ST LOUIS, MO – The Blues struggled their way to two losses this week. Twice the Blues would fight their way into overtime only to allow the game to slip away from themselves in the closing moments. If there was a bit of improvement from the ‘Notes, it is that they found a way to take Philadelphia into the shoot out after dropping to Calgary a couple minutes into the overtime skate. With the two losses the Blues gain two points in the standings while sinking below .500.
Mikka Kiprusoff would win the netminders duel that occurred Thursday night at the Scottrade Center in dominating fashion. Kiprusoff would stop 30 shots on goal allowing one goal in 62:50 of play. Sizzling Danish prospect Lars Eller joined the Blues early in the day and made the start for St. Louis. In his NHL debut, Eller would score St. Louis’ lone goal while skating 9:35 of ice time. Chris Mason’s astral play continued as he would face 31 shots, stopping 29. With his solid play this season, Mason currently has a 2.64 GAA (goals against average) which is good enough for 16th in the NHL.
Saturday evening brought about the ending of a difficult week as the Blues would travel to Philadelphia and incur another overtime loss via the shoot out. Chris Mason turned in another wonderful performance for St. Louis stopping 35 of 36 shots in the losing effort. The Blues struggled to gain any sort of momentum throughout the game as the Flyers would shut down St. Louis’ offense with their lights out defensive play.
Schedule Results of the Past Week:
November 5, 2009 (at St. Louis Missouri
Calgary2, Blues 1 OT (5-6-2)
Scoring – 1st Period
03:34 CGY Jarome Iginla (7) – Assists: none
2nd Period
(none)
3rd Period
07:15 STL PPG – Lars Eller (1) Assists: E. Johnson (8) & E. Brewer (1)
Overtime
02:50 CGY Dion Phaneuf (6) Slap Shot – Assists: D. Moss (2) & N. Dawes (3)
Goalies
StL – Chris Mason (L, 29/31)
CGY – Mikka Kiprusoff (W, 30/31)
November 7, 2009 (at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Philadelphia 2, Blues 1 (5-6-3)
Scoring – 1st Period
(none)
2nd Period
12:15 PHI PPG – Scott Hartnell (5) – Assists: C. Giroux (6) & C. Pronger (11)
3rd Period
05:43 STL T.J. Oshie (2) Wrist – Assists: R. Polak (3)
Goalies
StL – Chris Mason (L, 35/36)
PHI – Ray Emery (W, 30/31)
Upcoming Weeks Schedule:
November 8, 2009 at Atlanta Thrashers
November 10, 2009 vs. Vancouver Canucks
November 12, 2009 vs. Nashville Predators
November 14, 2009 vs. San Jose Sharks
Team News: Rookie prospect Lars Eller made his NHL debut Thursday evening against Calgary. Whether the excitement in the air got to Eller or his ability showed through, the one goal of the evening for the Blues came from Eller’s stick. St. Louis has had great success developing ability in recent years as these players are now just starting to surface. It would be great news for the NHL if Eller was the last potential star to be coming into the Blues ranks, but Lars Eller is not even the tip of the iceberg. The Blues are reloading each draft and taking advantage of elite players with great attitudes. The team that is struggling now is a young team learning how to play together.
Blues Clues: The Blues are currently on a four game losing streak dating back to October 29, 2009. During this span the Blues have managed two overtime losses; they have scored two goals, allowed 10 goals and amassed 128 shots on goal. The key to the Blues losses has been their inability to score points. St. Louis has outshot each of their opponents, and yet only scored twice.
Quote of the Week: Brett Hull in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on his enshrinement into the Hall of Fame: “You know what, I had 11 great years with St. Louis. My gosh, those are the best years of my life. And I will never, ever forget that.”
You may contact the author at: John.Strathman@prohockeynews.com
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