Blues' despair cannot keep up because the offensive is fighting again – Twin Cities

After winning the first three meetings of the season against the blues and opened a double -digit lead in the division for the game on Saturday, this was a chance to bring St. Louis into the rearview mirror for the rest of the season.

Instead, the blues opened a commanding lead on the way to a 5-1 win, left the city with some hope and left the wilderness with some questions.

In particular, the fans are still curious about who will increase aggressively for a Minnesota team in which two of their most remarkable goal scorer injuries remain injured, and they were recorded in a regulatory goal in five of their last seven games.

That night it was defender Jake Middleton who gave the sold out the only chance to see the goal light behind the St. Louis network, and that only came after the visitors had built a lead with three goals.

Wild coach John Hynes was ready to shoot the result and start fresh on Monday after his team had spent a longer than normal time behind closed doors after the game.

“We didn't have it tonight. But these are the games in which another will come on Monday, ”he said. “So we are in a tight race. Our team reacts, replies, works, competes constantly. “

Filip Gustavsson had 22 parades for the game, which fell to 3-6-1 in their last 10 games, while Jordan Kyrou had three goals for St. Louis.

The wilderness remain in a strong position to make the playoffs on the own pillow, which they developed over a season start of 18-4-4. But with the insult of a premium and none of its strikers who could solve the blues goalkeeper Joel Hofer, they clearly looked like the less desperate team on Saturday.

“It is no secret that we have had difficulty scoring gates lately. We have a find to do this, ”said wild striker Mats Zuccarello afterwards. “They achieve their chances and we don't. They also captured us in our own zone a few times, but I think we had some really good o-zone time, had some great chances, but that's the difference. They score and we don't. “

The blues first climbed on the board with the second game when Brayden loosen at the top of the fold and shoveled a back hiker on Gustavsson barely four minutes after the competition.

Minnesota only survived the first period through a goal, although he was dominated by a blues team in the defense zone, which came into the night with slim and dwindling opportunities to get into the playoffs and played with despair of this precarious position.

After the game had made a strong advance to start the second period, including a long-distance shot by Zach Bogosian, which climified the right-wing goal, the blues turned around the tables and doubled their lead when the jake neighbor dipped in the recovery of a shot that had been deflected by the defense of Minnesota.

The blues had stretched her lead over a 3-0 with another rebound goal that Gustavsson was powerless before the game finally had an answer on the scoreboard.

In a chaotic game in the Blues zone, her goalkeeper tried to clear the puck just to pick up Middleton on the blue line. With two players in St. Louis collided and left Middleton a lot of open ice, took a step on the net and blew up a shot at the goalkeeper for his eight season goal.

The light beam seemed to ignite the wilderness, which killed a punishment, then ended the time 3-1, but in the possession of the swing and after her first husband advantage of the game. But Kyrou's second goal of the game on a wrap in the second half of the third made a wave of wild fans went out early. About half of them were still nearby to see how Kyrou met an empty network to complete the hat trick. A few boos in the wilderness were clearly showered when the last seconds came away.

Hofer had 18 parades for St. Louis, now 7-2-1 in the last 10 and does a late playoff thrust under the new head coach Jim Montgomery, who took over the blues reins at the end of November.

“Last game against Pittsburgh did not feel that we had enough despair,” said Montgomery, after his team fell 5: 3 in her last excursion. “We thought that our despair was definitely upset tonight and it has to go on like this.”

For Minnesota, since the offensive doldrums are continued and the return of Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson EK is not imminent, there is a awareness that a little more of the remaining ones in the lineup is required.

“Obviously you can say a lot of really good things about the players we have, but that's our reality, right? So this is not something that we consider and vodles and hang on the head. Every evening we have 20 men in the line -up who have to do the job, ”said Bogosian. “It is the season in which games appear. Every game is important, so we have to make sure that we drive our best efforts and make sure that we end the season strongly. “