Blues' improbable 2-1 win over Stars one they'll remember

Down 1-0 in final minute, O'Reilly, Kyrou score 

power-play goals late to steal win against deflated, irate Stars

By LOU KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- It's one of those moments when one can look back and marvel at it as something that was a triggering point.

Sure, there are ebbs and flows to a season in which teams think they should win and don't and vice versa. 

(St. Louis Blues/Scott Rovak)

Blues forward Jordan Kyrou pumps his fist in jubilation after scoring late in

regulation to help them to a 2-1 win over the Dallas Stars Sunday.

On Sunday for at least 59 minutes, the Blues didn't have that winning feeling, they were staring at the clutches of defeat to a very game Dallas Stars side with their sights set on a fifth straight win and ending the Blues' 11-game home point streak. The Stars were mere seconds from playing the perfect road game and a well-deserved win.

But if Sunday's improbable 2-1 Blues win isn't an example to those in the stands, and those of us in the media covering these games, to not leave your seats, or in our cases in the press box, don't have your stories written just yet, then everyone involved will just have to keep learning the hard way.

Somehow, someway, the Blues pulled out a win from the clutches of defeat when Ryan O'Reilly and Jordan Kyrou scored power-play goals in the final minute of regulation and steal two points. 

The Blues (21-10-5) will look back on this game depending on what happens the rest of the way and put it up on a pedestal as one of those games that perhaps helped them win a division title, earn a higher seed or home ice in the playoffs, some scenario where two fewer points could have made some sort of difference.

Their home point streak was about to go up in smoke at 11 games, but instead, it's reached 12 (11-0-1), and for the first time in their history, the Blues rallied to win a game in regulation when they trailed in the final minute. Their 12-game home point streak matches the third-best in franchise history with they were 9-0-3 Jan. 6-Feb. 26, 2001.

Let's face it, the Stars (17-13-2) had the Blues, who for large stretches of this afternoon tilt appeared to be skating in quicksand, bottled up for much of the game. They were holding on leading 1-0 on Jason Robertson's goal 9:16 into the second period.

But the Blues took advantage of two penalties at the end, one missed call that benefited the Blues, and used their third-ranked power play in the end to steal two points.

How did this happen?

Well ... 

"It was mayhem," O'Reilly said. "You could just tell pucks ... where the puck was going, just, yeah, it was a little bit chaotic. But I thought we had a good third period. We had some good chances and it took us right down to the wire to tie the game up, but yeah, there was pucks and bodies everywhere and obviously we get a good bounce and in the back of the net to tie it up. Yeah, it was good."

Kyrou added, "I think we just weren't winning enough battles. We weren't moving our feet enough and playing quick. I think the third period, we started to play more quick and we started quick-up pucks more, get on the forecheck quicker and attack the net more, kind of put them on their heels a little bit. That's how we need to play.

"Every shift allowed us to build and we were creating more energy for the team and more momentum. It just went well with the end of the game and how we came back."

With the Blues on the power play and Jordan Binnington, who was rock solid throughout, on the bench, the Blues held a 6-on-4 advantage. They worked the puck down low, and Brayden Schenn got away with pulling down Miro Heiskanen by grabbing the Stars defenseman's stick. The puck worked around back to Torey Krug, whose shot was wide of the net and as it caromed back, Schenn missed the first attempt, but it came to O'Reilly, who was on the spot to pot the loose puck from the slot with 46.3 ticks left to tie the game.

"I kind of see it. It was kind of weird," O'Reilly said. "I thought (Kyrou) had (Heiskanen) beat and then obviously the stick breaks and then I kind of realized I had to get the puck quick. Yeah, it was a weird play and there was a lot going on. But we just kind of stuck with it, got it to the net and, again, we got a great bounce off the end wall right to me."

The Stars were irate that no call was made when Heiskanen was hauled down, and ti make matters worse for Dallas (17-13-2), Heiskanen, after getting to his feet, slashed Kyrou's stick and was called for slashing.

So not only did the Blues tie the game up, but had 46.3 seconds to actually now try and win this thing.

"What was it, 46 seconds? That’s quite a bit of time," Blues coach Craig Berube said. "Right off the bat, the draw in the center ice, we were competing hard there and won a puck battle and got on the attack right away.

