Blues Hammer Predators 3-0 in St. Louis: A Game of Checkers

Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images All it would take is the goal tallied by T.J. Oshie on the PP in the first period to win the game for the St. Louis Blues at ScottTrade Center. They would go on to score on a penalty shot and another Tarasenko goal to ice the game with a marker in each period of play. St. Louis has been possibly the toughest team for anyone to play so far in the early season. The Blues have won 3 out of 4 games and in their only loss to Chicago, the Blues made it interesting in the third period losing 3-2 after trailing 3-0. The best comparison one could make in this game is that playing Hitchcock’s defensive system is a lot like playing someone in a game of checkers that refuses to move his back row. It is frustrating, grating and tiresome and leads to huge mistakes that are easily jumped upon by the Blues offense. There was not one instance where the Predators had an odd man rush going into the St. Louis zone and the defensemen lead by Shattenkirk and Pietran...