Takeaways: Blues Observe Up Blowout Loss With Third-Interval Collapse In 3-2 Defeat In opposition to Bruins

ST. LOUIS — For 40 minutes, the Blues appeared on the verge with the correct response to an embarrassing consequence on house ice Saturday night time.

Shedding the stink of an 8-1 loss — significantly the third interval — towards the Washington Capitals was going to take some work, however an influence play that had been dormant, particularly on house ice, discovered life. The Blues simply wanted some execution at 5-on-5 to finish a five-game homestand on a successful word.

However that did not occur. As a matter of reality, it was one other third-period collapse. This one wasn’t effort-based, it was extra execution-based, and a two-goal lead become a stinging 3-2 defeat towards the Boston Bruins on Tuesday, sending the Blues (7-9-0) to their third straight loss.

Ouch.

This one most likely hurts greater than Saturday’s loss, as a result of the Blues knew there was no turning again from that lack of effort. This one confirmed extra of what’s lacking from the group as an entire: confidence. Proper now, none of it exists, and the style by which this one ended, with David Pastrnak finishing the comeback blowing a one-timer from inside the highest of the left circle by Jordan Binnington, who deserved a greater destiny, was a bitter capsule to swallow.

Listed here are seven takeaways from the sport:

* Enjoying it secure — As a substitute of successful the sport, the Blues performed to not lose, or as within the phrases of Brayden Schenn, who shed the goal-scoring monkey off his again with a power-play aim, his first aim in 14 video games, the Blues tried enjoying secure.

“We simply performed the incorrect means within the third,” Schenn stated. “We performed a little bit bit secure and you’ll’t play secure on this league. There’s too many good gamers that really feel that, that sense that that may make performs. Guys are in a position to put the puck within the internet and that is what occurred tonight.

“We knew we had a job to do. I do not find out about messaging and no matter, however we simply went out and we performed too secure.”

Enjoying secure and enjoying good are two various things.

“I believe we performed means too secure as an alternative of exit and assault them,” stated Blues ahead Oskar Sundqvist, who additionally scored a power-play aim. “I sort of thought we backed off an excessive amount of. Whenever you play on this league, there’s lots of good groups. If you happen to play it secure, they will stick it to you.”

The numbers backed the Blues. Boston (8-7-2) was 0-7-0 when trailing after two; the Blues had been 5-0-0 when main after two. The Bruins had been outscored 16-5 within the third interval this season.

However Boston went out and picked up 60 % of its season whole previous to Tuesday in 20 minutes towards the Blues.

“I assumed we backed off a little bit bit,” Blues coach Drew Bannister stated. “We talked about it going into the third they had been down to 5 D and we needed to get our forecheck going and get lots of strain on their D and play extra on our toes. There have been occasions we had been placing pucks deep and I assumed at occasions we had been making an attempt to make performs. The performs may need been there, however I believe the higher play was simply put it to the aim line, make their D flip, return and get pucks and permit us to get again to the forecheck.

“Everytime you play secure, secure is lifeless. You continue to have to have the ability to play aggressive and you are going to need to belief that when guys are being aggressive, that guys are nonetheless going to be over high and permitting your D to get pucks. However while you do play secure, you are sitting again and also you’re permitting a group to construct pace. Whenever you’re aggressive, you are sort of pushing them again on their heels and you’ll sluggish them down that means.”

* Blues proceed to undergo 5-on-5 — In getting outscored 3-0 at 5-on-5, the Blues are actually minus-13 in 5-on-5 conditions.

They generated simply 16 photographs at eve-strength for the sport and other than a number of beauty, ever actually threatened in that division.

“5-on-five simply generally, we’re not producing sufficient to tilt the ice,” Schenn stated. “I am not saying rating targets, simply to place them on their heels a little bit bit. We have got to discover a means. Particular was good tonight, they gave us an opportunity to win the hockey recreation. Our goalie was good. We simply sat again within the third and give up making some performs. Not performs, simply passes on the tape. They got here at us, and we’re on our heels the entire third.”

Sundqvist stated, “I believe making an attempt to get extra pucks to the web, perhaps a little bit bit higher on the lies. It begins with me too. I had a foul turnover within the third. I believe we performed fairly good the primary two intervals. We sort of stopped enjoying the third. I am unsure why, however that is hockey typically.”

* Third intervals are troublesome — To finish this homestand, the Blues have been outscored 10-1 … on house ice … within the third interval. A time when they need to be drawing power off its crowd, as an alternative, they arrive away with little to nothing.

“We simply stopped making performs, stopped placing pucks on the tape and allow them to come at us, performed in our finish the entire interval,” Schenn stated.

* Second, third battles missing — One thing that was taking place all through the sport, even when the Blues had been successful, was the Bruins arising with lose unfastened pucks, extra retrievals. It was evident on the tying aim and successful aim.

On Charlie McAvoy’s tying aim at 9:15, there is a unfastened puck on the skates of three Blues, and none of them might give you it. The Bruins put within the further effort to execute and win it for the straightaway shot to make it 2-2.

And on Pastrnak’s game-winner at 18:13, the puck once more is within the Blues zone. It is unfastened after Pastrnak followers on his preliminary shot. All 5 Blues on the ice have an opportunity to bear down, win it and get it out of hazard, eve after it is harmful across the internet.

However the Bruins as soon as once more win the second and third efforts, one thing Bruins coach Jim Montgomery famous after the sport, and a aim scorer obtained a second likelihood and blew it by Binnington:

* Puck administration is a matter — We have addressed Jordan Kyrou’s puck gaffe’s late in video games which have value the Blues not less than two factors, as much as maybe 4, in two separate video games. And it has been a consequence to of enjoying hero hockey as an alternative of good hockey, placing pucks deep within the zone and going to work.

It wasn’t Kyrou this time, however Colton Parayko.

It fueled the Bruins’ comeback when the defenseman, as an alternative of placing a puck in deep close to the blue line, tried to skate it previous Pastrnak, who began the 2-on-1 that led to Morgan Geekie’s aim at 4:53 to offer Boston life.

Parayko had not one, however two probabilities to place a puck in deep.

* Energy play breaths some life — On a optimistic word, the Blues entered the sport 0-for-20 on house ice with the person benefit. It grew to 0-for-21 earlier than Schenn and Sundqvist every scored the greasy targets at or close to the web that noticed them a 2-0 lead within the second.

“We had been attacking extra, speaking extra about taking pictures the puck,” Sundqvist stated. “I believe we have been passing up too many alternatives. I believe it is making an attempt to shoot extra pucks and be good at recovering them.”

* Good bounce again for Binnington — After being in aim for Saturday’s slaughter, permitting all eight targets on 27 photographs, Binnington bounced again with a robust, stable effort. He seemed assured, made all the required saves to offer his group an opportunity till it did not.

“We performed exhausting, performed for each other, battled exhausting, we competed exhausting after which we simply sort of … particular groups was good and our goalie gave us an opportunity (particularly) early there within the second interval after they got here at us exhausting there particularly on some energy performs and stuff like that,” Schenn stated. ‘”Binner’ was nice. That is a irritating one, undoubtedly to lose a hockey recreation tonight.”