The Blues finished their three-game road trip winless, going 0-for-3 and dropping another step in the standings at 19-24-8. While St. Louis played hard and pushed a top-tier Dallas Stars team to the wire, costly penalties kept catching up to them. Despite playing well and solid goaltending from Jordan Binnington, the Blues couldn’t overcome the miscues, ultimately falling 3-2 in a heartbreaker.

First Period

Dallas quickly set the pace, taking control of puck possession and spending most of the opening minutes in the offensive zone. The Blues were looking at their best chance when Jonatan Berggren and Jimmy Snuggerud had a two-on-one chance for St. Louis early, but it was called off after they entered the zone offside.

The Stars got the first power play at 4:54 when Pavel Buchnevich was called for holding. Wyatt Johnston scored at 5:41 to give Dallas a 1-0 lead on the man advantage. Johnston has 17 of the Stars’ 43 power-play goals this season, and Dallas has the NHL’s second-ranked power play.

St. Louis earned its first power-play opportunity at 10:01 after Johnston was called for slashing. The Blues recorded their first shot at 11:25 when Dalibor Dvorsky fired a one-timer, assisted by Buchnevich. The goal was initially credited to Dvorsky, then to Kyrou, and later switched back to Dvorsky. Kyrou was seen trying to tip the puck in front of the net, and while it was close, they changed it back, finally making up their minds. This tied the game 1-1.

Jordan Binnington kept St. Louis in the game despite early Dallas pressure. The Blues struggled with sloppy puck movement, other than when on the power play, while Dallas maintained most of the puck possession and offensive-zone time. By the end of the period, Dallas led shots 10-3, and both teams had converted on power plays.

Second Period

Just 23 seconds into the period, Jamie Benn went to the box for holding, giving the Blues their second power-play opportunity. St. Louis managed only one shot, but Otto Stenberg showcased his quick hands and wrist shot right after the power play ended, though Jake Oettinger made a nice save to keep it out.

At 4:04, the Blues struck first. Jake Neighbours delivered an exceptional pass on a slick zone entry, and Pavel Buchnevich one-timed it past Oettinger to give St. Louis a 2-1 lead. Kyrou entered wide and hit Cam Fowler high, setting up the play that led to Neighbours’ assist and Buchnevich’s second point of the night. Not long after, Brayden Schenn had a golden rebound chance in front of the net but was denied by Oettinger.

Dallas responded when Jimmy Snuggerud was called for slashing at 6:19. Matt Duchene scored on the Stars’ second power play to tie the game 2-2, marking Dallas’ first shot of the period.

St. Louis went back on the kill after Philip Broberg was called for interference at 11:57, successfully killing their first penalty of the period. But penalties continued to pile up: Justin Faulk was whistled for interference at 16:38, and immediately after killing that one, Robby Fabbri was called for tripping. That made four penalties in 12 minutes for St. Louis, setting up a man advantage for Dallas to start the third.

The Blues were more active offensively than in the first, but the penalties took a toll. Shots were close, 15-12 in favor of Dallas, and both goalies stood tall, with Jordan Binnington keeping St. Louis in the game despite multiple penalty kills.

Third Period

The Blues began the third with 51 seconds left on a penalty kill and successfully killed it. Early in the period, Mikko Rantanen had a close look on a 2-on-1, trying to sneak a shot short side, but Jordan Binnington made a nice blocker save.

St. Louis did a solid job controlling the puck and setting up in the offensive zone, moving it around to create chances, though they weren’t generating a high volume of shots. The defense also stepped up, holding off multiple Grade-A chances. The Blues went on the power play at 8:00 after Nils Lundkvist was called for holding, but managed only one shot on the man advantage.

The rest of the period featured back-and-forth play, with St. Louis forcing turnovers but failing to convert. Both teams’ defenses were locked in, as if something was on the line. Jamie Benn had a golden opportunity to give Dallas the lead in front of the net, but Binnington stretched to make the save.

With time running out, Jason Robertson scored far side, top shelf, over Binnington’s shoulder at 19:00 to give Dallas a 3-2 lead, following an icing that set up the offensive-zone faceoff. The Blues pulled Binnington in the final minute, creating a few late chances, but were unable to tie the game.

Discover more from Inside The Rink

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.