this trip off on the right foot.

But the Blues are not content.

"It's no secret we’re missing top players on our team and whether its veteran players or goalies or whomever, guys are stepping up each night and that’s what makes a good team," said center Brayden Schenn, who scored his second goal of the season, the game-winner, against the Rangers. "The guys are doing that so far.  We’re 4-0 and we'll take it. We have two tough games in Florida. Good start to the season so far though."

The Blues have done it in a variety of ways. They've outscored their opponent (5-4 in overtime to open the season at two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh), hit Ken Hitchcock and the Dallas Stars with a quick-strike ability and solid goaltending from Jake Allen in the home opener, a 4-2 win last Saturday, and used Allen's sharp play and Vladimir Tarasenko's timely goals in the win against the Islanders before throttling the Rangers for two periods before relying on Carter Hutton's strong effort in goal to hold off the Blueshirts.

And the win over the Rangers wrapped up a stretch of three games in four days.

"Given the schedule here, three games in four days, less than four days really, I thought the guys battled really hard," Blues coach Mike Yeo said after the win Tuesday. "There were some moments and some times where the fatigue showed up, especially in our execution. Some uncharacteristic turnovers, but the guys really battled hard and I thought 'Hutts' did a great job."

Hutton's effort Tuesday was especially impressive when the Rangers fired off 17 shots at the Blues netminder.

"That was a key moment in the game," Yeo said. "(Hutton's) first game of the regular season, the guys want to play well in front of him and dig in defensively. Again, I thought there were some times when fatigue started to kick in, and we weren’t really moving our feet, and we started to turn some pucks over, and when that happened he was there. But for the most part, most of the night we were pretty solid in our game."

Look for Allen to get the nod again against the Panthers, but it's reassuring to know Blues goaltending is up and running already.

(St. Louis Blues photo)

Goalie Carter Hutton (40) makes one of his 32 saves Tuesday during a 3-1

win against the New York Rangers to help the Blues start the season 4-0. 

"We worked hard and played well," Hutton said. "They're a pretty dangerous team.  Every time you face them, you know they’re going to get their chances.  I thought we settled in and our penalty kill was huge after we let up the first one. We played solid and it was a great game. After we went up 2-1, I thought 'Hank' (Henrik Lundqvist) made a lot of big saves and kept the game tight but we were able to hang on.

"... I always put pressure on myself either way, even if we had been 0-3. That is my job. I play a lot of the back-to-backs on the road. I am pretty comfortable in my career playing in a different and tough building. I thought the guys did a great job in front of me."

Potting these early-season points could be beneficial for the Blues as the season moves along. The players say it all the time that points in October as just as important as those in March or April. So keeping this season-opening run going is imperative to the team's success, especially when Steen and Bouwmeester return in the very near future, the Blues hope.

Blues getting offense from defense

Blue liners have scored five of team's nine goals, 

helping contribute in light of forwards out with injuries

By LOU KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- So ... when the Blues came into the regular season minus four players that ordinarily would be among their top 12 forwards, it was natural to wonder where would some of the offense come from.

Although the Blues, who started the season without Alexander Steen (hand), Robby Fabbri (knee), Patrik Berglund (shoulder) and Zach Sanford (shoulder), have capable players in the lineup (Vladimir Tarasenko, Jaden Schwartz, Brayden Schenn, Paul Stastny, among others) that can help fill the void, but there have been reinforcements elsewhere.

(St. Louis Blues photo)

Blues defenseman Alex Pietrangelo (left) and Jaden Schwartz are among

teammates to celebrate Joel Edmundson's goal on Saturday against Dallas.

What have the Blues, who are 2-0-0 heading into one of their longest trips of the season starting today at noon against the New York Islanders (1-1-0), done to begin the season scoring 4.5 goals per game?

They've called on the defense to give them offense.

The Blues have scored nine goals thus far, and five of those game come from the defense. So when Joel Edmundson scored in the first period against the Dallas Stars to give the Blues a 2-0 lead, it was the fifth of seven goals to begin the season coming from the blue line.

