The St. Louis Blues dropped their second preseason games in as many nights, this time falling to the Utah Hockey Club, 5-3, at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa on Sunday.
It was the inaugural game for Utah after its move from Arizona when the Coyotes were sold to Qualtrics owner Ryan and Ashley Smith, who also own the NBA’s Utah Jazz and the Delta Center.
As for the game, some more encouraging play in spurts from the Blues, who fell 2-1 on Saturday against the Dallas Stars, and there were some not-so-encouraging play at times.
As for the good:
* Joel Hofer followed up Jordan Binnington’s performance on Saturday with a solid period of action on his own. Hofer stopped all 13 shots he faced and gave way to Vadim Zherenko for the final two periods and the glorified shootout that followed. Combined now, after Binnington’s 10-save effort in Dallas, the Blues’ goalie tandem in 2024-25 are a perfect 23-for-23.
Goaltending shouldn’t once again be an issue for the Blues moving forward.
* Dylan Holloway made his Blues debut along with Radek Faksa, Philip Broberg and Dalibor Dvorsky.
For a first impression, Holloway fits the bill. His speed off the rush is evident. His puck-moving capabilities were on par and he scored the Blues’ first goal on the power play at 12:31 of the first period off a nice feed from Brayden Schenn.
If improved team speed is an element the Blues wanted to add, they appear to have done it with the No. 14 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft.
* Let’s put this int he pure luck category, but it was good for the Blues when Utah scored into its own net to give St. Louis a 2-0 lead.
While on a delayed penalty and playing with the goalie pulled, a puck to the point skidded past and down the ice into the Utah net at 3:28, credited to defenseman Anton Malmstrom.
* Simon Robertsson continues to impress. The third-round pick in 2021 scored a pretty goal, off an equally pretty pass from Juraj Pekarcik (third round, 2023) that tied the game 3-3 at 15:58 of the third period, but it’s not just about scoring, it’s about the way Robertsson plays. He’s not afraid to go into the hard areas, and he scored in a similar fashion that he scored in overtime against the Chicago Blackhawks in the Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase last week, by driving hard to the net.
We wrote about Robertsson, who had four shots on goal, recently at The Hockey News and believe if this kid stays on course and commits to doing what he needs to, there is an NHL future awaiting him.
* Defenseman Michael Buchinger, as he did so in the prospect showcase, displayed once again his puck-moving capabilities and his stock keeps rising.
As for the mixed results:
* Dvorsky wasn’t particularly strong on the dot, which is to be expected at this level getting his feet wet in his first NHL game (official stats unavailable since game was not played in an NHL rink); Dvorsky, who played with Schenn and Mathias Laferriere, did have a team-high five shots and had a couple solid scoring chances. Not a bad game but not an eye-popping one either.
* Zherenko made a couple nice saves in the game, but a .778 save percentage for the game won’t cut it. He stopped 14 of 18 shots and got caught backing into his net when Logan Cooley scored what would be the game-winner with 1:17 remaining on a penalty shot.
* The Blues were outscored 2-1 in the second period, but it was by far their best periodof hockey when they had their best scoring chances. The first and thirds, not so much. Not only did they get outshot a combined 26-11 in those periods but were not clean transitioning pucks, too many broken plays and hemmed inside their zone.
* Malmstrom, an undrafted free agent signing, did get credit for the own goal but was beaten badly down the left wing by Owen Allard for a hooking penalty in the third period that ultimately led to Dylan Guenther’s go-ahead goal at 8:55 for a 3-2 Utah lead.
* It was also a mixed bag for defenseman Scott Perunovich, who sprung Schenn that led to Holloway’s goal, but he and Buchinger also got beat through the middle of the ice that led to Cooley’s penalty shot goal and also a puck squirted by him at the right point that led to the icing on the cake empty-netter by Michael Carcone. Just didn’t see a difference-making performance from Perunovich, who is in a battle for a spot on the roster this season.
* The Blues next action is Wednesday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Hear from Holloway and Malmstrom on tonight’s game:
In his first game wearing the Blue Note, Anton Malmstrom scored what may be the easiest goal he’ll ever score.
Hear from Malmstrom and Dylan Holloway following preseason action against Utah. #stlblues pic.twitter.com/P2jS2k4WKM
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) September 23, 2024
