SEATTLE – For the second time in their two games this season, the Blues jumped out a two-goal lead only to squander the advantage in the second period.
They survived Saturday’s season opener, scoring three times in the third period for a 5-2 victory. This time, the upstart Seattle Kraken, playing their fifth game in eight days, took it to the Blues for most of the third period after tying the game at 3-all with a pair of second-period goals. The Blues were outshot 12-6 in third period, but were able to force overtime Wednesday at Climate Pledge Arena.
But Justin Faulk with his second goal of the night, bailed out the Blues in overtime for a 4-3 victory. The Blues improved to 2-0-0 on the season and head to Edmonton next for a Saturday game.
Goals in bunches
The Blues broke open a 2-2 game with those three third-period goals against Columbus. They picked up where they left off with three first-period goals Wednesday against Seattle.
Jordan Kyrou got the scoring started just as a Blues power play ended. He skated in to the right circle, uncovered, and whistled a shot past Martin Jones for the game’s first goal. After some sloppy play by the Blues in their own zone, Will Borgen tied it for the Kraken.
But just 64 seconds after the Borgen goal, Vladimir Tarasenko and Brayden Schenn were left alone in front of the Seattle net. Robert Thomas passed from behind the net to Tarasenko; Jones stopped that shot but Schenn was there – standing a couple feet to the left of Tarasenko – to bang home the rebound.
Seventeen seconds after that, the Blues made it a 3-1 game with their first goal by a defenseman this season. Schenn passed to Faulk from the neutral zone. Faulk, whose speed is underrated, blew past three Kraken and then sent the puck past Jones with a backhand shot.
Binnington’s night
Making his first appearance at Climate Pledge Arena, Jordan Binnington made a couple of clutch saves in the opening period. First, he denied Matty Beniers’ attempt to sneak in a goal from the near side with 11:19 left in the first period, sliding over quickly to hug the post. A few seconds later, Binnington made a glove save on a point-blank shot from the slot by Brandon Tanev.
Binnington’s best save of the night came early in the second period, when Yanni Gourde leaned into a shot near the back edge of the right circle. Gourde was staring at about two-thirds of an empty net when he shot, but Binnington somehow slid over to his left to make the save.
Binnington made another huge save when the Blues got caught in their own end and Ryan Donato raced down the ice on a breakaway. Binnington saved the initial shot, but Donato stayed with the play and was able to nudge in the rebound and it was a 3-2 game with 9:16 to go in the second.
The third Seattle goal was a fluke, on a seemingly harmless shot by defenseman Adam Larsson from the point. Torey Krug deflected the shot past Binnington on a play where he probably should have just stayed out of the way. But the game was tied 3-3 with 1:29 left in the second period and Krug reacted to the turn of events by breaking his stick in half on the goalpost.
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