To put it in perspective, the Blues didn't get their fifth goal from a defenseman (all five came from either Kevin Shattenkirk or Alex Pietrangelo) last season until the ninth game against Dallas on Nov. 3, and for them to have five goals from four defenseman (Pietrangelo is only one with two) in two games speaks of how much it's always been a team concept with the Blues.  

"Obviously it’s a great job by them," Blues coach Mike Yeo said. "We believe that we have a group of defensemen that we can get involved. They have the ability, and on top of that, the hockey sense to recognize when it’s there and not put us in a vulnerable position. A lot of credit has to go to the forwards as well. Those types of things, they don’t happen if your forwards aren’t recovering pucks, if your forwards aren’t hanging onto pucks and opening opportunities for the d-men to get involved, and then obviously if you have a real good, strong third man high in the offensive zone then your D can get involved a little bit more.

"The league is too hard now and it’s too fast to try to just be stuck in positions all the time. When you have an opportunity in the offensive zone, the way that teams defend, you have to have the ability to create some movement, to try to take them out of position. Again, the thing you have to make sure of is that you’re not putting yourself in a bad position. You’re not doing it without purpose and you’re not doing it without the understanding that there’s risks there, too. But whether it’s in the offensive zone and creating more movement, whether it’s off the rush like we saw against Pittsburgh and trying to generate more of a four-man attack, it’s hard to score in this league if you’re not taking advantage of those opportunities quickly."

Last season, the Blues got 35 goals from defenseman, which was tied for 12th in the league and 13 off the pace of first-place San Jose's 48. And there is something about playing in Yeo's system that enables the defensemen to pinch without restrictions.

"It alleviates some of the pressure, too, for the forwards if they've got to do all the work," Pietrangelo, who had a career-high 14 goals last season, said. "Everybody's contributing right now, it's what the team's built on. It's what our system is built on, maybe alleviate the forwards from squeezing their sticks a little tighter when we can contribute.

"I just think now that we've played the system for a while, went through a training camp, we're all working as a group of five. we're getting a lot of movement in the offensive zone (and) on the rush and that's what's creating our opportunities."

And when the defensemen are able to pinch in scoring areas, it helps the forwards create opportunities and get into scoring areas when the players are working as a five-man unit.

"It's big coming out of your zone," Blues left wing Jaden Schwartz, who scored his first goal of the season Saturday, said. "It helps when they're jumping into the play, it gives you another option to move the puck. That creates speed through the neutral zone and then that makes getting into the zone easier and that's when you can make things happen."

Pietrangelo (2), Edmundson, Colton Parayko and Carl Gunnarsson, who scored his first goal in 62 games (March 25, 2016 against Vancouver), have accounted for the Blues' goals from their defensemen, and as long as they can contribute at both ends of the ice, it'll help this team win hockey games until reinforcements return. 

(St. Louis Blues photo)

Blues defenseman Colton Parayko (55) tries to get a shot past Stars goalie

Kari Lehtonen on Saturday. Parayko has one of the Blues' five goals from

their defensemen this season.

And it's a big reason why Yeo won't put on the brakes as far as the blue liners pinching.

"I haven't got the red light yet," Gunnarsson said. "If we keep scoring like that, we're good to go, but you've got to pick your chances and not do it all the time."

Goals by defenseman in 2016-17:

San Jose (48)

Nashville (45)

Calgary (44)

Minnesota (42) 

Montreal (41)

Columbus (41)

N.Y. Islanders (39)

Florida (37)

Ottawa (37)

Los Angeles (37)

N.Y. Rangers (36)

St. Louis (35)

Boston (35)

Philadelphia (35)

Winnipeg (35)

Anaheim (35)

Edmonton (35)

Carolina (34)

Arizona (34)

Tampa Bay (33)

Pittsburgh (33)

Dallas (33)

Detroit (31)

New Jersey (30)

Chicago (30)

Washington (29)

Toronto (28)

Vancouver (22)

Colorado (21)

Buffalo (17)

Blues improve to 2-0 with 4-2 win over Stars

Gunnarsson, Edmundson, Schwartz score goals five 

minutes apart in first period; Allen comes up large with 38 saves

By LOU KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- With Blues skaters going down faster than flies to start the season due to injury, the early scuttlebutt is that they'd have a hard time finding scoring.

