ST. LOUIS — The Blues haven’t done much against the Eastern Conference this season. But more often than not, they have taken care of business against non-playoff teams.
Such was the case Monday in a 2-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators at Enterprise Center. It was the 2,000th victory in Blues franchise history.
The Blues were just 6-11-1 against teams from the prior to Monday.
But they were 10-6-1 against non-playoff teams, and made it 11-6-1 by taking a 2-0 lead in the first period, and then surviving a bumpy finish to the second period.
The Ottawa game began a stretch of six consecutive games against teams currently out of playoff position. Not that this Blues team can afford to take any game lightly, but this is a prime opportunity to stash away some points before the schedule toughens up.
With just under nine minutes remaining in the third period, Jake Neighbours had a chance for his second goal of the night breaking in on Ottawa goalie Cam Talbot. But Neighbours lost his balance just as he approached the net and didn’t get much on the shot.
With his top six struggling – they had only one goal in three games counting Monday’s affair – coach Craig Berube juggled his lines in an attempt to generate some offense. But the Blues couldn’t build on those early two goals.
As the minutes ticked away in the third, Jordan Binnington was at his best, making a pair of key saves from in tight on wily vet Claude Giroux.
Gloves dropped
We’ve seen Neighbours pass, shoot, score, skate, and hit people. But who knew he was a fighter?
Well, we all know now after Neighbours dropped the gloves with Ottawa’s Parker Kelly just 1:47 into the second period. Neighbours made short work of Kelly, landing several solid punches before getting Kelly to the ice.
Neighbours has been in six fights in his junior hockey career but none with Springfield in the American Hockey League. And none in the NHL until now.
It was the eighth fight of the season for a Blues player, and the first since Nov. 28 against Dallas when Nathan Walker took on Joel Hanley. And eight different Blues’ players have engaged in the fights: Ivan Barbashev, Robert Bortuzzo, Torey Krug, Niko Mikkola, Brayden Schenn, Tyler Tucker, Walker, and now Neighbours.
Double the fun
For the first time since Jan. 3 in Toronto, the Blues scored twice in the opening period. Against the Maple Leafs, it was Brandon Saad and Brayden Schenn in the first period – they have 450 NHL regular-season goals between them.
On Monday against Ottawa, it was a couple of less-established scorers – Neighbours and Noel Acciari. Neighbours and Acciari have 59 career NHL goals between them.
After a sluggish start by the Blues, Calle Rosen aggressively skated wide down right wing and as he approached the goal sent a cross-ice pass to Neighbours in front of the net. The timing was perfect. Neighbours tapped the puck through the legs of defender Travis Harmonic and through the legs of Senators goalie Talbot. Do you get extra points when that happens in croquet?
It was Neighbours’ third goal of the season and fifth point (two goals, three assists) in his last eight games as he starts to settle into his NHL career. For Rosen, it pushed his team-leading plus-minus total to plus-14.
That goal came at the 5:30 mark. At the 15:06 mark, the Blues’ lead grew to 2-0 on a hustle goal by Noel Acciari. Chasing down the puck in the St. Louis zone, he didn’t quite get there before it got to Talbot. But perhaps bothered by Acciari, Talbot whiffed on his clearing attempt and Acciari was able to poke it across the goal line for his 10th goal of the season.
Acciari had been sitting on nine goals since Dec. 23 in Vegas – 12 games ago.
Things tighten up
The Blues had things well under control with a 2-0 lead as the second period wore on. But you know what they say about two-goal leads being the worst lead in hockey.
Well, with the period winding down, Justin Faulk – who’s had problems with turnovers lately – tried to rim the puck behind the Blues’ net only to have St. Louisan Brady Tkachuk intercept it and then feed Tim Stutzle, who was all alone in the near slot. (Brandon Saad had lost coverage.)
Stutzle’s 19th goal of the season narrowed the Blues’ lead to 2-1 with 6:08 left in the second period, and suddenly this was a game.
Trying to generate more from his top six, Berube dropped Pavel Buchnevich to the Brayden Schenn line and moved Saad up to the Robert Thomas line during the second period.
