If the St Louis Blues can get consistently good goaltending from both of their netminders, then they may go deep in the playoffs this postseason.
On Thursday night, Jake Allen made 28 saves to shut out the Kings, 4-0, in Los Angeles.
Ryan O’Reilly had a goal in Blues win in LA – file photo by Lewis Bleiman
“We had a tough little stretch there. Now we’re coming back. We’re working our way up the mountain,” Allen said. “I don’t think, to be honest, we’re where we were for that 11-game win streak, but I think we’re progressing and it’s a good thing. We’re building it back.”
On the Blues’ current road trip they have won two straight after beating the Anaheim Ducks.
“It’s a statement I think, for sure,” the Blues’ Ryan O’Reilly (one goal) said. “These are two teams — obviously their records don’t show it — but they are heavy, hard teams. They aren’t easy to play against, and for us come out here and squeak out the win last night, come here and shut them out … We played it the right way.”
Vladimir Tarasenko, Tyler Bozak and Ivan Barbashev also scored for the Blues.
The Kings dropped to 24-35-8.
“Tonight alone I think that’s more odd-man rushes than I’ve seen in a game in a long time” the Kings’ Tyler Toffoli said. “That’s not a way for any team to be successful, and that’s not a way for any team to stick together because that just creates problems and creates panic coming back into the zone and gives the other team more space which skill players are going to make plays and score goals.”
LA is 1-8-4 in their last 13 matches.
St Louis is four points back of second place in the Central Division and improved to 36-25-6 with the win.
“We’re not fancy and beating guys one-on-one,” O’Reilly said. “It’s kind of coming together and supporting each other, and we find a way to support each other. When we do that you can see we’re able to make plays and stuff opens up so we find ways to break down teams.”
[WATCH: All Blues vs. Kings highlights]
Jonathan Quick made 28 saves in the loss.
“It wasn’t a good effort on our part. They’re a good team but that’s not good enough from us,” LA head coach Willie Desjardins said after the game.
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