Yes, it's only two games, but the Blues have done a sufficient job in not only creating scoring opportunities but putting their chances away.

(St. Louis Blues photo)

Blues left wing Jaden Schwartz (17) scores on Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen

during a 4-2 Blues victory at Scottrade Center on Saturday night.

No Alexander Steen? No problem. 

No Robby Fabbri? No problem.

No Patrik Berglund? No Zach Sanford? No Jay Bouwmeester? 

So far, so good.

Carl Gunnarsson, Joel Edmundson and Jaden Schwartz scored first-period goals in a five-minute span and helped the Blues defeat the Dallas Stars 4-2 at Scottrade Center on Saturday before a sold-out crowd of 18,858.

Schwartz had a goal and assist, Alex Pietrangelo and Brayden Schenn each had two assists and Vladimir Tarasenko scored for St. Louis (2-0-0). Jake Allen made 38 saves.

"In game one, I thought we capitalized in some rush situations and I wasn't expecting a lot of that tonight," Blues coach Mike Yeo said. "After the first three, four minutes, we settled in and we found a way to get to the offensive zone."

Gunnarsson made it 1-0 at 9:50 by banking a shot off Stars defenseman Dan Hamhuis. It was Gunnarsson's first goal in 62 games; he last scored on March 25, 2016 against the Vancouver Canucks.

"That was a while ago," Gunnarsson said with a grin. "Let’s not talk about that.

"It's always fun. They started off pretty hot, but that goal and then after I think we did a pretty good job in the first period."

Edmundson scored at 11:14 to make it 2-0 on a shot from the left circle off a pass from Alex Pietrangelo. Pietrangelo faked a shot from the point before finding his defensive partner coming down the left circle. Lehtonen committed to the shot and gave Edmundson the open side to shoot at.

The goal was the Blues' seven goal of the season, and five of them came from defensemen.

"That's not bad," Gunnarsson said. "I'll take that any day. Let's just try to keep it rolling."

Schwartz made it 3-0 at 14:50 off a pass from Dmitrij Jaskin. Schenn was able to collect a puck along the right wall and found Jaskin in the high slot. Jaskin pulled the puck to his backhand and flipped it to Schwartz, who was able to pull it past Lehtonen before slamming the puck into an empty side.

"We've got some guys that are pretty creative down (in the offensive zone)," Pietrangelo said. "There's some pretty good chemistry on those lines.

"They played last night, so the goal was to try and get on them quick and wear them down from the start. Obviously, it's the way you want to start every game."

Allen was on top of his game. He made several key saves, including a sprawling glove save on Stars captain Jamie Benn with 7.7 seconds remaining in the first to preserve a 3-0 lead and prevented Dallas from gaining momentum.

"Just get across and get a glove on it," Allen said. "He got some good wood on it. I just got a glove there.

"That's the key when you get a big lead. I think you try to limit the other team's momentum." 

The Stars (0-2-0) lost 2-1 at home Friday to the Vegas Golden Knights in the Knights' first regular-season game in the NHL.

"I thought we'd be better in our zone under pressure and that's where I thought we did ourselves in," said Stars coach Ken Hitchcock, who returned after coaching in St. Louis for six seasons (2011-17) and received a video tribute in the first period. "We had a great start to the game. The first 10 to 12 minutes was exactly what we wanted. We showed some flashes and then we showed some 'back to the drawing board' stuff too."

Hitchcock looked up at the scoreboard and tapped his heart twice acknowledging the fans.

(St. Louis Blues photo)

Blues goalie Jake Allen makes one of his 38 saves during the Blues' 4-2 

victory over the Dallas Stars on Saturday.

"I know this is a special place," he said. "You spend six years here and you're in the playoffs every year. It's pretty special. Obviously I had a great relationship with the people here so it was a fun place."

