TEMPE, Ariz. — This latest Blues loss was like a lot of losses early in the season — where they’d hang with a team for a good portion of the game and then collapse.
The collapse started with two goals by Arizona’s Nick Schmaltz in the second period. And then intensified with three more in the third, including Schmaltz’s third for the hat trick.
The end result was an embarrassing 5-0 loss to an Arizona team that while competitive at home is destined to finish near the bottom of the standings again.
With their third consecutive loss, all to teams currently out of playoff position, the Blues are back at .500 at 23-23-3. This is a team taking the express line to oblivion. And the worst news? There’s still 33 games left to play.
In the intimate setting of 4,600-seat Mullett Arena, this could’ve been a party for the Blues. They had fans all over the building, and basically took over the student section at Mullett, which is also the home of college hockey’s Arizona State Sun Devils.
Instead it turned into a sobering reminder of how far this Blues season has gone off the tracks.
The Blues not only lost the game, they lost one of their top point producers, Robert Thomas, with a lower-body injury.
Things go awry in second
Thomas’ night ended quickly when he took a puck to what appeared to be the, uh, lower midsection just 4:38 into the period. Thomas was down on the ice for a while and then headed down the tunnel for treatment.
Before the period ended, the Blues announced he was out for the game with a lower-body injury. So just as the Blues were starting to get some players back from injury — Vladimir Tarasenko, Torey Krug, Logan Brown and Robert Bortuzzo — they’ve lost Pavel Buchnevich after the Chicago game (ankle) and now Thomas.
Things went downhill from there on the scoreboard, thanks in large part to Schmaltz. The former first-round pick by the Chicago Blackhawks topped off a quick developing 2-on-1 break with his ninth goal of the season, tapping in a pass from Lawson Crouse at the 9:05 mark to break a scoreless tie for Arizona.
It became a 2-0 lead three minutes later, with Schmaltz again doing the damage. Jordan Kyrou lost the puck navigating around the St. Louis blue line. A 2-on-0 break ensued — that’s right, two Coyotes and zero Blues — and the result was Schmaltz’s 10th goal of the season.
Just 13 seconds into the third period, Schmaltz scored again for a hat trick. The goal was originally waved off because the net was off its moorings while Schmaltz was shooting. But the play was reviewed and it was determined that the Blues’ Brayden Schenn had knocked the net off its moorings, so the call was reversed and it was a 3-0 game.
Arizona tacked on a couple of more goals over the next seven minutes, improving its record to 16-28-3 overall — but a respectable 10-8-2 at home.
Action-packed first
Considering it was a scoreless first period, there was a lot of action for both teams.
Justin Faulk sent a rocket past Coyotes goalie Karel Vejmelka from about 50 feet away at the right point at the 5:04 mark. The Blues started celebrating. That informal fan club known as the Faulkateers were happy.
And then the goal was disallowed. The officiating crew, headed by referees Peter MacDougall and Brandon Blandina ruled that Thomas, skating through the goalie crease right as the shot arrived, interfered with the goalie.
So no goal. No score in the game.
Twelve seconds later, Coyotes defenseman Juuso Valimaki clanged a shot off the goalpost. Near the end of the period, former No. 5 overall draft pick Barrett Hayton rang another shot off the post for Arizona. So at least the Blues had that going for them Thursday.
Power-play struggles
The Blues entered the night only 2 for 19 on the power play over their previous six games. But the return of Krug and Tarasenko has added some pep to the first unit. When Arizona’s Dylan Guenther went off for hooking Nick Leddy at the 9:51 mark, the Blues peppered Vejmelka with four shots on goal. In addition, Tarasenko had a tip-in attempt go wide of the net and Logan Brown had a shot blocked.
Even when the second unit took the ice, the Blues controlled the puck for nearly the entire two minutes, but couldn’t get one in the net. So that put them at 2 for 20. It became 2 for 21 in the second period, when the Blues had a lot of possession time once again, but couldn’t convert after Hayton went off for holding Alexey Toropchenko with 3:21 left in the period.
On the Blues’ penalty kill, Thomas took a penalty for hooking St. Louisan Clayton Keller just 95 seconds into the game. But the Blues killed it off. Over their last eight-plus games, they are 17 of 18 on the PK.
Lineup tweaks
Coach Craig Berube made a couple of lineup changes with generating more offense the objective. After being healthy scratches Tuesday against Buffalo, forward Josh Leivo and defenseman Calle Rosen were back in action.
They replaced Nathan Walker and Tyler Tucker, respectively. Leivo played on the third line, with Noel Acciari dropping down from the third line to the fourth line in Walker’s spot. Rosen played on the third defensive pairing with Niko Mikkola.
After being demoted to the third pairing with Tucker against Buffalo, Colton Parayko returned to his customary spot on the top pairing with Nick Leddy.
The moves did no good with the team shut out for only the second time all season, and the first time since a 4-0 loss at Winnipeg in Game 4 of the season on Oct. 24.
