On a snowy night in downtown St. Louis, the St. Louis Blues and Anaheim Ducks met for the first time this season. The Blues wrap up a three-game homestand, while the Ducks wrap up a two-game road trip. The Ducks won 4-1. Let’s take a look back at how we got here.
Issue 1
The first period is a busy period. The Ducks tied the score at 6:33 of the first quarter. Beckett Sennecke controlled the puck in the penalty area and scored on goal. Mason McTavish fired the rebound out of the scrimmage circle. The shot glanced past Blues defenders Cam Fowler and Jordan Binnington.
The Blues rebounded 40 seconds later when Jordan Kyrou received a pass from Robert Thomas and pushed the ball past Verhusso. Multiple players were involved in the goal, with Filip Broberg driving the puck into the zone and Jake Neighbors winning a puck battle against the boards moments before.
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The Ducks regained the lead at 10:24 when Pavel Mintyukov brought the puck into the penalty area and fired a wrist shot past Binnington. After the goal, he was replaced by Joel Hofer, who appeared to have a few words with head coach Jim Montgomery on the bench.
In the first quarter, the Ducks defeated the Blues 10-9.
Second issue
Although both teams had two power plays, neither team scored in the second quarter. Thomas did have a scoring chance late in the quarter, but his redirect just missed the goal.
The Ducks outscored the Blues 10-4 in the second quarter.
The third issue
The Ducks extended their lead with 5:58 left in the final quarter. Leo Carlsson converted a shot from Radko Gudas for his 14th goal of the season.
With 3:44 left in the game, Montgomery pulled Hofer for an extra attacker. However, any hopes the Blues had of a comeback were dashed when Chris Kreider scored to make it 4-1, which was the final score.
The Blues outscored the Ducks 10-6 in the final quarter, but the Ducks outscored them 26-23 throughout the game.
Next
The Blues will play the Boston Bruins on the road on Thursday night. Meanwhile, the Ducks return home to face the Utah Mammoths on Wednesday.