John Klingberg scored a power-play goal for Dallas at 2:48 of the third period to make it 3-1, and Mattias Janmark scored at 13:11 to make it 4-2.

Stars goaltender Kari Lehtonen made 17 saves. 

With the win, the Blues prevented Hitchcock from tying Al Arbour for third all-time in coaching wins. Hitchcock remains at 751.

The Blues are 24-8-2 during the regular season under Yeo since he took over for Hitchcock on Feb. 1.

(10-7-17) Stars-Blues Gameday Lineup

By LOU KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- After opening with an exciting 5-4 overtime victory against the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins, the Blues open their home schedule today against Ken Hitchcock and the Dallas Stars (7 p.m., FS-MW, KMOX 1120-AM).

A sellout crowd is expected tonight to see the new-look Blues against their former coach who spent parts of six seasons building the Blued to what they are now.

"Sometimes the energy that comes out can backfire, sometimes it can help you but it wears off quickly," Blues coach Mike Yeo said. "I think we should definitely try to use our crowd tonight. Our crowd's going to be jacked up, it's going to be exciting, it's going to be loud and if we play the game the right way, then I think we can make that even louder. That said, I think keeping your emotions, keeping your focus and really staying in the process is going to be important."

The Blues have enough veteran players that have been there, done that in regards to playing in season and/or home openers but they never get old.

"It's just a good feeling to play in front of the home crowd," Blues center Kyle Brodziak said. "You'll feel the energy right from warm-ups. Once you step on the ice for warm-ups and you see the crowd and the start of the game, the emotions that go into it, it's definitely a little bit special."

"Home opener is big for us," Blues defenseman Carl Gunnarsson said. "That's what we've got to focus on. ... It's a good challenge."

- - -

Hitchcock, who was 248-124-41 in 413 regular season games with the Blues, can tie Al Arbour for third on the all-time coaching wins list tonight.

But after being fired on Feb. 1, he's stepped into a new challenge with a familiar foe.

Hitchcock began his coaching career with the Stars in 1995 and should have some emotions coming into the first regular-season game against the Blues.

"It's a little normal now because of the exhibition thing," Hitchcock said of playing the Blues twice in preseason. "Like I said to people, we were very ... I think you realize we were really proud of what we built here and I think you find out when you're in a different organization you trying and to get back on the winning track, how challenging and difficult that task is. You ought to not take it for granted because when you're with an organization that's in the playoffs all the time, there's a lot of things that go into that are a sense of cooperation between the coaches and the players, the management and the coaches that make a big difference if you're going to get into the playoffs and be there consistently. I think we're learning some of those lessons in Dallas now and hopefully we catch on quick."

Hitchcock was able to see some of the new renovations to Scottrade Center and came away impressed.

"It's beautiful," he said. "The score clock's outstanding, players love the lighting. I haven't been over to that side (the coaches room) so I can't tell you. Ours is still a nice one-bedroom bungalow over there. It looks outstanding to be honest with you."

The Blues should be jacked to face their former coach, too, but once they're on the ice, that stuff tends to wear off.

"On a personal level, it has some meaning for him," Brodziak said of Hitchcock. "At the end of the day for both teams, for players on each team, it's going to be business as usual. Early in the season, you've got bigger goals in mind. I think both teams want to come off good starts and feel good about their games. That's going to be the primary focus, but I think at the end of the day, I'm sure it means something to him and there's going to be some emotions."

Hitchcock hopes his knowledge of many of the Blues players gives him an advantage, but there are players he doesn't know, too.

"I don't really know it because I never saw it," Hitchcock said of this Blues team. "Obviously I know the players that were here. I think you understand why they win. They win because they've got a number of players who stay on task and stay on the program and that's why you win. To me, the National Hockey League is everything about who's in, not who's out. When you have quality players that are in, they can carry the day for a very ong period of time and I think you learn to appreciate that over time. To me, it's all about who's in. They've got good players that are in and I don't really know some of the other guys because I haven't seen them."

- - -

The Blues won't make any lineup changes from the one that won in Pittsburgh.

Yeo said he was pleased with many aspects of the game but there are ones that need to be altered as well.

