Blues focusing on pace, speed with tougher schedule looming; Thompson's
ice time limited; Hutton proud to be Blues spokesman in Hockey is for Everyone
HAZELWOOD, Mo. -- When Alexander Steen started off his postgame comments Saturday with the Blues having another level to their game and the team was slow at times with the puck even after a win, it was a pretty good indication what kind of practice the team would go through following a day off.
The Blues did lock it down defensively and with Carter Hutton in goal making all 27 saves in a 1-0 victory over the Buffalo Sabres but not without resistance, according to coach Mike Yeo.
But judging by the quick-pace practice using the full sheet of ice at the Ice Zone inside St. Louis Outlet Mall on Monday, the Blues (32-19-3), who begin an important week of Central Division opponents beginning with Tuesday when they host the Minnesota Wild (28-19-5), were in full speed mode.
"If you watched a lot of the drills, they were full ice drills where we had the ability to work on pace and get movement within each other," defenseman Colton Parayko said. "That's kind of what we needed is to get to a quicker step. Obviously Minnesota's a good team. They play a strong system and we've got to make sure that we have speed and we're playing together and connected tomorrow because that's when we're at our best and we're tough to play against."
The Blues came off a two-game dad's road trip, a 3-1 loss to the Boston Bruins before knocking off the Sabres with Carl Gunnarsson's third-period goal being the difference, and did so feeling they perhaps worked harder in the loss but executed better in Buffalo.
"I thought we weren't at our best, even in that [Sabres] game," defenseman Vince Dunn said. "I think we worked a lot harder in that Boston game and then I thought our execution was a lot better in our Buffalo game but our work wasn't as high as it needed to be, but I think with a practice like today, we're just focusing on passes and making sure we're crisp and obviously trying to keep a high pace and lead that into tomorrow's game. But I think we're on track. Obviously we can't dwell on the Boston loss. I know it was a hard loss. We didn't play our best game and we were still in the game to the very end."
Which is why Yeo wanted to see his players get back to executing quicker and thinking quicker.
"I do think we've got another level to our execution and to the pace of our game and so that was a focal point here today," he said. "... We have to be sharp in all areas of our game obviously. Pace is one element there, checking is another element and we'll be tested in all areas."
* The schedule toughens up -- After hosting the Wild, the Blues entertain the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday before a tough turnaround Friday against the Central Division-leading Winnipeg Jets and then come home to host the two-time Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins Sunday morning with an 11:20 puck drop.
It could be a defining month for the Blues in both schedule and personnel since the NHL Trade Deadline looms on Feb. 26, and the Blues have nine more games leading into it, including two at Nashville, one at Dallas and home games with San Jose and Winnipeg.
"Obviously we've got a busy week coming up here, so not going to have a lot of practice time going forward the rest of the week," Yeo said. "It's a big week, some big games coming up here, so we've got to make sure we're prepared."
But instead of looking too far ahead, the Blues have had the right thought process, just stick to the next opponent.
"One game to the next is always so important," said goalie Carter Hutton, who has won four straight starts and has two shutouts and two goals allowed in them. "You can always find a storyline from it. For us, we just worry about our locker room and what we can do to get the two points."
But looking at the remaining 28 games, 14 of them are against Central Division opponents, so the Blues, in third in the division, hold their fate in their own hands.
"It's pretty divisional for the rest of the games here until the end of the season, so I think every game's important," Dunn said. "Obviously when we play those Eastern teams, we can try to steal some points, but you look at the standings, they're pretty tight all the way to the very top. Every game matters."
* Thompson's ice time -- Blues fans were wondering where rookie Tage Thompson was in the third period.
As it turns out, he spent much of it on the bench.
Thompson played only 7 minutes 54 seconds in the win Saturday and of his eight shifts in the game, five of them were in the first period, two in the second and just one one-minute shift early in the third period.
With the Blues battling in a 0-0 game, Yeo indicated that Thompson's play and the thought of shortening the bench would benefit the Blues more.
"I would say it was a little combination of both," Yeo said, wanting more a veteran presence. "I think that were some little things that were probably missing in his game and the game was close, so we sort of shortened the bench at that point and he was on the wrong side of it."
Thompson has six points (three goals, three assists) in 23 games this season but just one assist his past eight games.
"It is ups and downs (of a young player)," Yeo said. "It's the part of the development process that's for sure."
Thompson was taking shifts on the fourth line Monday in practice, with Dmitrij Jaskin running drills with Patrik Berglund and Ivan Barbashev.
"The last couple games, I was happy with his game," Yeo said of Jaskin. "He's involved and using his big body getting involved in the offensive zone controlling pucks and when you're seeing him do those things, he's usually having a strong game."
* Blues to host Hockey is for Everyone Night -- The Blues will host their annual Hockey is for Everyone Night on Tuesday against the Wild, and Hutton is proud to the the team's ambassador.
Hutton is proud of just how far the game has come and the message it's sending.
"It's such a unique sport where we want to have it open for everybody and I think the culture we've created here in the NHL and hockey growing up is a very family-friendly oriented environment and it's something that you get a chance to see everyone enjoy the game," Hutton said. "It's such an awesome game and everyone should have the right to play and be part of it."
The Blues will welcome the Metropolitan Community Church of Greater St. Louis, a diverse choir group made up of black, white, gay, straight, cisgender, transgender, Christian, agnostic, Jewish and more to perform the national anthem.
The Blues will have a variety of rainbow items for sale on the Scottrade Center concourse. Profits from rainbow flags being sold will benefit Pride STL and their annual pride fest. Rainbow beads will also be sold to benefit Pride STL and You Can Play, an organization that aims to get rid of homophobia in athletics.
Proud Larry will also be playing rock songs from LGBTQ artists before and during the game. USA Hockey's Makenna Webster will be on hand in the color guard and members of Blues Special Hockey, Blues Blind Hockey and Inner City Street Hockey will make appearances.
"It's something I'm proud to be a part of," Hutton said. "I'm so fortunate to get to do this for a career and you can't take it for granted what we get to do every day coming to work. It's more sometimes just the NHL. It's the sport in general and what it brings out in people and I think for me from a young childhood age, it's just that people and places this game has brought me and the people I've met. I've made so many connections that I have today. It's a wonderful sport."
Hutton uses the example of Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews as an example of how the game has grown.
"I think (the message) is getting bigger and bigger," Hutton said. "You look at the game and you look at these non-traditional hockey markets that now have teams and you continue to grow. You look at Phoenix and look at Auston Matthews, right? He's the first overall pick coming out of Phoenix. Twenty years ago, who would have ever thought that, right? It's great to see and I think because of the NHL, getting to a market like that, I'm sure he'd even admit that without the Coyotes coming down there, he might not ever see the game in that kind of light. It's one of those things where we continue to grow, not to just play pro but at every level. It's a great game for people to experience and be a part of. A lot of my friends that did play, now play. It might be a Tuesday night at 11 o'clock and they're getting up to go to work the next morning. It's a game that everyone should be a part of. There's so many great things about it on and off the ice."
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