At the end of the second period Sunday, the Blues finally did something right. Numerous skaters went right to goalie Ville Husso to tap his pads and, inevitably, apologize (and, sure, encourage).
Not sure what’s the Finnish translation of “hung out to dry,” but that’s what the Blues did to their rookie goalie, as the Blues trailed 5-1 after two.
We all wanted to see what the Blues have in Husso, and we still have to wait. A glance at the box score might make you think he stinks, but only two, possibly three of the five goals he allowed were the fault of the goalie. The final score was 6-3, Kings over the Blues, with the sixth goal an empty-netter.
In that pivotal second period, the Blues looked as if they were out-gunned, out-manned, out-numbered, out-planned. So much to fix — the penalties, the defense, the urgency, the everything. But at least Husso got out there — the first start of his National Hockey League career.
Sunday was supposed to be a chance for Husso to ease his way into the mix. Second game of a back-to-back, following a Blues victory against a team that’s struggled in recent seasons. Instead, it was a harsh reminder of what this league is — the best players on the planet. Every team has some talent, every team has the ability to pounce, every team can turn a game upside down if a goalie isn’t ready and a defense isn’t crisp.
It is imperative that Husso — Jordan Binnington’s backup — is relevant this season. The backup goalie in hockey is not like the backup quarterback in football. Two seasons ago, the Blues made an entire Stanley Cup run with one goalie. But the reality of the modern NHL is that teams often utilize two goalies, even during playoff runs. If anything, the Blues have 10 back-to-backs on the schedule this season (nine now). They need their No. 2 to play like a No. 1 a lot.
The first goal he allowed was because of a mistake he made. Husso didn’t seal the left post as tight as he could’ve — or, should’ve. The puck bounced off Colton Parayko’s skate and the Kings’ Alex Iafallo was all over it for the goal from close range.
The second goal — Husso shouldn’t have been in the situation to begin with. Vince Dunn couldn’t contain Carl Grundstrom, who made Dunn look dumb with a fancy move. Maybe Husso could’ve saved the shot, but it was a blistering wrister past his left shoulder.
So it was 2-1 after one period. And after two periods, it was, well, it was terrible. It was 5-1.
Dunn was somehow even worse in that period. He did poorly on the third Kings goal, a backhander that would’ve been tough for anyone to save.
The fourth goal Husso allowed? He probably wants that one back. Adrian Kempe drilled it through traffic and past Husso. At that point, with 11:38 left in the second, the Blues were outshot 22-7.
The fifth goal was out of Husso’s control. Lias Andersson popped out of the box and the Blues defensemen didn’t communicate thoroughly, and the guy had a breakaway.
Husso has been hyped as a goalie who is calm, collected and technically sound.
“I’ve been very impressed with (him),” forward Ryan O’Reilly said recently of Husso’s work ethic. “The guy shows up. He’s been here a lot. He’s preparing. You can see he’s getting better. He’s putting in the work.”
So far in his career, the standout image of Ville Husso, to me, was at OB Clark’s the day after the Blues won the Cup. It was a euphoric scene of sun-splashed and trashed Blues fans, standing in the parking lot of the Brentwood bar and screaming at the balcony like something on Bourbon Street.
A few Blues and VIPs hovered above, be it Ryan O’Reilly (and the Conn Smythe trophy in tow) or Alexander Steen, or some tall guy who was oddly still wearing a suit. He stood out by not being known. It was, of course, Ville Husso, who had gone along for the ride as the third goalie on the Cup run. And seeing him, and then thinking about Binnington, it was like — man, he could’ve been the man!
Husso was ahead of Binnington on the Blues’ depth chart, before an injury kept Husso out and allowed Binnington to work his way up and onto the big club. Binnington became Binnington, and Husso was just a what-if in a suit.
Husso did make one infamous appearance earlier this season. It was the second game of the season, and Colorado’s avalanche of offense overwhelmed Binnington. The Blues were down, 4-0, and their defense was offensive. To start the third period, coach Craig Berube gave Binnington a reprieve and put in Husso, but he could’ve put in Hasek and it wouldn’t have mattered. The Blues played sloppy hockey and Husso allowed four goals on 14 shots.
He allowed five more on Sunday.
But let’s at least get him a fair shot in the next one.
