Blues come up short again in quest for big win on key early-season road trip
ST. LOUIS -- Elite teams remain a step ahead of the Blues after a disappointing road trip out West.
Sunday's game at Anaheim always figured to be St. Louis' toughest matchup, since it came on less than 24 hours rest against a Ducks team that didn't play Saturday.
Injuries and flu didn't help as the Blues fell 3-0 in the first game this season where they were clearly the inferior team.
Nonetheless, coach Ken Hitchcock and his players are unlikely to make excuses for an ugly start to the season against the league's best. They managed just one point after three games against teams that won a conference title a year ago, either in the regular season or the playoffs.
Hitchcock has said players need to step up and make plays in big situations, but that didn't happen in Southern California, where St. Louis has now lost 15 straight to Anaheim and Los Angeles. The Blues didn't even score a goal on those legs of a trip that, fortunately, also included a 6-1 rout of Arizona -- a team expected to be in the mix for a playoff spot in the Western Conference after just missing last season.
Of course, St. Louis will have plenty more chances to change its fortunes in this month alone, starting with next Saturday's home game against Chicago. The Blackhawks ended the Blues' season a year ago with four straight wins to erase a 2-0 series lead in the first round.
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The results weren't the only part of Sunday's game reminiscent of last season.
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St. Louis had to play without its best two new weapons, centers Paul Stastny and Jori Lehtera. A hard hit in his first shift Saturday night at Arizona kept Stastny out with an upper-body injury, while Lehtera was reported to be suffering from a bad case of the flu Hitchcock says has been going around the team.
Magnus Paajarvi and Chris Porter stepped in to fill the open spots, but the Blues clearly weren't as dynamic on the attack without two of their best playmakers. They mustered just 12 shots on goal in the first two periods before a sense of urgency propelled them to 16 in the final period, compared to just six for Anaheim.
Fewer skilled puck handlers also contributed to poor possession in the neutral zone, a weakness that hurt St. Louis almost immediately. A turnover by Joakim Lindstrom, the lone new Blues forward to play Sunday, resulted in a goal less than two minutes into the game.
ELLIOTT BEATEN FROM LONG RANGE
Goalie Brian Elliott made several impressive saves against tremendous Anaheim pressure in the first two periods.
But it would be a pair of missiles from significant distance that put St. Louis in a hole that proved far too deep. A second-period power-play goal by Sami Vatanen was almost too easy, considering he had almost half the goal open thanks to a great cross from Ryan Getzlaf.
The scoring began thanks in part to a somewhat unfortunate bounce off the linesman's skate directly to Matt Belekey, who knew exactly what to do with it. He fired the game's first shot past defenseman Petteri Lindbohm and into the upper corner of the net on Elliott's stick side.
Vatanen's first goal of the game looked strikingly similar, as he blasted a shot from slightly closer range into just about the same spot. Elliott argued an Anaheim player had touched him before the puck hit the net, but stopping either one of the first two goals would have required a spectacular save.
Despite giving up three goals for the second time in three games, the Blues' starting goalie really hasn't given them anything to worry about yet. He seemed to maintain his confidence throughout the game, and he still has the respectable 18-save shutout at Los Angeles to his credit.
YOUNG DEFENSEMAN SHINES IN DEBUT
Maybe the biggest positive from the game was the play of Lindbohm, the 21-year-old Finnish defenseman called up Saturday.
He had an impressive preseason and nearly got a surprise roster spot before electing to go to Chicago instead of back to Europe. In three games in the American Hockey League, Lindbohm notched a goal and an assist to go with a plus-3 rating.
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That impressive play translated well in his NHL debut, despite the unlucky start. Lindbohm took the place of 34-year-old Jordan Leopold and proved to be one of St. Louis' most effective defensemen, especially in the third period.
He nearly scored on a wrist shot from about 15 feet away late in the game, and a nice recovery prevented a potential Anaheim breakaway. Lindbohm finished with more than 14 minutes on the ice and tied Vladimir Tarasenko for the team high with four shots while also showing a willingness to play physically when necessary.
You can follow Luke Thompson on Twitter at @FS_LukeT or email him at lukegthompson87@gmail.com.
