Inside the Blues dressing room on Tuesday night during a 3-2 win over the Lightning, they received good news.
As they grappled with their emotions in watching teammate Dylan Holloway be stretchered off the bench in the first period, the Blues’ feelings were soothed.
In the first intermission, they were told about Holloway being alert, an announcement that was shortly after read inside Enterprise Center. In the second intermission, Blues general manager Doug Armstrong provided the Blues with another update on Holloway that he was going to be fine.
After the game, Blues coach Drew Bannister said “From what we heard, he’s doing well. He’s conscious and he’s doing well. It’s a good sign.”
“The only way I could put it towards you guys is if you’re at work and you get a call, and one of your family members is sick and rushed to the hospital,” Bannister said. “Holly’s a family member. That was tough. I thought we, as a group, showed a lot of fortitude mentally being able to push through that. The easiest thing to is your head goes somewhere else.”
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Holloway left the game late in the first period when he was hit by a puck on the right side of his neck, close to his shoulder and collarbone. The puck was a deflected shot by Nick Paul that rode high and appeared to hit Holloway just below his right ear with 2:36 remaining in the first.
Holloway finished his shift and returned to the Blues bench. During the next stoppage with 1:11 remaining in the first period, Holloway began to receive medical attention on the bench.
“I was just sitting beside him when I saw something happening,” said Alexey Toropchenko, who scored his first goal of the season on Tuesday. “I told (head athletic trainer) Ray (Barile). He knows what he’s doing.”
Blues captain Brayden Schenn said “when something like that happens, people just start yelling and screaming,” but praised the medical personnel on the bench in handling the situation.
“Everyone did their job tonight,” Schenn said. “Those situations, they’re obviously awful to be a part of, but when you have calming influences around you to calm the situation down and guys that know what they’re doing, it’s makes everyone feel a little bit better at the time.”
Holloway was transferred to a hospital for further evaluation and monitoring, the team announced.
“You get very emotional as it happens, and it’s a scary situation,” said Oskar Sundqvist, who also scored his first goal of the season on Tuesday. “They said he was stable when he left and we got news that he was doing OK. You think about the guy’s health when that happens, and we’re happy that he’s OK.”
While Holloway’s wellbeing was still on their mind, the Blues manufactured yet another come-from-behind victory on Tuesday night.
Tampa Bay’s Nick Perbix gave the Lightning a 1-0 lead just 2:39 into the second period, but Sundqvist and Toropchenko responded in the second period to give the Blues a 2-1 heading into the second intermission. Jordan Kyrou’s insurance goal 8:51 into the third period was necessary as Victor Hedman scored less than three minutes later to bring the Lightning within one goal.
The Blues shut down any Lightning attack the remainder of the game, including with the goalie pulled, to pull out their second straight win.
“We talked in the locker room,” Toropchenko said. “We got told that he’s OK and we just need to focus on our game and play for him and get a win. When you step on the ice, think only about the win because we heard that he’s doing OK and it helps us.”
The win was a similar recipe that the Blues have needed to follow as they navigate injuries to Robert Thomas, Philip Broberg and now Holloway. They limited the Lighting to 23 shots on goal. For the third straight game, they were perfect on the penalty kill. They managed the puck smartly down the stretch. They got contributions from both their depth (Sundqvist and Toropchenko) and their top-end stars (Kyrou).
“They way we have to win hockey games right now, we’re not going to tilt the ice for 60 minutes,” Schenn said. “We just have to grind wins out right now and get good goaltending, which we are. Everyone’s stepping up right now and everyone’s filling the void every single night. If we keep playing like that, and then we get guys back, you set yourself up in a good spot.”
Toropchenko: “Play simple hockey, be hard on the opposite teams. Play our game and don’t give them much room. Just stay on top of them, be physical, be aggressive and make the right plays.”
This iteration of Blues has shown mettle this season.
They have the second-most wins in the league when allowing the first goal of the game. They have the second-most comeback wins in the league. They won their first game after it was announced that Thomas would be out six weeks with a fractured ankle. In winning on Tuesday, they won their first game after it as announced Broberg would miss four to six weeks with a lower-body injury.
“I thought the guys, from top to bottom, showed a lot of leadership on the ice, in the room to keep their focus,” Bannister said. “Guys had each other’s backs again tonight, which was a positive for me.”