SB Nation St. Louis - Blues At Red Wings: Blues Fail To Match Detroit's Intensity, Fall 3-1https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/49009/stl-fave.png2012-01-23T21:16:57-06:00http://stlouis.sbnation.com/rss/stream/24922542012-01-23T21:16:57-06:002012-01-23T21:16:57-06:00Blues At Red Wings Final Score: Unwise Penalties Help Blues Fall 3-1
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<p>There’s a time and a place to score, and there’s a time and a place to retaliate for hits that you might disagree with. The Blues got both of those flip-flopped tonight as a dunderheaded penalty by Carlo Colaiacovo with the team down 2-1 sealed the Detroit victory.</p>
<p>Colaiacovo took exception to a hit that Darren Helm put on Alex Pietrangelo, and instead of trying to find a more appropriate place to voice his displeasure he decided to put Helm in a headlock. Both players were roughing with each other, but Colaiacovo started it. A two minute penalty turned into a 3-1 Detroit lead with a goal from Niklas Kronwall.</p>
<p>You can’t say that Halak didn’t perform tonight. The score could have easily been higher had he not been in net. The rest of the team let him down by poor decision making and not shooting the puck. The Blues only had seven shots on goal that last period, which isn’t going to get you jack or squat when you’re down by one, and choosing to retaliate for hits doesn’t get you much either except for a kick in the pants.</p>
<p>David Backes and Niklas Kronwall also got a bit involved behind the play earlier in the period, with some jabbing and elbowing and matching cross-checks. Kronwall obviously was trying to goad Backes into taking a penalty by elbowing him first, and it very nearly worked. Why would Kronwall do that? Because Backes is easily goaded, and he needs to stop. He and Todd Bertuzzi got matching roughing calls in a scrum near the benches. Had Backes not been involved, only Bertuzzi would have gone to the box.</p>
<p>The fight in front of Jimmy Howard to end the game was good indication of the frustration level of the Blues and the temper of Howard. Howard threw the first punch at Patrik Berglund, starting a melee that got both Backes and Pietrangelo ten minute misconduct penalties. Was that necessary? No.</p>
<p>Most of the things that the Blues did tonight weren’t necessary at all, and they’re going to have to raise their level of tolerance for frustration if they want to run with the big boys. The team needs to convert on chances and actually score. When Scott Nichol is your sniper in a game, you have a problem.</p>
<p>The Blues take on the Pittsburgh Penguins tomorrow night at Scottrade. Here’s hoping they bounce back big and put tonight behind them. Play hockey, guys.</p>
https://stlouis.sbnation.com/st-louis-blues/2012/1/23/2729022/blues-at-red-wings-final-score-unwise-penalties-help-blues-fall-3-1Laura Astorian2012-01-23T20:12:34-06:002012-01-23T20:12:34-06:00Blues At Red Wings Second Period Score: Wings Score Two To Take Lead
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<p>There are times where getting into a fight when you’re up 1-0 is a bad idea. When it gives Detroit a powerplay, it’s a bad idea. While Chris Stewart’s two-minute instigator penalty was ticking down, Pavel Datsyuk took the opportunity to score this backhander on Jaroslav Halak:</p>
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<p>Needless to say, with a shot an aim like that, Halak didn’t stand a chance. That early goal discombobulated the Blues more than Stewart’s fight woke them up. The rest of the period was sloppy and all over the place, with very little coordination taking place. Detroit outshot St. Louis ten to seven, with Datsyuk and Johan Franzen the two scorers. Here on Franzen’s goal, he leveled Alex Pietrangelo before flipping a shot up and into the net past Halak:</p>
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<p>Needless to say, the Blues need to get on the same page <span class="caps">ASAP</span> if they want to at the very least get a point here. Their first period effort was excellent, but their second period effort is how you lose hockey games.</p>
https://stlouis.sbnation.com/st-louis-blues/2012/1/23/2728889/blues-at-red-wings-second-period-score-wings-score-two-to-take-leadLaura Astorian2012-01-23T19:31:21-06:002012-01-23T19:31:21-06:00Blues At Red Wings First Period Score: Scott Nichol Scores To Put Blues Up 1-0
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<p>A first period that seemed to be more than a little uneventful turned around in a hurry with a bad line-change by Detroit. The Wings were trying to get off of the ice while the Blues’ fourth line was out. I’m sure that they figured that they were in the clear even with the goof. Not so, says Scott Nichol, scoring his second goal of the season in his 600th career game:</p>
