It didn't take long for Martin Brodeur to impress the Blues enough to earn the chance to offer them some much-needed assistance.
The NHL's all-time winningest goaltender needed far less time to confirm general manager Doug Armstrong and coach Ken Hitchcock made the right decision Thursday night in Nashville. Brodeur proved himself capable of filling in for the injured Brian Elliott by making the first of several difficult saves in the opening minute on Colin Wilson's breakaway after he got around David Backes and Barret Jackman.
But the 42-year-old won't be regaining the form that earned him nine All-Star Game appearances anytime soon, especially considering it was his first start since last April with New Jersey. No one expected Brodeur to add to his total of 688 wins without some help, and St. Louis couldn't offer enough in a 4-3 loss at Nashville.
"He made a lot of big saves and we left guys wide open," forward Jaden Schwartz told announcers John Kelly and Darren Pang on the Blues Live postgame show on FOX Sports Midwest. "A couple there he didn't really have a chance on and he made big saves when he had to. He kept us in it and we've just got to cover up those open guys in our D-zone."
Brodeur's great saves on close-range shots by Gabriel Bourque and Calle Jarnkrok preserved a 1-0 Blues lead in the first period before 19-year-old Filip Forsberg scored his 11th goal of the season off a rebound. The Preds finished the first period with two goals on 16 shots, and Brodeur had no hope of stopping the first shot of the second period, when Mike Ribeiro got open and fired a one-timer on a pass across the ice from James Neal.
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Perhaps St. Louis' worst defensive error of the night would come in the third period, just a few minutes after Brodeur kept the Blues within a goal by making a great glove save on a three-on-one shot from Taylor Beck. Wilson took advantage of another defensive lapse for a breakaway from the blue line, and this time he netted what turned out to be the game-winner as Nashville moved two points ahead of St. Louis in the Central Division.
The Blues have allowed at least two goals in nine straight games with three different goaltenders, showing signs of a larger problem that can be partially attributed to the continued absence of veteran defenseman Jay Bouwmeester. As the offense keeps searching for more scorers, St. Louis can't afford so many defensive breakdowns against a difficult portion of the schedule, which includes two games against the New York Islanders, two against Los Angeles and a road test at San Jose before Christmas.
A shrewd move paid off in finding a solid replacement for Elliott, though the league's leader in goals-against average will clearly be missed. Rookie Jake Allen still figures to see most of the starts provided he can maintain his consistently solid play in net.
But considering he's given up at least three goals in six of eight games since back-to-back shutouts, Allen seems about as likely as Brodeur to win with a spectacular performance in net. The Blues will get solid goaltending, but they'll need better defense to get back on the winning track.
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TARASENKO TIME AGAIN
The Blues found a cure for their offensive road woes against top teams, and the source came as no surprise.
Vladimir Tarasenko increased his season total to 16 with two more goals, the same number St. Louis had scored as a team in its first five games against top seven teams in either conference on the road. A rocket wrist shot off a faceoff gave the Blues a 1-0 lead, and his second-period goal that cut the deficit to 3-2 actually ended his streak of eight straight goals that broke a tie.
Hitchcock returned Schwartz to the forward line with Tarasenko and Jori Lehtera, creating more offense against arguably the league's top goaltender so far this season. Schwartz even scored his first goal in six games with 7:28 to play, and unsurprisingly, Tarasenko played a role despite not touching the puck.
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"I was looking at Tarasenko the whole way," said Schwartz, who came in on the right side and fired a shot just above Rinne's right pad. "I had kind of seen the weak side D step up a little bit and I was looking to pass. I just held onto it and I think I've been passing a little bit too much lately. When I get in those scoring chances, I want to shoot the puck."
But Tarasenko's linemates weren't even on the ice for his first two goals as the 22-year-old put in plenty of extra work on a night when St. Louis dressed 11 forwards and seven defensemen. Hitchcock would do well to play Tarasenko as much as possible. After all, he's tied for second in the league in goals and often appears to be the only Blue creating any offense.
You can follow Luke Thompson on Twitter at @FS_LukeT or email him at lukegthompson87@gmail.com.