"Given it's the first game of the year and playing against a good team, there was large chunks of that game that looked right," Yeo said. "It's Game 1 of the process of trying to get better and starting to grow our game. Obviously there's still things that we need to improve on. We made some big mistakes in the game. Obviously you're not going to win a lot of hockey games when you're giving up four goals, bu that said, there was a lot of things to like in the game. I thought the pace of the game was very good, there was a lot of areas where we were real tough to come through in the neutral zone and making it tough on their speed and their skill. Obviously we'd like to close on guys a little bit quicker and d-zone and I think we'll get tested in that regard tonight."

- - -

The Blues' projected lineup:

Vladimir Sobotka-Paul Stastny-Vladimir Tarasenko

Jaden Schwartz-Brayden Schenn-Dmitrij Jaskin

Magnus Paajarvi-Oskar Sundqvist-Tage Thompson 

Scottie Upshall-Kyle Brodziak-Chris Thorburn

Joel Edmundson-Alex Pietrangelo

Carl Gunnarsson-Colton Parayko

Vince Dunn-Robert Bortuzzo

Jake Allen will start in goal; Carter Hutton will be the backup.

Healthy scratches include Nate Prosser, Ivan Barbashev and Wade Megan. Alexander Steen (hand) and Jay Bouwmeester (ankle) are expected to be re-evaluated next week. Patrik Berglund (shoulder) is out until December. Zach Sanford (shoulder) is out until at least late February and Robby Fabbri (knee) is out for the season. 

- - -

The Stars' projected lineup:

Jamie Benn-Tyler Seguin-Alexander Radulov

Mattias Janmark-Jason Spezza-Brett Ritchie

Devin Shore-Martin Hanzal-Tyler Pitlick 

Antoine Roussel-Radek Faksa-Adam Cracknell

Esa Lindell-John Klingberg

Marc Methot-Jamie Oleksiak 

Dan Hamhuis-Stephen Johns 

Kari Lehtonen will start in goal; Ben Bishop, who was removed from the game Friday with 16:02 remaining with concussion-like symptoms, will be the backup.

Healthy scratches include Gemel Smith, Greg Pateryn and Julius Honka. The Stars report no injuries.

(10-7-17) BLUES NOTEBOOK

Like many of his teammates; Schenn jokes about puck whirl; 

Blues comfortable playing on edge of risk-reward with speed game

By LOU KORAC
HAZELWOOD, Mo. -- Two days after what some of his teammates called 'a baseball whirl,' or an audition for a shot put, Brayden Schenn can only look back on the moment and joke about it.

If he didn't, his teammates weren't going to let it slide.

Schenn, who had a goal and assist and fit right into the Blues' groups of centers with Jaden Schwartz and Dmitrij Jaskin,.

Schenn, who made his Blues debut in the 5-4 overtime win against the two-time defending Stanley Cup final, committed what he called a "blackout moment' when he caught a puck in the high slot and whirled it down the other end of the ice while the Blues were serving a penalty already down 5-4 (in numbers).

His delay of game penalty put the Blues down two men for an entire 1:44 and winning the hockey game 4-2.

The Penguins, who were smoked by the Blackhawks 10-1 on Thursday in Chicago, scored on the two-man advantage to cut the deficit to one before Coner Sheary tied it 4-4 just 54 seconds after the Marian Hossa.

"I don't even know what the heck that was," Schenn joked Friday. "I know you can't close your hand on the puck, but I thought I'd give her a toss and see what happens. Crowed. erupted, Pittsburgh erupted. Our bench stayed silent because they knew each other.

"Nice toss, too, eh? 'Yeosy' (Blues coach Mike Yeo) came up to me this morning and told me I threw it on net, so we'll shot it as a shot on goal.

"I don't think many texts would have came in if we had lost that game. I think people were allowed to laugh after, but when I did it, I don't think I even knew what the heck I was thinking. I just grabbed it; it was a blackout play and toss it down the ice, but I'm playing the wrong sport for that one."

Penalty gaffe aside, Schenn, who centered the Blues' second line primarily with Jaden Schwartz, looked to already be in midseason form.

