The St. Louis Blues showed in this game why they have been one of the stingiest defensive teams in the NHL so far this year. They defended extremely well in front of goalie Jordan Binnington, especially after they grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first period. So the Lightning, despite owning a big possession advantage, had a difficult time generating scoring chances. They also committed several costly mistakes, miscues that led to opportunities and goals for St. Louis.
Although the Blues were strong defensively overall, they didn’t have an especially sharp opening ten minutes. The Lightning forced St. Louis into a handful of turnovers in the Blues’ end. But they couldn’t manage to convert. Then just past the halfway point of the period, the Lightning made two separate gaffes on rush coverage that led to Grade-A scoring chances for the Blues. Jonas Johansson stopped the first one, denying a point-blank shot from Jakub Vrana. But Colton Parayko buried the second of those looks, putting a left-circle shot into the upper corner of the net at 11:09.
From that point on, the Blues clamped down defensively. Unfortunately, the Lightning weren’t able to do the same. Before the first period ended, they yielded a breakaway to Kevin Hayes — Johansson made the save, and Nick Perbix swept the puck out of the crease. The score remained 1-0. But late in the second period, breakdowns on successive shifts yielded goals for the Blues. Following an icing on the Lightning, Tampa Bay won the ensuing d-zone faceoff and cleared the zone. But the puck didn’t get in deep enough to the St. Louis end, and the Lightning were caught making a line change. Torey Krug set up Jordan Kyrou for a breakaway goal. On the next shift, the Lightning failed to execute a clear in their own end, then allowed two cross-ice passes that led to Vrana’s goal off a one-timer. Within a span of 19 seconds, the Blues had extended their lead from 1-0 to 3-0.
The Blues managed the final period well. They blocked shots. They limited chances. They cleanly broke out of their own zone. Tampa Bay’s best look in the frame came on a Tanner Jeannot rebound shot. Binnington was out of position, but Jeannot’s attempt hit a St. Louis player in the leg and never reached the net.
St. Louis finished the scoring by tallying an empty-netter with 3:58 remaining and adding a Kyrou goal off another odd-man rush in the final minute. But the story of this game was how the Blues played in front of their goalie. They blocked 29 shots and prevented the Lightning from generating prime scoring opportunities.
The Lightning have now dropped three straight games in regulation. They’ll look to end the skid on Thursday in Chicago.
Lightning Radio Three Stars of the Game:
- Colton Parayko — Blues. Goal.
- Jordan Kyrou — Blues. Two goals.
- Jordan Binnington — Blues. 30-save shutout.
