If you were to say "oh, by November 27th, a Blues goalie would have ten wins, most would assume it would be Halak. Not so. Tonight, with a 2-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets, Brian Elliott is 10-1 on the season, continuing a streak where he has allowed two goal or less – and the only goal surrendered was to Derek Dorsett on a breakaway. If that breakaway wasn’t allowed to happen in the second period, Elliott would have had his fourth shutout of the season.
Kris Russel came back to tie it after Dorsett’s goal with just eight seconds on the clock. Getting helpers on that were Alex Steen and Kevin Shattenkirk – who leads the team with 12 assists. Considering the fact that the Blues aren’t exactly scoring machines during most of their games, that’s impressive. Get the puck to Shattenkirk and he’ll set up a goal. Sounds like a good deal.
The Blues’ performance on this road game would probably have been exploited by a better team. Thankfully, the opponent were the Blue Jackets, and they were just as listless as the Blues were to begin the game – and throughout. Both teams traded penalties, with five minors apiece, and only the Blues converted on one. T.J. Oshie did a nifty no-look pass between Grant Clitsome’s legs to David Backes, who tipped it past Curtis Sanford for the game winning goal. Backes has five goals in his last six games and is currently leading the team with nine.
A team with a louder building and more willpower would have probably beaten the Blues tonight, but this isn’t a game of what-ifs, it’s a game of what has happened. The Blues get the two points and gets some momentum for when Vladimir Sobotka rejoins the team Tuesday night against the struggling Washington Capitals.