Blues At Coyotes Final Score: Blues Win Another Tight Game 3-2

The Blues have a thing with one goal wins. A win is a win is a win, but you can’t expect to win every game without blasting away and converting on open net chances (Chris Stewart, I’m looking at you). Regardless, the Blues were defensively responsible enough to seal the deal and go into the Christmas break with 20 wins, 44 points, and the second slot in the Central Division.

Jason Arnott added a goal that would later become the game-winner at 1:48 of the first period. He was parked in front of the net far enough back to be out of Jason LaBarbera’s center of attention, and thwapped in a Kris Russell shot for his seventh goal of the year:

Things got a bit worrisome when, with less than six and a half minutes left, Keith Yandle blasted this slapshot past Brian Elliott. There was no way anyone could have had the reflexes to grab that puck – Elliott tried, but Yandle’s shot was a laser:

The Blues managed to hang on to win, despite being outshot 26-18. Evgeny Grachev, in tonight in place of an injured Ryan Reaves, had two assists on the evening and was a +1. Impressively, the Blue who led in ice time was veteran Barret Jackman with 21:02 worth of it.

The Blues can go into the holiday break feeling confident in their abilities, as can their fans. The next time they’re in action is Monday night at 6:30 against the Dallas Stars. That game, as well as the game the following evening against the Detroit Red Wings, are both televised on Versus. A Blues back-to-back on a national broadcast?

It’s a Boxing Day miracle.

Blues At Coyotes Second Period Score: D'Agostini Gives Blues 2-1 Lead

The Blues have only lost one game since Ken Hitchcock became coach by more than one goal, and more often than not the number that got the team the win was a “2.” A two goal quota with the strong Blues defense seems to be all that the team needs, but tonight’s defense might not be as sharp as usual. Turnovers and lack of observation have lead to scoring chances for the Coyotes. Thankfully, the Blues scored first – the Yotes have won 16 times and lost just once when scoring first this season.

Alex Steen put the Blues on the board by converting an extremely long up-ice pass from Alex Pietrangelo:

That goal was at 7:12. This one, a Shane Doan rebound, was at 7:56:

That looked to be the whole scoring burst that period, until Matt D’Agostini scored his seventh goal of the year and first in ten games:

The Blues absolutely need to pot an insurance goal or two. The Coyotes are outshooting the Blues 17-12 and it doesn’t look like it’s letting up any time soon.

Blues At Coyotes First Period Score: Luck Keeps The Game Scoreless

Fate smiled on the Blues not once, but twice this period, as two goals nearly snuck past Brian Elliott. The fact that neither was a goal is a miracle. A slap-shot from the line by Ryan Whitney rolled inches away from the post with about a minute and a half left, and then the attempted tap in of a Shane Doan cross-crease pass by Damon Langkow with just seconds to go in the period. The horn went, the fans jumped up, and the ref promptly waived no-goal. Sorry, Phoenix horn-guy.

Jason Arnott left the ice with a cut over his left eye from a Keith Yandle high stick, which means the Blues will start the 2nd period with 3:46 of power play time. Whether or not it'll accomplish much remains to be seen.

The pre-game ceremony for Keith Tkachuk's number retirement was very well done and very classy - great job by the Phoenix organization. Walt also dropped the puck, which led to this interesting moment:

via STGT member spectr17

Three of the game's top power forwards, and two generations of Olympic American hockey representatives. Whether or not Backes will have the kind of career Tkachuk has had remains to be seen, but one can hope.

Coyotes To Induct Keith Tkachuk Into Ring Of Honor Tonight

It’s been a busy few weeks for Keith Tkachuk. .Tkachuk was inducted into the US Hockey Hall of Fame on December 12th, cementing his position as one of the most dominant American NHLers in history. In 19 years, he scored 538 goals and 1065 points – 208 of them with the St. Louis Blues. He made a huge impact during his time in St. Louis, ranking 5th all time in goals scored and leading the young Blues team to the playoffs for the first time since the lockout in 2009.

Despite the fact that he spent most of his career with the Blues, Tkachuk’s early career was spent with the Winnipeg Jets/Phoenix Coyotes, where tonight his number will be retired and added to the Ring of Honor. Other inductees include Bobby Hull, Dale Hawerchuk, Thomas Steen (father of current Blues forward Alex Steen), Teppo Numminen, and Wayne Gretzky. Former linemate Jeremy Roenick will be joining Tkachuk later in the season.

Tkachuk was a brilliant force as captain of the Coyotes, setting some high marks: 323 goals (second in franchise scoring behind Hawerchuk) and back to back 50 goal seasons are just a tip of the iceberg of what Tkachuk meant to the franchise. He led by example, and loved playing in Phoenix, telling NHL.com correspondent Jerry Brown during an interview:

“We played to packed houses a lot of the time, and those who say hockey doesn’t work in Phoenix should go back and look at where it was at that time … The thing that makes me most happy is seeing the Arizona kids who picked up the game watching the Coyotes now grown up and getting drafted by the NHL or earning Division I scholarships. I’m proud of the impact we had on those kids.”

The Phoenix Coyotes are fantastic about honoring and respecting their history as the Winnipeg Jets. Other than current captain Shane Doan, no player exemplifies a bridge between the two teams than Big Walt.

For more on what Tkachuk means to Coyote fans, please check out Carl Putnam’s post on Five for Howling, which is an outstanding look back at Tkachuk, the franchise, and the fans.

St. Louis Blues At Phoenix Coyotes: Big Game For Both Teams On Keith Tkachuk Night

Keith Tkachuk's a valued member of both the Coyotes and Blues franchises. The Blues could use a bit of his tenacity tonight as they need to rebound after a hard loss Thursday night.