One of the hottest lines in hockey shined again in the Big Apple behind the strength of its young star, Vladimir Tarasenko.
The same day the NHL named him its First Star of the Week for five goals and a plus-six rating in three wins, the 22-year-old Russian made sure he has everyone's attention with what many are already calling the "Goal of the Year." Tarasenko made the Rangers' defense look like it was standing still as he took the puck from the blue line and then finished the move with an absurdly quick deke and one-handed tap-in that left New York's Cam Talbot helpless in the net.
Just when it looked like Martin St. Louis might steal the spotlight with two third-period goals, Jay Bouwmeester sent the game to overtime with a perfectly placed wrist shot assisted by Tarasenko and fellow forward Jori Lehtera. Fittingly, Tarasenko got the chance to seal the Blues' fifth straight win, and he beat Talbot on the stick side to clinch the 4-3 shootout victory.
Tarasenko's remarkable speed was on full display for most of the night, terrorizing the Rangers' defense as he fired four shots on goal and made several incisive passes. His confidence keeps growing, and it almost came as a surprise when his effort went just wide on what was essentially a one-on-three from near the blue line in the final period.
No one will be questioning the moniker "The Tarasenko Line" anytime soon, but Lehtera and Alexander Steen continue to play a key part in the group's success as well. Lehtera's clever passing creates plenty of opportunities, and Steen possesses some serious scoring ability of his own, as evidenced by a shootout goal to answer New York's Lee Stempniak.
Their success has pushed the Blues from fifth to second place in the Central Division during a difficult stretch against five straight 2014 playoff teams. Tarasenko has scored six of St. Louis' 11 goals in the last four games, and he's been on the ice for three others, notching two assists.
IN NO RUSH
Slow starts haven't exactly been unusual this season, but Monday's game might have been one of the worst.
Only 14 saves from Brian Elliott kept the scoreboard from reflecting the Rangers' dominance during a period in which they outshot the Blues, 15-4. Relentless pressure in the offensive zone kept St. Louis on its heels except for the rare quick rush the other way.
It may have felt a little like deja vu for the Blues, who got outscored, 1-0, and outshot, 16-8, in a 3-2 loss in the season opener against the Rangers at the Scottrade Center. St. Louis came into the game 0-3 when outscored in the first period and 6-0-1 in all other games, including a 3-2 win over Chicago despite falling behind 1-0 in less than 70 seconds.
The Blues clearly don't have any problem picking up their energy and coach Ken Hitchcock wants a deep group devoid of superstars to be more of a third-period team. But he surely wouldn't mind seeing them play a little more aggressively from the opening faceoff, particularly with forwards T.J. Oshie and Paul Stastny still sidelined by injuries.
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PENALTY KILL
The Blues' penalty-kill unit continues to search for the form that made it one of the best in the league a year ago.
Dominant five-on-five play has carried the Blues during their win streak, as they had scored the last seven goals at even strength before Rangers forward Martin St. Louis scored the first of his two third-period goals. In the first period, though, New York took the lead with its first goal in 18 power plays at home.
St. Louis would bounce back and successfully kill the next three power plays, including two more in the first period. Steen even nearly netted a shorthanded goal off a pass from David Backes on a two-on-one, but the Blues' penalty-kill percentage for the season still fell to 75.6 percent, which ranks 25th in the league.
It should be noted, however, that the penalty-kill unit that finished the season ranked second in the NHL during the 2013-14 season got off to a slow start as well. If the Blues can fix their special teams and continue to excel at five-on-five hockey, they could be nearly unbeatable.
You can follow Luke Thompson on Twitter @FS_LukeT or email him at lukegthompson87@gmail.com.
