CHICAGO – We’re not going to give the mothers full credit for their sons’ three-game road sweep. After all, they weren’t around for the first game, Saturday in Las Vegas.
But on the team’s first-ever Moms’ trip, they certainly did their part to help the team get past Colorado on Monday and now, Chicago on Wednesday.
Between the food and the card games and the camaraderie, they watched the Blues stretch their winning streak to four games thanks to Wednesday’s 5-2 triumph over the Blackhawks at United Center.
Little more than a week ago, things looked as bleak as they’ve been in years, with the Blues losing a franchise-record eighth consecutive game – and looking bad, very bad, in the process. But happy days are here again.
Make no mistake, the Blues still have more work to do in order to dig out of their hole. But they are now 7-8-0 and could get back to sea level when they return home for Thursday’s contest with the Washington Capitals to complete this set of back-to-back games.
In case you’re wondering, many of the Blues mothers are returning to St. Louis to take in games at Enterprise Center during the upcoming three-game homestand.
Pond hockey
What the hockey world calls “pond hockey” broke out in the second period. In other words, lots of goals and not much defense.
Over a stretch of 6 minutes 25 seconds, the teams combined for five goals – three by the Blues and two by the Blackhawks. There could have been twice that many scored in the period because both teams had tons of chances, in part because of some skilled work and determination, and in part because of some sloppy defense and bad passing.
Jordan Kyrou, Ryan O’Reilly and Tyler Pitlick scored the Blues’ goals. Kyrou’s goal, off a nifty backhand from Nick Leddy, gave him six for the season. Memo to all you Kyrou-haters out there: He’s now on a 33-goal pace.
O’Reilly’s goal was the Blues’ first shorthanded score of the season. He took the puck down the ice and banged in his own rebound for his fourth goal of the season, and his third in five games.
Pitlick’s goal was his first as a member of the Blues. Remember, he was in training camp on a tryout basis. The assist came from Nikita Alexandrov on a patient play behind the net. It was his first point as an NHL player.
But Chicago stayed within striking distance, trailing 4-2 after two, thanks to a pair of goals from Andreas Athanasiou. A few years back as a member of the Detroit Red Wings, Athanasiou scored 30 goals, before falling off in production in recent years.
Where’s Jon Hamm?
Sprung by a Kyrou pass, Ivan Barbashev raced in on a mini-breakaway to score his third goal of the season and give the Blues a 5-2 lead at the 6:55 mark of the third period. Barbashev’s mother Marina, who needed four airplane connections to make it from Moscow to the Moms’ trip, undoubtedly enjoyed the moment.
Rosen to the rescue
It was a sluggish start for the Blues. The Blackhawks took it the Blues in the early going, controlling most of the play over the first 10 minutes and getting some good looks. But Jordan Binnington picked up where he left off in Denver. On a 2-on-1 rush by Chicago, he stretched to the limit over to his left, making a glove save on Taylor Raddysh seven minutes into the game.
The Blues had an early power play when Jack Johnson was whistled for tripping Tyler Pitlick, but had trouble even getting the puck across the blue line.
With the period winding down, Josh Leivo sent the puck from below the goal line, near the net, back out to Calle Rosen at the blue line. Rosen’s shot found its way through traffic and may have deflected off a Chicago defender.
But it found its way into the net against Blackhawks goalie Arvid Soderblom, a 23-year-old making his seventh NHL start. It was Rosen’s second goal of the season – his second in just four games, in fact – and it gave St. Louis a 1-0 lead with 5:51 to play in the opening period.
Leivo got the primary assist; his third assist in four games since being called up from Springfield and the AHL on Nov. 9.
So it was Rosen from Leivo. How many Blues fans thought they’d be hearing that this season?
Tucker’s time
Coming off what may have been his best game of the season in Colorado, Colton Parayko didn’t take part in the morning skate Wednesday at United Center. About 7 ½ hours later, he came out for pregame warmups, but left quickly. He has an undisclosed injury.
With Robert Bortuzzo still on injured reserve, that meant Tyler Tucker made his NHL debut for the Blues. The defenseman from Thunder Bay, Ontario, was a seventh-round pick in 2018. He was called up from Springfield when Bortuzzo went on IR a week ago, and opened the game paired with Nick Leddy – although Tucker didn’t take every shift with him.
