The night started with Scottrade Center abuzz and cheering the return of long-injured Andy McDonald. It ended with a salute to the best performance of Alex Pietrangelo’s young career.
Pietrangelo scored twice, assisted on another, blocked a couple of shots, and was front and center in a terrific penalty kill as the St. Louis Blues dominated the San Jose Sharks 3-0.
There were worries beforehand that the Blues were going to be tired, coming off an overtime win over the Colorado Avalanche. But it was the Sharks who seemed lethargic while the Blues skated circles around them.
Concerns about an opposing power-play unit that had scored in five straight games and at a 46% clip during that time? The Blues laughed at it, equaling the amount of Shark power-play shots with their own short-handed attempts.
And at the center of it all was the 22-year old Russian defender. From his slap shot that wove its way under David Backes’ leg and past the helpless Antti Niemi to his dominance ...
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