Kyrou making early impact for Blues

Speedy, skilled winger making contributions offensively, rounding game into 

form by playing on both sides of puck, managing it better in first three games

By LOU KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- When Jordan Kyrou collected the puck 10 feet or so inside his own defensive blue line, there was no question where the puck was going.

It's like finding Interstate 55 on a trip to Chicago, because you're headed North, and Kyrou was making a beeline north.

(St. Louis Blues/Scott Rovak)

Blues forward Brayden Schenn joins in the celebration of a goal scored by

Jordan Kyrou (25) Monday against the San Jose Sharks.

He makes one touch, then a chip from just inside the red line, and from there, Erik Karlsson had no chance.

Had it not been for San Jose Sharks goalie Devan Dubnyk's wise poke-check, Kyrou would have had a highlight-reel goal. Instead, it led to Brayden Schenn's tying goal in the second period to make it 3-3. 

It's the kind of instant impact play that the 22-year-old can make. The 2016 second-round pick made Karlsson, a perennial All-Star defenseman despite battling injuries the past couple seasons and most recently this past offseason, look pedestrian. 

It had teammates marveling at the kind of impact that Kyrou can make, and to think, he's only scratching the surface.

"Especially almost from a little standstill beating one of the elite-skating defensemen wide and taking him wide," Blues forward Brayden Schenn said. "Whether Karlsson was tired or not, it's nice to see, brings an element to our team with speed and skill. At the same time, what's separating his game from last year is the way he's competing and hard on pucks and battling hard. He's fun to play with. He's full of confidence so it's nice to see and we're going to need that moving forward."

Then there's what could have turned into a game-saver, when the Blues turned the puck over in the offensive zone and the Sharks were headed the other way, with speed, on a potential 2-on-1 with 12:10 to play in the game.

Marcus Sorensen had the puck and his eyes lit up when he began his trek from the red line in. He had Evander Kane streaking with him, with a chance to potentially give the Sharks the lead again, but there was Kyrou, not doing anything foolish, perhaps taking what would have been a good penalty. He used his speed to chase Sorensen down from behind, lift his stick, get position with his and swept the puck towards the boards out of harm's way, bodies off Sorensen and in turn moves the puck back the other way.

This is the kind of play, the one that nobody talks about enough, that can make the difference between winning and losing hockey games. Kyrou, known for his offensive prowess in the Ontario Hockey League, knows these are the kinds of plays that can round his game off and make him a complete NHL player. These are the kinds of plays, ones that can be the difference between winning and losing, ones that can get the attention and appreciation of teammates, that teach young players the value of responsible hockey.

"Yes, excellent backcheck," Blues coach Craig Berube said. "He can do that all the time with his speed and he's really starting to get it and figure that out."
Maybe in the OHL, Kyrou doesn't necessarily have to make that play, but in the NHL, it's imperative.

"Yeah, for sure. Good defense leads to offense so I really feel like I've been working hard on that and getting back quicker and being hard on the forecheck and defensively as well," Kyrou said. "It definitely helps with the overall game."

It did this time.

Kyrou wasn't finished. 

On his eventual game-winning goal, he hustled to the wall and kept a puck inside the offensive zone, lost his stick as it was knocked away while the Sharks were clearing the zone, but instead of giving up on the play, he hustled to grab his stick, got back into the play, took a drop pass from Colton Parayko and the offensive instincts kicked in.

With Parayko on the outside and Kyrou's eyes focused on the interior, he noticed there was no help. He toe-drags the puck enough to give him the juice to square up the body at the top of the right circle before unwinding a precise lethal wrister that was labeled for the short-side, top right corner past the glove hand of Dubnyk.

It's his second game-winner in three games, the kind of goal goal-scorers score, one that came with hard work. There was no cherry-picking. It came as a result of being dogged on the puck, staying with it, as he did throughout the game, and making an impact on a hockey game for his teammates.

"'Pary' made a good drop for me and I cut to the middle and tried to use the D as a screen there and it worked out," Kyrou said. "I really worked on (play away from the puck); it’s Chief’s big thing. ... It's one thing I've really learned a lot so and I’m really bringing it into my game I feel.

"Feeling good. Just got to keep it up and keep pushing the pace."

(St. Louis Blues/Scott Rovak)

Jordan Kyrou was all smiles Monday after he tallied a goal and an assist

to help the Blues defeat San Jose 5-4 at Enterprise Center.

Kyrou and linemates Schenn and Jaden Schwartz had a corsi-for of 75 percent (12-4) and a Fenwick-for percentage of 76.92 (10-3), which led to a Fenwick relative-for of 20.67. That line had a shots for compared to shots against of 9-2 (81.82 percent) and a shots relative-for of 19.66, putting up huge numbers for arguably the Blues' best line.

"His speed and his skill. He gets opportunities because of that," Berube said of Kyrou. "I was glad to see him get one. He had a lot of opportunities and hit a post, had a couple other good shots. He did a good job. The one area, he's just got to manage the puck better at times, but that will come. Coming out of junior hockey and things like that, you're always used to making plays. In the NHL, you've got to manage it a little bit, but he did a good job. He showed a lot of speed, made a lot of nice plays and he could have had more than one goal."