Blues complete comeback in back-and-forth shootout win over Blackhawks before break

Matthew DeFranks, St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Feb 8, 2025

Published in Hockey

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ST. LOUIS — The upcoming two-week break for the 4 Nations Face-Off was going to feel long.

But the result of Saturday's game against the Chicago Blackhawks would determine if it felt looooong for the Blues.

In beating the Blackhawks 6-5 in a shootout, the Blues entered the break on a high note and collected points in three of the last four games.

Radek Faksa scored the game-deciding goal for St. Louis in the 10th round of the shootout, capping a back-and-forth affair at Enterprise Center.

Philip Broberg, Nathan Walker, Mathieu Joseph, Cam Fowler and Robert Thomas scored for the Blues, and Jordan Binnington made 17 saves. Chicago received goals from Craig Smith, Ryan Donato, Alec Martinez, Teuvo Teravainen and Ilya Mikeyev.

The two teams combined for three goals in the first 6:08 of the third period, turning a 3-2 Blues lead into a 4-4 game.

Martinez's one-timer from the top of the circle barely crossed the goalline to tie the game at 3. Fowler responded 42 seconds later with a point shot that deflected off Chicago's Seth Jones and trickled into the net to reclaim the lead for St. Louis. Then Teravainen followed that up with a shot from the boards that went off Ryan Suter's stick and past Binnington.

Mikheyev sped by Justin Faulk on the rush on his way to the Blues net for the go-ahead goal with 8:52 remaining, but Thomas tucked home the tying goal with 4:37 remaining in the third to knot the game at 5.

The Blues will not play again until Feb. 22 against the Jets, but Binnington and Colton Parayko will play for Team Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Second period explosion

The Blues scored three goals in the second period to turn a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 lead at second intermission. St. Louis outshot Chicago 17-3 in the period, and the plus-14 shot margin was the second-largest this season for the Blues in one period.

Broberg and Walker scored 10 seconds apart, a blitz that tied the game at 2.

First, 100 seconds into the period, Broberg sifted a point shot through traffic in the slot and at the net-front, handcuffing Blackhawks goaltender Arvid Soderblom. Both Dylan Holloway and Brayden Schenn waved their sticks at the puck, but both missed, even if their stick movement disrupted Soderblom's focus.

On the next shift, Walker capitalized on Ethan Del Mastro's giveaway in his own zone, walking into the slot to beat Soderblom with a 77-mph shot. It was Walker's sixth goal of the season, and was the fastest two-goal sequence of the season for the Blues.

The previous fastest was two goals in 20 seconds during the season opener in Seattle.

Joseph gave the Blues their first lead of the game with 2:51 remaining in the period, finishing a pass from Schenn from behind the net. Joseph started the initial play by forcing a turnover in the neutral zone. It was Joseph's first goal since Oct. 19, when his brother assisted on the goal.

The Blues could have had more goals in the second period, too.

Holloway, Schenn and Alexey Toropchenko each hit the post. And Joseph and Justin Faulk both had clean looks in front of the net that were stopped by Soderblom.

The two-goal comeback was the Blues' third under Jim Montgomery.

Paying for mistakes

Chicago built a 2-0 lead in the first six minutes of the game by capitalizing on Blues mistakes in puck management.

Jake Neighbours' turnover at the offensive blue line gave the Blackhawks an odd-man rush that finished with Craig Smith's goal at 5:04 of the first period. Thirty-eight seconds later, Ryan Donato scored to give Chicago a two-goal cushion, finding the back of the net following Colton Parayko's failed clearance up the boards after a St. Louis won faceoff.

The Blues struggled to maintain offensive-zone possession in the first period despite a 10-8 lead in shots on goal.

Entering Saturday, the Blues lost the previous 12 games in which they allowed the first goal of the game, dating back to a Dec. 10 win over the Canucks in Vancouver.

-- Forward Alexandre Texier was out of the lineup again on Saturday night due to illness. Texier also missed Thursday's game against Florida because he was sick.

-- Both the Blues and the Blackhawks wore their Winter Classic uniforms on Saturday night. St. Louis will wear its Winter Classic sets one more time this season: Feb. 27 at Washington.

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