SNAP SHOTS
Road warrior Blues stick to what they know, steal back home-ice advantage in the Big D and are two games away from first West final since 2016 ... Schwartz proving valuable
DALLAS – The truth of the matter is Pat Maroon’s favourite NHL player growing up didn’t actually play for his hometown team.
But that doesn’t mean he didn’t dream of providing the game-winning goal in a Stanley Cup playoff game for the St. Louis Blues, either on the ice or in a fun game of street hockey.
Well, the Missouri product got to live his dream in high definition on Monday night, getting loose in front of the net with 1:38 to go in the third period before beating Ben
Bishop with a high shot, sending the Blues to a 4-3 victory over the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center.
“It hasn’t really hit me yet,” said Maroon, who signed a one-year deal to play for the Blues last summer. “You’ve just got to continue to keep going. It’s an honour to play for my hometown team.
“I don’t know. Obviously, I watched Hull and Oates and all those guys, Brendan Shanahan and Craig Janney. It’s cool. To live in that moment, it’s really neat.”
Historical significance is something Maroon will think about another day.
With the win, the Blues take a 2-1 series lead in the best-ofseven series, with Game 4 set for Wednesday night.
Maroon’s goal capped a chaotic final seven minutes and change that featured two lead changes and four goals.
“It was nuts. I’m just happy we came out with the win,” said Maroon. “Our team does a really good job of responding now. We have this belief system in here that is really weird. We feel like we can always find ways to win hockey games and we do that.”
Jaden Schwartz, Tyler Bozak and Alex Pietrangelo scored for the Blues, while
Alexander Radulov, Andrew
Cogliano (while shorthanded) and Tyler Seguin scored for the Stars. The Blues were in last place in the NHL on Jan. 2, but scratched and clawed their way back to finish with 99 points.
They became playoff-hardened during the stretch run and that’s something they’ve continued to lean on once the post-season began, both in a six-game series with the Jets during the opening round and now through three games of this series with the Stars.
“We’ve played really meaningful games from January on, games that we had to win,” said Bozak.
“A lot of close games that we had to find ways to win. Most of the games in the playoffs are going to be one-goal, close games. So to play those tight games leading into it, and then in the first round have a lot of games like that, it helps us moving forward.”
The Blues are two wins away from reaching the Western Conference final for the first time since 2016.
GREAT AWAY FROM HOME
These road warriors are on a serious roll.
The St. Louis Blues used their tried-and-true formula to improve to 4-0 on the road in the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
So, what’s been the secret to the Blues’ success on the road so far this spring?
“We just establish our game right away,” said Maroon.
“At home, I feel like we wait for them to come at us instead of dictating the play right away. On the road we try to dictate the play right off the bat. I don’t know why that happens. It’s a weird game like that.”
It’s a weird game indeed, but the Blues are more than happy to keep that success going by sticking to their structure and finding a way to win these tight games, as they’re now two wins away from advancing to the Western Conference final for the first time since 2016.
“I don’t know. I guess really no one to impress, no distractions, you’ve just got to worry about yourself,” said Blues forward Brayden Schenn. “We worry about each other and just try to find a way to win hockey games.”
SHUFFLING THE DECK
Looking to get an offensive spark, Blues head coach Craig
Berube figured it was a good time to make a change on his top two lines: bumping Schwartz up to the top line with Ryan O’Reilly and
Vladimir Tarasenko and moving David Perron back down on the second line with
Oskar Sundqvist (who moved back to centre) and Schenn (who moved back to left wing). The move paid immediate dividends as Schwartz opened the scoring by tipping home a point shot from Colton Parayko on the third shift of the game.
Schwartz, who added an assist on the go-ahead goal, is up to six goals in the playoffs, which has him tied for the NHL lead with Logan
Couture of the San Jose Sharks.
“You see his intensity on every play, the way that he hunts the puck and the turnovers that he causes, with the way that he forechecks and the way that he pressures,” said O’Reilly.
“Obviously, it’s really effective and it generates a lot of offence off that. He’s been one of our best players in this last bit here.”
Perron admits he’s a bit more comfortable on the right side than the left.
“I did feel a little bit different on the other side,” said Perron.
“I pride myself on board work, make a lot of little plays that makes the play go forward, makes the play maybe turn into an odd-man situation that starts from the D-zone or even the neutral zone. I don’t think I did that the last two games, I don’t think I did it in Game 6 either against Winnipeg.
“We won the game and maybe no one notices or talked about it, but for me, between rounds, I wanted to get better from, and going back to the right side, I think it’s going to be a little bit more natural because that’s where I played this year.”
Since Berube is a big believer in line continuity, when he makes a change, the players take notice.
“He’s been extremely consistent with his lines, so when he does something, it’s not like he’s just making a move to make a move,” said Perron.
“We want to create a little bit more at five-on-five.”