Kyrou makes play for Blues late to help decide win against 'Yotes

Forward's speed created play that ended with 

Faulk's second goal of the game in 4-1 win over Arizona

By LOU KORAC
Craig Berube spoke Friday morning on Jordan Kyrou and the things he was able to do the past couple days as far as competitive level and speed in practice.

Both were noticeable to the coaching staff, and both were on a high level, which normally translates into the next game, especially when that player's game has leveled off some.

(St. Louis Blues photo)

Jordan Kyrou (left) celebrates with teammate Justin Faulk after Faulk

scored the go-ahead goal Friday night against the Arizona Coyotes.

Kyrou had produced zero points in three straight losses against the Arizona Coyotes, and teams tend to pay attention to players, especially young ones making an impact early in a season.

Berube talked about Kyrou raising his competitiveness and his speed level was high as well, and it was evident in a tight game late in the third period somebody was going to have to make a play.

Enter Kyrou, who used his speed to negate what would have been an icing call by flying past Coyotes forward Johan Larssen, then curled around the boards along the half wall past Barrett Hayton, then he cut back past Hayton towards the middle of the ice and fed Justin Faulk coming in down the slot, and Faulk made no mistake.

Faulk's second goal of the game with 6:55 remaining in the third period broke a tie and fueled the Blues' 4-1 win Friday night at Gila River Arena.

In a game that one had the sense it would take one play, even a simple play like negating an icing call, to have an impact in the outcome, Kyrou stepped up and made it happen.

"I saw the D coming in, so I just made a cutback quick there and Faulker was in a good spot in the slot there and I just hit him and it was a great shot by him," Kyrou said. "I kind of knew that I had a step on the guy, so I just got to it first was playing hard there.

"It was definitely a huge win for us. We lost the last three against these guys, so coming in here in game one in their building, it's a big win for us for sure."

Perhaps last season when he was a rookie, if the coaching staff would have seen Kyrou's play slipping, a night/nights in the press box wouldn't have been out of the question. But it's evident Kyrou has made his impact on this team and will continue to do so, even if there are ebbs and flows to his game at the ripe, young age of 22.

"It was obviously a big goal," Berube said. "Jordan Kyrou did a great job negating the icing with his ability to skate and then made a nice play on a cutback and fed Faulk. We had a couple guys going to the net on the play. Good play all-around, our D getting up in the play and Kyrou using his speed.

"I think he did a great job late in the game using his ability, his skating ability and speed. Obviously he can make plays. He made a great play on the goal."

It helped cap off Faulk's two-goal, one-assist night, and Ivan Barbashev and Brayden Schenn added empty-netters to cap this one off instead of the Blues giving up the tying goal on a last-second shot before losing in a shootout, like they did on Monday.

"We were grinding a bit," Faulk said. "Arizona obviously had our number there at home. We played a pretty good game, the last one, and knew we had to come in here tonight and put together a good 60 minutes and with that, sometimes it's just grinding it out. If it takes a late goal or something like that to kind of get over the hump, that's what it was tonight.

"It was huge. Good speed by (Kyrou) and then a great play along the wall, good patience. He had them pretty fooled that he was going to make the pass early and he cut back, took it hard and it looked like he was even going to take it to the net and maybe get a shot before he passed it over. Just a great play by him and great hustle too."

The fifth of an NHL-record seven straight games against the Coyotes went according to script and much like the first four: tight-checking, grinding, workmanlike efforts all over the ice and a game going down to the wire, which this one did until the Blues put it away with empty-net goals the final two minutes.

"This feels better for sure," said Blues goalie Jordan Binnington, who made 24 saves in the win. "We could feel it coming. We kept working and stayed patient and stuck to our game. It was good to see. It was a hard-fought game. It was tight on both sides and it's a good win by us."

The Blues didn't wilt under pressure in this game. They didn't make the undisciplined mistakes if taking a penalty, they stayed the course. A team that understands road hockey and what it takes to win in enemy territory, stayed patient and made the necessary plays late.

(St. Louis Blues photo)

From left, Ryan O'Reilly, David Perron, Justin Faulk and Mike Hoffman

celebrate a Faulk goal against the Arizona Coyotes on Friday.

"That's Blues hockey," Faulk said. "We're comfortable in those situations. You tell us any night we're going into the third period tied up, especially on the road, we're fine with that, we're happy in that situation. We know if we stick to our game and play the way that we have instilled here as a group, we're going to come out on the right side of things more than not and have a good night."

* NOTES -- Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist left the game late in the third period when he went crashing right shoulder-first into the end boards and needed help to the bench. Berube believes Sundqvist will be fine, but they will see how he feels on Saturday before facing the Coyotes again at 7 p.m.