"Kyrou did a great job there. If he doesn’t do that, probably we’re in overtime maybe. I don’t know. I thought Jordan Kyrou had a heck of a game tonight. He was on his toes all game, competing hard, skating, attacking, putting that team on their heels."

The puck worked around the boards to Kyrou, who was able to pull it to his forehand. He was looking to make a cross-crease pass to Robert Thomas, but a fortuitous bounce off former Blues farmhand Jani Hakanpaa's right leg and into the net gave the Blues a 2-1 lead with 28.1 seconds left. 

Two goals in 18 seconds is all it took to erase 59-plus minutes of frustration and send 18,096 into delirium.

"That was definitely really fun to be a part of," Kyrou said. "Doesn't happen too often when you come back last couple minutes. It was pretty electric out there. It was fun. It was a great win by us too.

"Honestly, I was trying to pass to 'Tommer' there backdoor and I just got a lucky bounce and it went in."

You have to create lucky bounces, and the Blues found a way to do so. They did it with a little pick-me-up by their coach and the players realizing that the previous 40 minutes were not going to work against a very game Stars group.

"I think it wasn't our best first two periods, kind of got caught on our heels at times," O'Reilly said. "Give them credit, they did play well, but we were still in a good spot. We came in, 'Chief' came in and kind of helped us reset and you could see we came out and were on our toes and being aggressive and physical. Again, we had plenty of chances in that third period, but it took us to the last couple minutes to get the game tied. But as a group, I thought we showed great resilience. The bench, there was no panic there. Guys kept working and kept pushing and get a bounce and find a way to win a hockey game. It's not our prettiest win, but over the course of the season you've got to find ways to win and get two points and tonight we did."
Berube has been down this road before, uplifting his players, and was up to the task again. 

"The first two periods I thought there wasn’t a ton of energy," Berube said. "We weren’t winning enough puck battles. I thought they did a good job of clogging things up. You know, being tight on us. Not giving us any room. But we didn’t want to compete through that. We kind of allowed it to happen more than anything.

"We needed to get on our toes and start skating. And start winning puck battles and doing things right. Guys did a good job responding. I thought we had a real good third period going. We took the penalty late, killed it off. Special teams were really good tonight – that’s the difference in the game."

Actually, the difference may have been Binnington. Arguably one of his best starts of the season, right up there with the win in Winnipeg earlier this season, Binnington kept the game within striking distance with the Blues making poor puck decisions and having their goalie bail them out in the end with clutch save after clutch save.

"He was unbelievable today," Kyrou said of Binnington, who made 26 saves. "I think in the third period there when they had that power play, he made a couple really big saves. I was just thinking to myself, 'Damn, that really keeps us in the game and we came come back now,' and we did."

"He was unreal again tonight," O'Reilly said of Binnington. "He made some huge saves, especially we have a few breakdowns and give up some two on ones and he was just so calm back there, makes huge saves, gives us confidence and gave us a chance to win that game going into the third period. It could have been a lot worse if it wasn’t for him and that’s what he does. He always gives us a chance to win and it was nice that we could sneak this one out for him."

(St. Louis Blues/Scott Rovak)

Blues goalie Jordan Binnington made 26 saves, several of the clutch variety

in helping the Blues to a 2-1 win over the Dallas Stars on Sunday.

It started with a right pad save on Jamie Benn streaking in along the right side, to a breakaway save on Benn in the second period after a giveaway to several others that could have wound up in the Blues' net.

"He made a great save in the third period on that penalty kill," Berube said. "Kept it 1-0. The timely saves he made tonight were excellent."

Little things that may not add up in the moment, but they sure do add up cumulatively, and in the end, somehow, someway, they added up to a Blues win when it looked bleak for a long time.

"I think we’re a team that really, we get into the high-pressure situations, we stay calm and we get to our identity, which is working and playing hard," O'Reilly said. "It’s a fun thing to be part of. If we do that every night we’re gonna have a chance to win hockey games. It’s a very resilient group and a deep group and there’s not a team we don’t play that we know that we can’t give ourselves a chance to win, so it’s good to have that confidence and resiliency and something we have to keep going forward."