The secret to the Blues’ 3-2 series lead over the Wild: versatility

Mike McKenna
Mike McKenna(MikeMcKenna56)
The secret to the Blues’ 3-2 series lead over the Wild: versatility

In Game 5 of their first-round series Tuesday night, the St. Louis Blues beat the Minnesota Wild 5-2 in St. Paul. Now the teams travel back to St. Louis for Game 6 with the Blues leading the series 3-2.

Here’s why St. Louis is ahead in the matchup.

The magic O’Reilly vs Eriksson Ek predictor of outcome held true, but much like Game 5, it was close.

I’ve been keeping track of the plus-minus rating of these two players all series, and it hasn’t steered me wrong yet. Both of the Wild’s wins have come when Eriksson Ek outperforms O’Reilly in the statistical category – and vice versa.

In Game 5, O’Reilly was plus-1 for the Blues, while Eriksson Ek was even for Minnesota. And I think that closely resembles how the game played out. The final may have been 5-2 in favor of St. Louis, but especially during 5-on-5 play, Game 5 was closely contested.

The Blues managed to fire 10 high-danger chances towards Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, four of which were on the power play. That’s a respectable number, but it also shows a commitment to defense by the Wild, particularly at even strength.

Minnesota had 32 shots on Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington but only managed six grade-A chances. Yet the Wild controlled the pace of play, especially in the second half of the game.

The problem was that the Wild were a perimeter team in Game 5. That’s partially a credit to the way St. Louis defended in its own zone. But Minnesota needs to do a better job of getting to the front of the net.

Kirill Kaprizov possessed an incredible shot, but it’s what he does without the puck that makes him special.

It’s pretty easy to look at the two power-play goals the Wild left winger scored on Wednesday night and chalk them up to a great release. Kaprizov has a world class shot. The puck is on and off his blade so quickly that opposing goaltenders are often caught playing catchup. And Kaprizov can shoot in stride just as well as stationary.

But look at how hard Kaprizov competes during this shift, ending in his second goal of the game.

I want to show this clip to every youth hockey player. Kaprizov is absolutely tenacious. He outmuscles Blues defenseman Colton Parayko – one of the biggest dudes in hockey. Then Kaprizov turns on a dime and drives the net with authority, just missing high with his shot.

He doesn’t quit on the play. Kaprizov stays aware and finds open ice. Then he’s forced to adjust and catch a pass on the backhand – only to immediately shift it to his forehand and put the puck underneath the crossbar with a quick snapshot. 

Kaprizov had two Blues players converge on him just as he received the pass, yet he had the determination and strength to get the shot off. And it was deadly accurate. Really impressive.

When a team has nine 20-goal scorers like St. Louis, it gives the coaching staff line flexibility.

During the stretch run leading up to the Stanley Cup playoffs, Blues head coach Craig Berube was pretty steadfast in his lineup. The top three lines rarely differed.

That changed in Game 4, when Berube tossed his forward lines in a blender. St. Louis responded, winning 5-2 on home ice. So it was no surprise the Blues bench boss came back with the same top nine in Game 5.

Case in point: Brayden Schenn. During the regular season, Schenn spent most of his time at the center ice position, tallying 24 goals and 58 points in 62 games. But at times during this series against Minnesota, Berube has deployed Schenn on the wing, where his hard-nosed checking can match the heaviness of the Wild.

Not every team has the luxury of moving the chess pieces around. The Blues are so deep offensively that Berube can roll out Robert Thomas alongside Jordan Kyrou for a shot of energy if he so desires. Or he can split up the two young talents on different lines.

Same goes for Vladimir Tarasenko, who can effortlessly slide between lines. He was dominant in Game 5, scoring a natural hat trick in the third period.

Game 5 was the physical matchup we’ve all been waiting for.

Intensity is what makes playoff hockey so compelling. And considering Game 5 was mostly contested during 5-on-5 play, fans were rewarded with emotional hockey.

Once again, Marcus Foligno was a human wrecking ball, delivering 10 hits, including a massive open-ice collision with Kyrou late in the first period. Wild teammate Nick Deslaurier followed suit with several big hits as well.

The Wild were at their aggressive best for most of the game, but St. Louis fought back. Schenn had a physical presence with five hits. And Blues forward Pavel Buchnevich showed an increased willingness to compete.

Minnesota and St. Louis have long been thought of as two of the heaviest teams in the Western Conference. And while I’d argue that the Blues aren’t the same rough and tumble franchise that won the 2019 Stanley Cup, they still have an element of grittiness that can be coaxed out.

With the lack of penalties, Game 5 provided the physical battle we all expected to see in this series.

Minnesota scored on the first shot of both their power plays.

After converting only two of 17 power plays in the first four games of the series, the Wild needed a new look. The home team responded by scoring both times the Blues went a man down.

During an interview midway through the second period, Evason was asked by ESPN’s Brian Boucher what worked on the power play.

“Shooting the puck” Evason responded. “We’re getting pucks through. We’re making a commitment to get there. Obviously a great screen by Moose (Marcus Foligno). We get people there, we’ll give ourselves an opportunity. Second, third chances as well.”

In other words, Evason wanted his team to be more direct. The Wild had been struggling to filter passes through the Blues penalty killers. So Minnesota simplified, sending bodies to the front of the net and adopting a shot-first mentality.

It paid off with the man advantage. Now Minnesota needs more of that at even strength.

The Blues played seven defensemen again, and the platoon system is working.

Health on the blueline continues to be worrisome for St. Louis. Two of the Blues’ top defenders – Torey Krug and Marco Scandella – are sidelined with injuries. But for the second game in a row, Berube dressed seven defenders.

From a defensive standpoint, It helped that Robert Bortuzzo and Nick Leddy were able to draw back into the lineup for St. Louis in Game 5. Much like how Scott Perunovich’s return from injury added an offensive spark for the Blues in Game 4.

I’d argue that right now, the Blues have two defensemen that are healthy and fully trusted: Colton Parayko and Justin Faulk. And they’re both playing upwards of 25 minutes a night.

With the remaining five blueliners, Berube is using them situationally. Leddy only played at even strength. Perunovich skated on the first power play. Niko Mikkola – who spent a large portion of the season on the Blues top pairing alongside Colton Parayko – was the utility man, hopping over the boards in all situations. 

But it was the play of Calle Rosen in Game 5 that really impressed me. He only played 13 minutes, but his skating was noticeable and Rosen has good offensive instincts. If his defensive game continues to solidify, I think Berube might start to use him more frequently.

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