"I like that he's a good pro, that he's got a lot of experience, he's got obviously NHL experience but international experience as well," Yeo said of Schenn. "But he's a competitive guy. He's a competitive guy with skill, and I think that fits our identity nicely. We know we have the ability to make plays, but we also know that we're at our best when the work comes first and the skill follows along. I think he fits that identity very nicely. He's done a real nice job at center for us. His faceoffs last game ... we weren't great as a team, but he was sharp in that area and I think he just gives us a bit more depth at both ends on both sides of the puck for us going forward here."

"I've played with Schwartz before," Schenn said. "Not lots, but I kind of know what he does. He's tenacious on pucks, wins those battles, he's quick, he sees the ice very well, creates space for his linemates. That was really the first game with 'Jas,' and he was a big body that goes in there. The three of us felt like we did a pretty good job in Game 1, but as a team, I think we were pretty solid for the most part but obviously a few things to correct along the way. Pretty good team effort heading into Pittsburgh there."

Despite the Yeo gaffe on Schenn after the game Tuesday ... 

"He likes it. He wants to prove that he's a centerman. He's a character guy who wants to fit in with our group, who wants to add to our group. But he wants to prove that he's a centerman and he's taken advantage of the opportunity.

* Final word on season-opening win -- Yeo had time to reflect on the 5-4 overtime win over the Penguins, as did the coaches.

There were good things and things that need to be fixed. But one thing is for certain.

"It's a process," Yeo said. "This is one game into a long process of not trying to get too caught into the big picture. I don't think anyone's going to get too overly excited about the fact that we won one hockey game. At some point here, we're going to lose a hockey game and we're not going to just let that derail us either. As long as we stay in that process of continuing to come back and try to get better, improve our game and grow confident in our game, then we'll like where we're at at the end of the year."

* Quick and quicker -- The Blues held another practice Friday at the St. Louis Outlet Mall, and while that's not unusual and neither is their style of play during such practices gives a clear-cut impression of who the Blues are trying to be.

"I've had a number of people telling me watching that Pittsburgh game that that was a fast game," Yeo said. "That was fast-paced, exciting and for me, I think that those are things that should be said about our group. For me, everything you practice should be with purpose. We're trying to build habits, we're trying to build our game. So when we're out there and we're working stuff, we're trying to build those types of habits. We want to be a team that plays fast and I don't think that's something you can just ask the players to do. I think that you have to practice fast, I think you have to build those habits, you have to get used to executing quickly and making the reads quicker. We absolutely try to build that in.

"I think there's certainly been a shift in the last several years about trying to build more speed. It's a north-south game right now. The trick is to not just be fast like everybody else, it's to try and be faster."

It's quite simple: Yeo wants the Blues play with speed, tempo and determination ... and forget about the risk-reward situation.

"We're practicing like we want to play," defenseman Carl Gunnarsson said. "It's been high tempo all through training camp. ... Everyone's trying to pick up the pace right now. It's a fast-paced game. Everyone's trying to catch on here. We're trying our best to lead in that perspective."

But the risk-reward outcome can't be overlooked.

"Big time, yeah. Everyone plays fast here," Schenn said. "Tight defensively, when you do get the puck, you move it, join the rush, get in the play create open space for the other guys on the ice with you. It's an up-tempo style of play. Hard work and competitive, but at the same time, offensive. It's a fun system to play. "

The Blues played with such up-tempo speed, it was a wonder if they could sustain that mentality for long stretches of time.

"I felt like last game, that some of our rush play and our execution, getting up the ice and the speed of our attack was the reason that we won the game," Yeo said. "... We want to be a team that's dangerous off the attack, but we also want to be heavy in the offensive zone, too.

"That's what we're trying to build and that there's a (risk-reward) line. You don't want to get over it, but you want to get as close to it as you can. It's hard to be successful if you don't take any risks at all. That said, if you're playing foolish and if you're creating turnovers and it's turning into chances against and goals against, obviously that's not doing you any good either. We're trying to build that idea that we can do it, and we can do it responsibly."