Three Takeaways From Blues' 4-2 Loss Against Sabres

ST. LOUIS -- Moneypuck.com does the deserve to win meter on all games, and Sunday's St. Louis Blues game against the Buffalo Sabres did not lie.

All the underlying numbers showed the Blues win this game three out of every four times.

Despite outshooting Buffalo 37-16 and out-chancing the Sabres 17-5 and having a 4.2-2.29 expected goals difference, the Blues were on the short end of a 4-2 loss at Enterprise Center on Sunday.

Brayden Schenn and Nathan Walker scored goals to pull the Blues (17-17-4) even after falling behind by two, only to see their special teams fail them.

It was the sixth time this season the Blues had a chance at a three-game winning streak and fail (0-5-1).

The Blues had all the opportunities to head into Tuesday's Discover NHL Winter Classic with some serious momentum after wins against the Detroit Red Wings (4-0) and Nashville Predators (7-4).

Let's dive into the Three Takeaways:

* Special teams are a problem -- The Blues can talk about all the momentum they want and all the positivity of building the right way for their special teams, particularly their power play. But they went 0-for-4 with the man advantage and they allowed two man-advantage goals for the second time in as many games, going 1-for-3 on the penalty kill.

They dominated this game 5-on-5, outshooting the Sabres 30-12 but they're not producing with the man advantage and they're giving up power play goals.

Needless to say, coach Jim Montgomery was not pleased.

“It’s frustrating. We did a lot of good things 5-on-5,” Montgomery said. “Bottom line for this game is our game management – especially in the third period – wasn’t good enough, and our special teams were not good enough.”

Former Blues first-round pick Tage Thompson scored off a high-slot shot after a puck bounded off the wall that turned into a mini 3-on-2. It was Buffalo’s second goal of the first period on just the Sabres’ third shot.

And after Nathan Walker tied the game 2-2 at 5:56 of the third period, a net front presence goal:

… the Blues took an undisciplined minor when Zack Bolduc cross-checked a Sabre at 9:16 and Jason Zucker scored on a one-time shot from the slot what turned out to be the game-winner at 10:30 of the third period:

The Blues have allowed six power-play goals the past six games, including four in the past two.

“We’re not protecting,” Montgomery said. “Our sticks haven’t been great on the PK. We’re getting seamed. The last goal is a good example of us getting seamed. You’ve got to protect the middle of the ice and give our goalies a better chance at the saves that they should be expecting to see.”

“I think it’s just little things, little details,” Walker said. “That’s pretty much it. We’re going to figure that out in-house and get that sorted and get that knuckled down.”

It spoiled a terrific even-strength game.

“That’s the game sometimes, right, where you feel like you played well 5-on-5, had opportunities to score and didn’t go in, but at the same time, we know we have to tighten up special teams, especially in the second half,” Schenn said. “That’s how you win hockey games is by being in the positive of special teams most nights. We just haven’t really done that lately.”

If you take away Robert Thomas' 4-on-3 goal on Friday against Nashville, the Blues power play is 0-for-19 the past nine games.

"I said it before, it’s always an honor to be on a special team unit and we’ve got guys playing majority of playing on one or the other," Schenn said. "'Monty’s doing a good job of getting guys involved, but at the same time, it’s on us to when you’re out there, to do the job whether it’s on the power play or the penalty kill. Just got to find a way."

* Undisciplined penalties – With the Blues struggling to kill penalties, taking minors in tough areas is not a recipe for success.

Jake Neighbours’ hooking minor at 12:21 of the first led to Thompson’s goal and it was in a spot where he could have avoided the infraction, and for Bolduc, he was tagged from behind moments before his cross-checking infraction that ultimately led to the go-ahead, and game-winning, goal by Jason Zucker.

It’s not discipline,” Montgomery said. “I don’t know who made a poor decision in the offensive zone. It doesn’t really matter, but that’s the cause of it. Instead of forcing offense, just put it to the goal line. The game-tying goal by Walker is a good example. It’s just playing the right way, keep making people defend, get numbers at the net and you get opportunities to score goals. For Bolduc, that’s an opportunity to learn. He’s got to dig in and play good defense because he’s a winger usually and he was caught down low. And he’s got to kill plays with a good stick, and he can’t put his stick … cross-checking, it’s a point of emphasis in the league for the last couple of years.”

* Luukkonen goalied Binnington – The shots in this game were not misleading.

The Blues dominated much of this one territorially. But Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made the saves he was supposed to make and ones he wasn’t.

Jordan Binnington, although Buffalo’s first three goals were quality scoring chances, he allowed a bad goal to Jiri Kulich at 16:19 of the third period to ice the game (yes, Justin Faulk didn't defend that quick up-ice very well either):

“A couple puck possession plays that maybe ended up coming back in our end that forced to take a penalty and obviously they capitalized on the power play,” Schenn said. “The goal there at the end, the fourth goal, just happens. Obviously ‘Binner’ would love to have that one back. He’s been great for us all year. He’ll be better next game for it.

"We had some good looks. [Luukkonen] made some good saves. We were on the inside. I don’t think it was perimeter. I think we did a good job of possessing the puck and getting to the inside, winning battles down low and all that. But at the same time, we made some costly errors that kind of ended up in the back of our net."