Takeaways from Blues’ 4-3 Win Over Senators

Fourth Line is Running Things

The fourth line has been a bright spot for the Blues this season. It consists of Nathan Walker, Oskar Sundqvist, and Mathieu Joseph. The grit and hustle this line brings every shift is why you see these guys on the ice so often. They logged the most ice time of any line this game with 9:04.

Sundqvist scored the first goal of the game after Joseph made a nice takeaway just outside the zone. Walker entered on the right and tried to find Joseph for a redirection. Sundqvist got the rebound and banked it off Senators goalie Merilainen to make it 1–0.

The fourth line produced four high-danger chances in their time on the ice, and they were go-go-go the entire game. You could tell Montgomery was trying to get them out there as much as he could.

Simple Mistakes Turn Into Goals

Friday was a great team win for the Blues, who constantly fought throughout the game, but it was mistakes that kept the Senators in it. Many preventable errors turned into goals.

Not long after the Blues’ first goal, the Senators tied it after a bad line change and a failed attempt to clear the puck by Matthew Kessel. He flipped the puck into the neutral zone, knowing a line change was coming, which resulted in a 3-on-1 that Shane Pinto converted.

The goal that gave the Senators a 2–1 lead in the second came from Jordan Binnington being caught off guard by Fabian Zetterlund behind the net, while Pius Suter got caught snoozing.

Zetterlund got the puck behind the net, faked one way, and went the other, catching Binnington on the far side of the crease. Suter, who was standing right next to the net, didn’t see Zetterlund change direction and just watched him tuck it in near the post.

If Suter had reacted earlier, he could’ve gotten a stick on it, but he didn’t. Binnington also got fooled very easily, losing sight of the puck behind the net immediately.

The Senators’ third goal, which tied the game 3–3 in the third, was the worst mistake of the night. The Senators sent the puck into the Blues’ zone, and it whipped around the boards to Colton Parayko, who mishandled it terribly along the boards. He just kind of slapped at it, sending it straight to the front of the net, where former Blue David Perron easily tucked it in with his backhand.

All three of the Senators’ goals came from mistakes that shouldn’t be happening this time of year. The Blues played hard and got the win, but it’s clearly something they need to work on.

Finished Strong

The Blues have made a name for themselves for throwing away games late, but not this one. They scored three goals in the third period, securing the win late. The Blues had 13 shots in the third period and many high-danger chances to end the game

Jordan Kyrou scored the game-tying goal from a beautiful pass from Jake Nighbours into the slot, where Kyrou used his backhand and finished it up top.

Kessel made up for his earlier mistake by finishing off the game 4–3, scoring the game-winning goal after a scrum in front of the net. Holloway made a great initial play with the shot, Suter put it back on net from a juicy rebound, and Kessel finished it off.

Power Play Struggled

The Blues have had a lot of success with their power play this year, but they’ve struggled in the last few games. Against the Senators, they had three power plays, producing only three shots. None of these shots created any high-danger chances and mostly involved skating out of the zone to try and regroup.

Overall

Overall, it was a great team win with contributions from all areas of the lineup. There were a few simple mistakes, but that’s part of hockey. A good coach will highlight those negatives, work to correct them, and ensure the team keeps building on the positives.