– Photo by Ryan Leopando / Arch City Sports
Just two games ago the Blues allowed four goals on 27 shots. The Blues won the game 6-4 and only allow 27.1 shots against per game this season, which ranks second best in the NHL. Not too bad right?
Despite the low number of shots allowed, the areas from which the shots have been allowed is a problem. Defensive miscommunication has led to opposing players left wide open in high-scoring areas leading to Jake Allen and Martin Brodeur being left out to dry.
On the Islanders first goal by Frans Nielson, a shot came from the point and hit a body out in front. All three Blues players in the area had their eyes on the play as Nielsen went right down the slot. Alex Pietrangelo lost the battle in front to Kyle Okposo who slid it across to Nielson who was left completely uncovered by Patrick Berglund.
On the second goal in the period, Kevin Shattenkirk sent a lazy pass over the blade of Stastny right to Ryan Strome. Then to make matters worse, Shattenkirk was late getting to the front of the net to clear Nickolay Kulemin out front of the net as Kulemin set a screen in front making it impossible for Allen to see the puck.
Then against Florida, a poor decision by T.J. Oshie led to a goal by Aaron Ekblad. Shattenkirk’s stick broke and he yelled to Oshie for his stick. Then just as any player since the age of 10 has been taught, Oshie gave the defenseman his stick, but instead of seeing that the Panthers held possession and staying on his man to play the body, Oshie went to the bench for a new set of lumber. This mental error allowed Ekblad to slide in back door untouched and tie the game at two.
But the Blues offense and Brodeur bailed the defensive play out yet again. However, the Blues must improve three areas defensively to remain a contender in the Western Conference and get the win tonight against New York.
First, the Blues need to do a better job as a defensive system by not only focusing on the puck, but also defending the “danger zones” in the defensive zone. On the first Isles goal, Berglund should have seen Jackman and Pietrangelo battling in front and trusted them to make the play. The first thought that Berglund should have had was to pick his head up and look for the third forward that was lurking near the net to cover. Team defense is essential in the NHL, and Berglund and the Blues must improve on this against the Islanders who are fifth in the NHL with 3.04 goals scored per game.
Second, the Blues must cut down on their turnovers. In any sport, if you turn the puck or ball over, you will struggle. It is that simple. So far this season the Blues have been fairly mediocre in terms of takeaways vs. giveaways. A few key players must improve in this category, however. Pietrangelo has a 0.50 turnover ratio. That means for every takeaway by Pietrangelo this season, he has turned the puck over twice. Jackman has not been much better at a 0.73. The bottom line is the blue line must do a better job protecting the puck to prevent scoring opportunities for players like John Tavares and Kyle Okposo who will make the Blues pay for making mistakes in the defensive zone.
Lastly, the penalty kill must improve for St. Louis as the Blues rank just 18th in the NHL at 80.0 percent. Last game against the Islanders, the Blues allowed two power play goals, and the Isles rank in the top half of the NHL in power play percentage. Poor coverage in the defensive zone led to both of New York’s goals, and it starts with the defenseman and the two forwards shifting down to the open man to prevent point-blank shots.
Tonight against the Islanders, the Blues face a high-powered offense led by Tavares, Nielsen and Okposo. If the Blues defense can improve on these three areas going forward, then they should be just fine. Although David Backes is currently listed as doubtful, and St. Louis will need players like Berglund to better in coverage in the defensive zone.
The Blues are currently third in the Central Division just one point behind the Chicago Blackhawks at 39 points. The puck is set to drop against the Islanders at 7:00 p.m. CT from the Scottrade Center.
