After 60 minutes the Blues find themselves on the short side of the box score for the third consecutive game.
St. Louis opened the scoring early with an 11th minute Power Play goal from rookie defenseman Steve Wagner, assisted by tonight’s stand out, and fellow rookie left-winger, David Perron. Perron, the bright spot in tonight’s loss, put in his own Power Play goal in the 11th minute of the 2nd period for his second goal of his career. David Perron of course being the 2007 first round selection for the Blues, picked 26th overall this year. Picking up his 2nd goal and 3rd assist in tonights game, it was the standout performance that Andy Murray and Blues management have been waiting to see from him through this young season.
Another plus in tonight’s 4-2 loss, the Blues showed a substantial improvement in their ability to execute on the Power Play, scoring both of their goals with the advantage. Coming into tonight’s game, the Blues had little to boast about their Power Play efficiency, scoring only once in 28 opportunities on the season but managing 2 goals against the shorthanded Blackhawks tonight (2-6).
Entering the 3rd period, the Blues faced only a 3-2 deficit. However in the waning minutes of the game, Manny Legace was pulled in an effort to put in the game-tying goal but the tie was put out of reach with an Empty Net goal by Blackhawks’ Center Yanic Perreault.
As 60 minutes expired on the game clock, the Blues found themselves with their third consecutive loss while the ‘Hawks made it 4 wins in their last 5 matches. Our struggling hometown boys have now dropped to last place in the Central and a harsh 11th in the Western Conference with just 14 points, sitting one game above .500. We know the guys are capable, as they exhibited in the early matches of the season, it’s just a matter of working out of this funk they’ve fallen into.
The Blues come home on Tuesday to face the Western Conference leading Detroit Red Wings. Tune in at 6:30pm CST on Versus and let’s get behind a win.
