St. Louis Blues At Minnesota Wild Final Score: Blues Fall 3-2 In Shootout

A poorly timed slashing penalty was all that it took to give the Wild the opening that they needed to tie the game. T.J. Oshie scored the go-ahead goal six minutes into the third period simply for keeping his stick on the ice and redirecting a pass from Alex Steen into the net. This was enough for the remainder of the third period… or at least until Jason Arnott took a slashing penalty at 18:12. The improving penalty kill did not mix well with the Wild’s propensity to score late in games to force overtime – they’ve had six OT games this year so far – and Mikko Koivu roofed it over a sprawling Jaroslav Halak to tie.

Koivu and Matt Cullen had the shootout goals for the Wild, while Oshie had the Blues’. Kevin Shattenkirk nearly tied it as he had Josh Harding beat, but the puck rolled on him at the last second. Instead of going high over Harding’s left pad, it wound up going into the left pad, ending the game.

Halak was outstanding tonight, stopping 25 of 27 shots and making a multitude of saves in the 3rd period that allowed the Blues to at least get their point. St. Louis is now 4-0-2 under new coach Ken Hitchcock, getting ten out of a possible twelve points.

The Blues come home for an early game against the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday (note that puck drop is at 6:30) before heading off to Pittsburgh the next day to square off against the Penguins.

St. Louis Blues At Minnesota Wild Second Period Score: Wild Score To Knot Game 1-1

Another defensively tight period, with the Blues getting ten shots on goal (but just one on two powerplays) and the Wild getting eight. Minnesota converted a Patrik Berglund miscue behind his own net on a clearing attempt to tie the game at one each. Berglund was looking to dump the puck into the corner, but missed Mikko Koivu impeding the puck’s path. Koivu skated around to the front of the net and wristed it above Halak’s shoulder.

The Blues would have scored a go-ahead goal had Ryan Reaves used a stick instead of his hand. He reflexively threw the puck into the net and laughed it off while the refs emphatically signaled no goal.

There’s one period left. If the Blues score the next goal, they dictate the flow of the game. If the Wild score, well, I’ll be going to bed early because it’s going to be a snoozefest for the rest of the evening.

St. Louis Blues At Minnesota Wild First Period Score: Blues Up 1-0 On David Backes Goal

It’s always difficult to write thrilling period summaries of Blues games against the Minnesota Wild. Neither side cracked ten shots on goal (Blues had nine, Wild had seven), and only one goal was scored by Minnesota native David Backes. Backes wristed a shot past Josh Harding for the first goal of the game, much to the delight of the little kids who’re part of the David Backes Fan Club.

He has a fan club, because he’s from Minnesota – just in case you missed it the first time I said it, or the first 20 times the broadcast crew brought it up. Jamie Langenbrunner also has family in the arena tonight, but apparently that isn’t enough to warrant more than a passing mention.

If the Blues can maintain the pressure on the forecheck for the rest of the game, they stand a chance of cracking the Wild’s wall of defense. If they back off, however, that’s when the Wild exploit that decision by applying just enough effort to score a few times before locking the game down and sitting on the lead.

St. Louis Blues At Minnesota Wild: Hitchcock Needs To Show He Can Win On The Road

So far new Blues' coach Ken Hitchcock's success has come at home. The tough team in Minnesota who always seem to have the Blues' number might have something else to say about that.