The St. Louis Blues dominated again tonight in a 3-0 win versus the San Jose Sharks. The Blues have won 4 straight overall, and have a chance to sweep the season series against San Jose in March.
Jaroslav Halak (photo via WilliamGreenblattPhotography.com)
Jaroslav Halak was damn good. He stopped all 25 shots for his league-leading 6thshutout of the season. Jaro was pulled in Thursday’s game at New Jersey and bounced back with a shutout against the 1st place team in the Pacific Division.
Ken Hitchcock proud of team:
Welcome back Andy Mac. McDonald looked great in his return from a concussion. McDonald played over 16 minutes, including 4:44 on the power play. His presence on special teams is obvious.
McDonald on the speed of the game:
Speaking of the power play, 4 PP goals in the previous two games.
But, Ken Hitchcock was concerned about the penalty kill last night. He said the unit needed a “0-for” and it came tonight. Sharks ended 0/4 on the PP.
Hitch on the PK:
How about Alex Pietrangelo. He leads the NHL averaging 32.6 shifts/game. His average of 24 minutes a night ranks 18th in the NHL. The guy is a beast. His 3-point performance tonight gives him 10 goals and 29 points in 2011-2012.
Petro on his 1st goal of the game:
David Perron is earning his goals according to Hitch.
This was a team win. The Sharks had an off day in St. Louis on Saturday, and their HC Todd McLellan “scouted” the Blues during their win over Colorado. Well, go back to the drawing board pal, because your game plan ended in a 3-0 shutout.
Finally, Chris Stewart is struggling big time. It’s been well documented…but if and when Alex Steen returns, I would have a hard time sitting a guy like Chris Porter over Stewart. Sports are a performance-based league, and while Chris is a great guy, lack of production shines the ugly head of business in sports. Now, politics ($) also play a role, and it’s hypothetical with Steener on the shelf, but come on man!
St. Louis plays at Columbus on Tuesday.
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