The St. Louis Blues fell in overtime to the Boston Bruins on Tuesday, marking the team’s first loss since April 1.
St. Louis has been playing as well as any team in the National Hockey League in the last few weeks, and it has done so at the perfect time. The team has yet to lose in regulation in the month of April, and it has recorded at least one point in 13 consecutive contests.
Yes, the winning streak came to an end, thanks to a 3-2 overtime victory for the B’s, but that didn’t stop the Blues from continuing to make strides in their hunt for home ice in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs against (we expect) the Minnesota Wild.
Boston outshot St. Louis 35-22, including 17-9 in the second period, where the Bruins struck for two goals. The Blues tied it up late in the second frame, but Boston would get the game-winning goal from Charlie McAvoy in overtime.
The Blues extended their point streak in a loss to the Bruins.
Despite the loss, the Blues did enough to keep pace with the Wild. The Central Division rivals each have 103 points, though St. Louis has played one extra game.
The Blues certainly know the importance of playing well at the right time. Of course, when St. Louis won the Stanley Cup in 2019, it did so after owning the worst record in hockey around the New Year. A torrid second half of the season changed everything.
Now, this franchise is hoping that it can repeat that incredible championship run by catching fire at the right time again in 2022. That starts with a high-scoring offense and ends with strong play from goaltender Ville Husso.
The Blues’ offense has been on fire, as the 3-2 loss to the Bruins was the first time that St. Louis has been held to fewer than three goals in a game since March 26.
As for Husso, the 27-year-old is posting a 2.44 goals against average and a .923 save percentage. He has been especially strong in his last handful of games since emerging as the primary goaltending option.
Things are going well in St. Louis, and even though the Blues lost their winning streak, a 13-game point streak only weeks before the playoffs should make people in the organization feel very optimistic.