The St. Louis Blues have played five games in the 2017-18 season and have a 4-1-0 record. The major takeaway from the first five games has been the stellar offensive play by the Blues defence, despite the injury to top two defenceman, Jay Bouwmeester. From Alex Pietrangelo to Vince Dunn, the defence is no doubt the main reason the Blues have had success so far.
The St. Louis Blues Defence is Thriving Offensively
Joel Edmundson – Alex Pietrangelo
Carl Gunnarsson – Colton Parayko
Vince Dunn – Robert Bortuzzo
The Blues have scored 17 goals in their first five games and seven of those came from defenceman. Altogether, the defenceman have 14 points. Alex Pietrangelo leads the team in points with eight.
Wednesday, October 4 @ Pittsburgh Penguins
“It’s my party and I’ll cry if I want to.” –A Penguins player
The Blues visited Pittsburgh for their first game of the season.The Penguins raised their second consecutive Stanley Cup Champions banner. They also faced their former teammate, Ryan Reaves, for the first time. The Blues won 5-4 in overtime thanks to a goal from captain and defenceman, Alex Pietrangelo. Not to mention the goal he scored in the second period, the goal from defenceman Colton Parayko in the first period and defenceman Carl Gunnarsson’s assist. Last season, Pietrangelo had 48 points, the second most he has ever had in his career. If he keeps going at this rate, he will break his career high. At this point, Pietrangelo had more goals than superstar Vladimir Tarasenko. It seems that having the added responsibility of being captain has not taken away from Pietrangelo’s offensive abilities.
Saturday, October 7 vs. Dallas Stars
On the Blues home opener and the return of former Blues head coach, Ken Hitchcock, the Blues beat the Stars 4-2. Defencemen Carl Gunnarsson and Joel Edmundson scored their first goals of the season. Pietrangelo also had two assists. Pietrangelo still has more goals than Tarasenko, which will not last long.
Monday, October 9 @ New York Islanders
The Blues beat the Islanders 3-2 in a shootout win. Pietrangelo recorded his third assist of the season. However, he was demoted to being tied for second on the team in goals as Tarasenko scored his third. The defence focused more on stopping shots than scoring in this game.
Tuesday, October 10 @ New York Rangers
Former Blues defenceman, Kevin Shattenkirk, played his former team for the first time since getting traded in February. He even picked up an assist against his former club. Carl Gunnarson got his second goal of the season 15 seconds into the game. Pietrangelo picked up his fourth assist of the season.
Thursday, October 12 @ Florida Panthers
This was the third game the Blues played in four days so the defence was not as good as in previous games. While the Blues lost to the Panthers 5-2, rookie defenceman, Vince Dunn, scored his first NHL goal. Pietrangelo had another two assists. This makes him the leader on the team in points with eight.
If the Defence Can Continue to Thrive
If the defence can continue to score, as well as help keep the puck out of the net, the Blues will not miss Jay Bouwmeester too much. It has been said that offence wins games, but defence wins championships. If the defence can continue to help the team win games throughout the rest of the regular season and playoffs, the Blues may have a chance at winning the Cup this year.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
