Despite the jersey color, the Blues faced off against the Coyotes and wrapped up the season's 11th game. They dropped the game 4-3. The Blues record now sits at 7-3-1, still with 15 points.
A poor start to the game brought the Blues to a 2-0 deficit at the end of the first period. They didn't look right. Specifically, they lacked puck control. To add to the pain of that first period, they were outshot by the Coyotes 15-9. Tyler Pitlick and Nick Schmaltz scored goals.
The poor start continued in the second period. The Coyotes extended their lead and made it 3-0. However, there were signs of life from the Blues, but Raanta was lights out for the Coyotes. Brayden Schenn also missed a wide-open net, which would have made it a 3-1 game. Connor Garland scored the Coyotes goal. The good news from the second period is that the Blues outshot the Coyotes 13-10 in the second period. Other than that, it was the same poor play as the first.
The third period was almost a thing of beauty, especially when the Blues scored three goals in 2:50. Mike Hoffman scored two of those goals, with Ryan O’Reilly scoring the other. However, an empty-net goal solidified the game for the Coyotes. The Blues outshot the Coyotes 18-5 in the third period and outshot them 43-30 by the end of the game. They were skating well, had some good offensive possessions, but it was all too little too late.
Mike Hoffman now has four goals this season, tied for third with David Perron in goals for the Blues. Brayden Schenn has the most with six, and Kyrou is in second with five.
The Blues will play the Coyotes again on Saturday, February 6th at 2:00 PM. The game is in place of one of two postponed Colorado Avalanche games. They also face off against the Coyotes again on Monday, as the first and second games against the Minnesota Wild were postponed.