Although the two games in Minnesota ended in different ways, the St. Louis Blues accomplished what they set out to: split the series-opening games in Wild territory.
"You come here, get a split and go home. You're satisfied with that," said Blues Head Coach Craig Berube after the 6-2 loss Wednesday night. "In our minds, I think we came out to win two and had a real good start to the game. It is what it is… it's going to be a long series and you've got to battle and stay with it."
By the end of the game, the Blues were playing without three of their Top 6 defensemen - Nick Leddy, considered day-to-day with an upper-body injury; Marco Scandella, who has been out with a lower-body injury for the April 29 regular-season finale as well as Games 1 and 2; and Robert Bortuzzo, who exited Game 2 at the end of the first period with an upper-body injury. The team recalled Steven Santini from Springfield on Thursday to help shore up the blue line should the absences continue.
After facing adversity through injuries and unfortunate breaks - including Bortuzzo's stick splitting apart seconds before the Wild scored their first goal - the Blues will welcome the energetic crowd at Enterprise Center when they return home for Games 3 and 4 this weekend.
The home/away performance disparity between the Blues and the Wild is important to monitor as the series shifts locations. During the regular season, the Wild ranked fourth in the NHL with a home-ice record of 31-8-2, but on the road their 22-14-5 record placed them 13th. The Blues were more consistent across buildings this season, ranking 10th at home and eighth on the road.
Game 3 is Friday night at 8:30 p.m. CT.
