Takeaways from Blues vs. Stars

The St. Louis Blues returned home to resume their home-and-home series against the Dallas Stars. The Blues defeated the Stars 4-1 at the Enterprise Center on Friday night. With the win, St. Louis swept Dallas in their home-and-home series.

Here are my three takeaways from the Blues versus Stars game on Friday.

Vladimir Tarasenko is rocking and rolling.
Blues forward and alternate captain Vladimir Tarasenko is on a roll. Tarasenko scored two goals tonight for his 10th and 11th goals of the season, respectively.

With these two goals, Tarasenko recorded his fourth multi-point game in his last seven games. Well done, Tarasenko!

I’m not sure all of the reasons why the real Vladimir Tarasenko has been standing up as of late, butI remember when some Blues fans and media members thought he was going to be traded after he reportedly wanted out of St. Louis. Are they still standing by their words? Asking for myself, and anyone else who had the same thought.

Colton Parayko is on a two-game point streak.
Blues defenseman Colton Parayko is currently on the Blues’ first defensive pair with fellow defenseman Niko Mikkola. Yes, some Blues fans and media have given him a hard time last season and this season; but he sustained a couple of injuries so that’s why I gave him a break. I don’t know if they did.

Anyways, Parayko snapped a two-game point skid with a two-game point streak in the Blues’ home-and-home series against the Stars. He scored a goal, his third goal of the season, in the Blues’ 4-1 win on December 15th and collected an assist, his 12th assist of the season, in the Blues’ 4-1 win on December 17th.

Parayko may not be one of the top defensemen in the league, but he seems to be amped up to play hockey thus far this season. I mean, he signed an eight-year, $52 million contract extension for a reason (unless he continues to sustain injuries or does something extremely foolish). When healthy and consistent, he can move the puck in all three zones. He’s a silent defensive leader on the ice.

Charlie Lindgren is the first Blues goaltender to start 5-0.
Blues goaltender Charlie Lindgren isn’t a household name, but he has been attracting attention to himself. When Lindgren won his fourth consecutive start with the Blues, he tied with former goaltender Ryan Miller, who started 4-0 in 2013-14. Miller lost what would’ve been his fifth consecutive start in an overtime loss.

While I’m proud of Lindgren, I think it’s too soon for the Blues fans and media to love and adore him. In my opinion, Jordan Binnington is still the Blues’ No. 1 goaltender and Ville Husso is the Blues’ backup goaltender. Binnington is one of the faces of the Blues franchise. Husso may need to continue being developed, but he’s taking the right steps. I’ll wait and see if Lindgren continues his hot streak because this streak sort of reminds me of the San Francisco 49ers who placed all their eggs in one basket after quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo won his first five starts in 2016.

The Blues visit the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday, December 19 at 2:00 pm Central.