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The Blues travel up north to America's hat to take on the Jets tonight at MTS Centre. The Blues would come into tonight having dropped their last game to Colorado 3-1. The Jets on the other hand dropped their last one to the Hawks 2-0. Jake Allen would get the start tonight for the Blues. On the other side, new guy Connor Hellebuyck would start for the Jets. The Blues lines would look the same for the fifth game in a row. Yes, Hitch would start one more game with the same lines. Paajarvi, Stastny and Tarasenko would be your top line once again. Behind them, the trio of Brouwer, Backes and Steen. Jaskin, Lehtera and Fabbri would be line number three followed by Upshall, Brozdiak and Reaves. Your defensive parings anchored by Bouwmeester and Pietrangelo. Lindbohm/Shattenkirk and Gunnarsson/Parayko would make up the other two parings.
First Period:
Tonight started out faster than usual. The Blues looked awake for once and even had a good scoring chance early from a wide open David Backes.
Unfortunately, as we've seen the Blues turn relatively unknown NHL guys into Patrick Roy. Hellebuyck was looking like he was going to keep that trend going as he was tested early. About a minute later Mark Scheifele would deflect one past Allen for a 1-0 Jets lead.
The period could have easily been two or three to nothing to be honest. Jake Allen would deny the Jets some decent chances. Here he makes the save on Jacob Trouba.
The Jets would continue to build momentum throughout the period. Not only would Allen keep them out of the net, but the Blues would seem to have a little luck on their side as well. How did this not go in?
The Blues would head to the locker room down 1-0.
Second Period:
Sixteen seconds. Just sixteen seconds into the second period would be all the Blues would need to tie the game at one. Troy Brouwer would snap one passed Hellebuyck.
It's Brouwer's sixth of the year. David Backes (10) and Jay Bouwmeester (7) would get the assists. Brand new game for the Blues. It seemed as if the Blues had the momentum back and the Blues would keep that momentum. Here Fabbri had a GREAT oppurtunity to make it 2-1 Blues.
Just a bit outside though as he would miss his chance. The Jets would then march right down the ice and this would happen.
Nevermind the premature light (insert your going off prematurely joke here), the Blues just had any momentum killed by Thorburn's fifth goal of the year. Blues had a ton of chances on their end only for the Jets to just come down and score. That was pretty much the Blues season in a nutshell to this point. The Jets however were not done. Drew Stafford would score his 11th of the year and would make it 3-1 bad guys. (Not only that, but Brouwer would get checked in the corner by a linesmen)
All the bad words for the Blues at this point. But the Jets being the Jets...penalties. The Blues first powerplay wouldn't connect, but the second one sure did. Alexander Steen would score his 11th of the year from Shattenkirk (14) and Tarasenko (12)
The Blues with some renewed confidence head into the locker room down 3-2.
Third Period:
The Blues would begin the third period on the power play once again. Once again they would connect. (Two power play goals?!?! What is this madness?!) This time Vladimir Tarasenko would bury a beautiful pass from Shatty for the equalizer at 3.
It would be Tarasenko's 19th of the season. Somehow after the trainwreck that was the second period, the Blues would come back just 50 seconds into the third and tie it. While the power play is still a work in progress, it finally looks as if it's going to take off. We can only hope.
Jake Allen never waived after giving up those three goals. In fact by the third period he was in the zone. He seemed to be able to do whatever he wanted.
Allen wouldn't be the only bright spot tonight. The Blues penalty kill, now ranked number one in the NHL, would kill off both of the Jets chances tonight.
With the way the Blues have played as of late, I was just waiting for the Jets to score again. Sorry, that's just how it's been. Call it what you will, but it's the truth. With that being said....THANK YOU PAUL STATSNY.
Talk about a guy that couldn't buy a goal, he finally buries one and that would turn out to be the game winner. Stastny would get his third of the season. Tarasenko, this kid is pretty good at hockey right? What a pass. Also of note, Steen and Paajarvi would switch spots (aka 20/26/91 were back together and 56 was with 42 and 36)
The Blues would go on to win yet another one goal game against the Jets 4-3. The Blues return home Thursday to take on another Central foe in the Nashville Predators. (Buy a paper dammit. Er, please?)
Three Stars:
Third Star: Mark Scheifele (1 goal, 1 assist. Last name sounds like a beer. Mmm beer)
Second Star: Jake Allen (36 saves, probably eating free dinner for a week after tonight)
First Star: Vladimir Tarasenko (1 goal, 2 assists, single handedly saving Hitch from being canned...for now.)