After winning three straight games in overtime, the mood in the Blues dressing room can be light — like it was after a 4-3 overtime win over the Kings on Sunday afternoon.
A reporter joked: You guys just want to keep going to overtime?
“I mean, no, but we’re finding a way to win, which is great,†Blues forward Jordan Kyrou said.
Are the Blues getting used to overtime now?
“Yeah, you’re going to have to,†Blues captain Brayden Schenn said. “These last however many games we have here, it’s tight. A lot of overtime games and not a lot of room when you go into the third period. You’ve seen that league-wide.â€
By winning three games in a row in overtime (also over Vancouver on Wednesday and over Seattle on Friday), the Blues ran their overall win streak to a season-high five games and entered Monday in the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference.
People are also reading…
ºüÀêÊÓƵ is now 5-1 in games that end in overtime — the only loss on a controversial no-call against Boston on Jan. 13. It is 2-1 in shootouts.
In the past week, what has been the key for the Blues?
“If I go back to the game in Vancouver, we started with possession right away,†Blues interim coach Drew Bannister said. “I think it’s the same thing. We were able to maintain possession, not give it up for very long when we did lose possession. We were able to get the puck back, and when you do that, good things happen.â€
Robert Thomas won the opening faceoff against both Vancouver and Seattle. While Thomas was handed a loss on the draw against the Kings on Sunday, the Blues began overtime with the puck thanks to Kyrou’s hustle to win a loose puck — just as he did in Carolina on Jan. 6 when Schenn was handed a faceoff loss to begin overtime.
“Overall, our team as a faceoff team has been probably just above average, but I think our wingers helping out on those edge battles can certainly help out your faceoff percentage,†Bannister said. “Starting with the puck is a big thing; you’re not chasing the game at all.â€
From an analytics perspective, the Blues have dominated the overtime periods in the past week.
They lead 9-3 in shot attempts, 5-2 in shots on goal, 8-3 in scoring chances, 3-1 in high-danger chances and 0.46-0.15 in expected goals, according to Natural Stat Trick. MoneyPuck’s model gives the Blues a 0.675-0.237 edge in expected goals. They are 3-2 on faceoffs, officially.
The Blues have only been outshot in three of their nine overtimes this season: Jan. 13 vs. Boston (1-0), Oct. 14 vs. Seattle (2-1) and Oct. 12 at Dallas (4-3).
ºüÀêÊÓƵ last played in four straight overtime games from March 5 to March 12, 2021, going 1-3 in those games. The franchise has never won four straight games, all of which went to overtime.
Winding down
The Blues held an optional practice on Monday morning at Centene Community Ice Center in Maryland Heights, meaning the team could go 2 1/2 weeks without holding a full practice.
“More of a body management and energy,†Bannister said. “Typically, we probably would have skated today, but just coming off the West Coast, for me the first time doing that. Recognizing that I didn’t even play in the games, how tired you were. Your sleep patterns are really out of whack. Even last night, talking to our guys, their sleep patterns still aren’t where we want them to be.â€
The Blues flew back from Seattle on Saturday after playing the Kraken on Friday.
ºüÀêÊÓƵ will host a full morning skate before Tuesday’s game against Columbus, but morning skates are not as intensive nor in-depth as practices are. The Blues won’t get back on the ice until after the All-Star break.
Their last practice was Jan. 22 before flying to Calgary.