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<p>Whoops, Detroit.</p>
<p>The period continued to be a fast paced game with no penalties until Brad Stuart laid a hard check on Alex Pietrangelo that Chris Stewart, on the bench at the time, took exception to. When the line change happened, Stewart didn’t pretend that he was out there to play the puck; he just went straight for Stuart to show the Red Wing that he didn’t appreciate the hit:</p>
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<p>To spark the Blues was probably his intention, as well as sending a message that you don’t nail top players. However, since he came off of the bench and went to Stuart, that got him an instigator on top of the fighting major, putting Detroit on the power play to start the second period. He also wound up with a 10 minute misconduct. While I respect what Stewart was trying to do, I’m really of the opinion that maybe he should focus on hitting the net a little more than hitting Brad Stuart in the face.</p>
https://stlouis.sbnation.com/st-louis-blues/2012/1/23/2728791/blues-at-red-wings-first-period-score-scott-nichol-scores-to-putLaura Astorian2012-01-23T15:15:56-06:002012-01-23T15:15:56-06:00Blues At Red Wings: A Battle For Tops In The NHL Rolls Into Motown Tonight
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<p>St. Louis might have the best home record in the NHL, but they'll be visiting a team that's won 16 in a row at Joe Lewis Arena. It'll be tough, but will the Blues silence Hockeytown?</p> <p>When you have two rolling teams get together, something has to give. The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.stlouisgametime.com/">Blues</a>, who are on a four game win streak, three shutouts in the last six games, and no regulation losses in January, are fast developing into a dominant Western Conference team. The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.wingingitinmotown.com/">Detroit Red Wings</a> don't have to develop - they're known as being consistently in the top echelon of teams year in and year out, and right now they're finding themselves in familiar territory at the top of the NHL.</p>
<p>With a win tonight, the Blues can be top of the pops, all by themselves. The trick is, they have to get a win. The last two trips to Detroit were not pleasant affairs, with the Blues blowing a two goal lead after two periods to lose (the only time this season that's happened) and then getting shut out on New Year's Eve. There's a home ice advantage in this series for sure, with the Blues taking their first two games against the Wings at Scottrade.</p>
<p>The Blues have the best home record in the NHL at 21-3-3, and the Red Wings have the second best at 19-2-1. Sixteen of those wins have come in a row for Detroit, who haven't lost at home since a November 3rd loss to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.matchsticksandgasoline.com/">Calgary Flames</a>. That's a tough environment to enter into a game there, but winning streaks have to end at some point, and the Blues'd love to snap this one.</p>
<p><span>Brian Elliott</span> was in net for both losses so far this year, and <span>Jaroslav Halak</span> has been on an absolute holy tear as of late. He should be getting the start tonight. Elliott has a better career record than Halak, but you have to play the hot hand -- and there isn't one hotter right now in the league. The Blues' tandem allows a teeny 1.94 goals a game, which is tops in the NHL. Brian Elliott is back to leading the league in GAA, and Halak has worked his way up to 6th with a 2.00.</p>
<p>The goaltender above Halak? Detroit's equally stingy <span>Jimmy Howard</span>, who leads the league in wins with 26. He's a workhorse for sure, but Detroit's been hesitant to start back-up <span>Ty Conklin</span> whose numbers for the year aren't especially hot.</p>
<p><span>Alex Pietrangelo</span> is on an ungodly (or Godly, if you believe Mike Babcock's "wand of God" theory) point streak. The defenseman has three goals and ten assists in his last nine games, but isn't all about firing from the blueline, He's a smart playmaker who coach Ken Hitchcock compared to Niclas Lidstrom when Hitch coached him for the World Juniors team. Intelligent play's contagious among a team, and the Blues are all catching the smart-hockey bug.</p>
<p>A win tonight one of the toughest opponents in the league would be more than a benchmark test. It should be motivation to complete the last half of the season the same way it started. It'd be a statement that these guys are for real. Get to win-straek breakin', boys.</p>
https://stlouis.sbnation.com/2012/1/23/2727656/blues-at-red-wings-first-place-nhl-central-division-playoffsLaura Astorian