The St. Louis Blues took down the Carolina Hurricanes 4-3 Saturday night. Despite a frustrating first period, the Blues fought back with a dominant second period before holding on in the third to earn the victory. While there is a lot to work on, there were many positives from the game.
First Period
Carolina dominated the first period, with Andrei Svechnikov scoring the only goal just 1:21 into the game. After Colton Parayko lost control of the puck, Sebastian Aho set up Seth Jarvis, who delivered a cross-crease pass for Svechnikov to easily convert. The Hurricanes outshot the Blues 19 to 4 in the period, with both Svechnikov and rookie Jackson Blake registering four shots, while Jarvis added three. Jack Roslovic and Jordan Martinook also had solid performances but could not find the back of the net.
After a shutout against the New York Islanders on Oct. 17, Hofer built on his strong play, stopping the final 18 shots he faced in the first period to keep the Blues just one goal behind. He faced an expected goals total of 1.27, according to MoneyPuck, and did an impressive job limiting rebounds.
Second Period
Although the Blues struggled in the first period, they quickly rebounded. Midway through the second period, Mathieu Joseph received a pass from captain Brayden Schenn right in front of the net, spun around, and shot the puck past Pyotr Kochetkov, tying the game at 1-1. Mathieu’s brother, Pierre-Olivier Joseph, also assisted on the goal.
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Just a minute later, Zack Bolduc won a puck battle, allowing Jake Neighbours to grab the puck and fire it through traffic, scoring to give St. Louis a 2-1 lead. Less than two minutes later, Dylan Holloway received a pass from Philip Broberg and, with some impressive moves, slipped the puck past Kochetkov, extending the Blues’ lead to 3-1. This goal marked Holloway’s first as a Blue, while Broberg extended his point streak to six games to start the season in his debut with St. Louis. Despite being outshot 27-15 in the period, the Blues headed into the final frame with a 3-1 advantage.
Third Period
Just over a minute into the third period, Shayne Gostisbehere scored his first goal of the night and third of the season on the power play, with assists from Aho and Svechnikov. Less than 90 seconds after that, Roslovic continued his strong night by scoring his first goal of the game with a slapshot off…
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