These are becoming important games.
Well, they're all important, but now that the St. Louis Blues are into the second half of the season and in a dogfight in the Western Conference standings, they would have gladly taken a point on the road against the Calgary Flames and battle for the second one.
But when Brandon Saad called game with his second goal of the game with 48 seconds remaining in regulation, the Blues decided to snatch two crucial points in a come-from-behind 4-3 win against the Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome on Tuesday.
There were a number of key factors that helped the Blues (23-20-2) overcome a two-goal deficit and rally for three unanswered to take the hockey game, their second over the Flames (21-21-5) this season.
So let's jump right into them with the three keys:
1. Secondary scoring -- We highlighted Brayden Schenn as the player to watch heading into this game as someone who is starting to catch some fire and someone the Blues are going to need to provide scoring punch behind the Robert Thomas line, and Schenn and linemates Saad and Jake Neighbours are at the forefront, and that trip delivered.
They scored three goals, including Saad with two and Schenn with a huge shorthanded goal. They had eight shots on goal, including Saad with five (he had three breakaways).
Jordan Kyrou had a huge tying goal in the third period, and the top line delivered in a clutch situation, but the secondary scoring is something that's been inconsistent throughout the lineup this season. It wasn't on Tuesday.
2. Third-period forecheck/puck management -- It was obviously an issue after around the seven-minute mark of the first period that the Blues had fallen into bad habits.
They had allowed 30 shots through two periods and had 12 giveaways in falling behind by a goal, and trailing after two hasn't been one of the Blues' best stats in winning hockey games. In fact, they had one win in 18 tries heading into the game.
But they managed the puck much better, didn't give up a lot of zone time as a result and limited Calgary to just four shots on goal.
The fourth line with Oskar Sundqvist, Nikita Alexandrov and Sammy Blais had a terrific shift with sustained pressure and a forecheck that allowed them to retrieve the puck, keep Calgary's tired skaters on and allow the top line to step on fresh before Kyrou's tying goal. It definitely fueled the fire.
3. Penalty kill was perfect -- How often do we say it: special teams make all the difference.
Or at least on most nights.
The Blues only had one power play in the game, so it was going to have to be the other side of it that was going to have to be a factor.
Not only was the penalty kill 3-for-3, but it produced Schenn's clutch shorthanded goal, his first-ever in the NHL, to cut the deficit to 3-2 at 17:13 of the second period to give the team some life knowing it was only down by one instead of two heading into the third period.
Not only that, when the game was in the balance, the Flames had a chance to take a lead when Torey Krug was in the box for slashing with 7:36 remaining in the game, but the two units (Schenn, Thomas, Nick Leddy and Colton Parayko, and Oskar Sundqvist, Pavel Buchnevich, Marco Scandella and Justin Faulk) did not allow a shot on goal to keep the game tied 3-3 and give the Blues the chance at the win, which they ultimately got on Saad's game-winner.
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