RECAP: Blues 1, Kings 0
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For the fourth time this season, the Blues were able to get a win with scoring just one goal.
Jamie Langenbrunner found the back of the net at 8:38 of the second period and Jaroslav Halak made 22 saves to give the Blues a 1-0 victory over the Los Angeles Kings.
Halak recorded his fifth shutout, which ties him with teammate Brian Elliott for third in the NHL.
“Jaro made some pretty miraculous saves,” Langenbrunner said. “He’s playing the way that he’s capable of.”
Halak credited his teammates on the hard-fought victory.
“We kept the shots under 25,” Halak said. “The guys were great; they were blocking the shots and they were there at the right time for me and I was there at the right time for them.”
Halak was not only stopping the routine saves. Two of his saves came at opportune times in the second period off the sticks of Dustin Brown and Colin Fraser, while the biggest save of the evening came against Justin Williams with just over 5 minutes left in regulation. After receiving the puck in front of the net, Williams went to the forehand and slid the puck along the ice. Halak kicked his left leg pad over and amazingly stopped the puck from entering the net.
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Steen and McDonald Closer to Returning; Like Making a Trade
Tuesday, 31 January 2012 05:09 | |
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This post was originally published at TheHockeyWriters.com. In the midst of the NHL All-Star Break, the St. Louis Blues find themselves two points behind the league-leading Detroit Red Wings in the NHL point race. Yet, the Blues are just 20th in the league in goal-scoring (2.51 goals-per-game). This might be due to the fact that the team has played without playmaking forwards Alex Steen and Andy McDonald for a combined 59 games so far this season. It seems that this problem may be resolving itself in the near future. Andy McDonald, who was injured in the Blues’ third game this season after a collision with teammates Nikita Nikitin and David Backes, traded in his red “no-contact” jersey for his usual yellow jersey this morning. McDonald has been out of the lineup with a concussion since October 13. This does not mean that McDonald will be ready to go by the Blues’ next game, which will be this Friday against the Los Angeles Kings at Scottrade Center. He is likely just a few weeks off from a return. McDonald, who said that there is still no timetable for his return, has faced concussions in the past. Just last season McDonald missed 24 games in 2010-11 with a concussion. Comment on this article in our active discussion forum. Positive Attitude has been the Key to Success for St. Louis
Monday, 23 January 2012 18:12 | |
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This post was originally published at TheHockeyWriters.com It’s the same at any job; if you put in your dues, you will be rewarded. That’s the mentality in the St. Louis Blues locker room as well. But instead of receiving a bonus or even a pat on the back, you may be forced to wear a weenie on your head. Many NHL teams have ways of displaying a “job well done” to their hardest-working player in any given night. The Capitals made their hard hat famous in last year’s installment of “24/7,” while the Boston Bruins gave a starter jacket to the player most worthy during their 2011 Stanley Cup run. The Pittsburgh Penguins even give a shovel to their best player, which is decided by the winner from the previous game. The Blues have added their own tradition this season, bestowing a “weenie hat” to the player that best exemplifies a hard night’s work. Saturday, after the Blues beat the Buffalo Sabres at Scottrade Center, the hat was revealed to the media. David Backes had two goals and two assists for the evening and was the obvious choice for the weenie hat winner. Backes decided to keep the hat on for his post-game interviews. “A little bit of an inside job for our locker room,” Backes said, wearing the hat while cameras flashed in the background. “Some of the heart and soul guys came up with it. Instead of the hard hat we get the weenie on the head.” Jaroslav Halak, who saw a 164 minute, 38 second shutout streak snapped in the first period, revealed that he had won the weenie-of-the-game award two games before when he shutout the Dallas Stars, 1-0. He explained that he was a little shyer than Backes to wear the hat in front of the television cameras. Comment on this article in our active discussion forum. Blues Enter Purchase Agreement ...Again
Sunday, 22 January 2012 03:12 | |
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This post was originally published at TheHockeyWriters.com. The St. Louis Blues have entered their second purchase agreement in a month with another potential buyer. This time around, Tom Stillman, the current minority owner of the Blues and the CEO of Summit Distributing, has the exclusive rights to purchase the team.The Blues hope that this purchase agreement goes better than the last one. Matthew Hulsizer, a Chicago businessman and sports enthusiast, had his purchase agreement terminated by the NHL in early January. Hulsizer was given a deadline of December 31, 2011 to agree to the NHL’s terms but sources say that he tried to restructure the sale on numerous occasions. The agreement was signed in October and Hulsizer was given a strict end-of-the-year deadline to complete the sale. It is unknown if the NHL refused to grant Hulsizer more time to complete the deal. When the deadline hit, attention immediately shifted to Stillman, who has expressed interest in buying the team since current owner Dave Checketts put the Blues up for sale in March 2011. Stillman’s deal is expected to be around the $135 million range, considering the purchase would include the Blues, the Peoria Rivermen of the AHL, the lease to the Scottrade Center and a significant stake in the Peabody Opera House, which is located next door to the Blues’ home arena. Stillman brings a different package to the Blues than Hulsizer would have. Comment on this article in our active discussion forum. Were the Blues Snubbed in the All-Star Game?
Monday, 16 January 2012 17:15 | |
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This post was originally published at TheHockeyWriters.com. Despite having the 4th-best record in the NHL through Sunday, the St. Louis Blues have just one representative headed to the All-Star Game on Sunday, January 29. Some feel that the Blues have been left out of the festivities. Here is the positive: The NHL did name goaltender Brian Elliott as the lone Blues representative. This is well deserved considering the season that Elliott has had thus far. Currently, Elliott is 2nd in the league in GAA (1.68), 3rd in save percentage (.937) and 2nd in shutouts (5). Needless to say, the surprise netminder is very deserving of the honor. Did the NHL overlook the rest of the Blues’ roster? While the Blues are playing very well as a team, it is difficult to pinpoint a player or group of players that is the absolute reason for the success. In short, the Blues have played the best team game in the league. This has been the reason that the Blues are just two points behind the Chicago Blackhawks for the Western Conference lead. Every game someone new has been stepping up to win games. This week, the Blues were 2-0-1 with games played against the Montreal Canadiens, Vancouver Canucks and Minnesota Wild. While the team only put up seven goals outside of the shootout, they saw five different goal-scorers in the three games (Jason Arnott was the only one with multiple goals). Last week, in wins over the Phoenix Coyotes, Edmonton Oilers and Colorado Avalanche, the Blues had nine different goal-scorers, with only Patrik Berglund, David Backes and Chris Stewart scoring two goals in the week. That attributed for 12 goals in the three games. Comment on this article in our active discussion forum. |
