Roasted Duck: Blues 5 – Ducks 0

The Blues buck the losing trend and crush the Ducks on the road by a score of five to zero. The Blues put on quite a show for all those that tuned in, which included Dish Network customers as this game was not one of the 35 scheduled for blackout (read more about that issue here). Lots of good things to talk about in this installment.

Following a tough loss in OT to the Coyotes, the Blues needed to pick up a “W” to end a three game slide dating back to the loss at home against the Thrashers. The Ducks are a talented team, though the final score may lead some to believe otherwise.

The GOOD:

• Ty Conklin: Stopped 26 of 26 earning his first shutout as a Blue. He made some fantastic saves, and played the puck off the boards very well. Hard to put a price on a reliable number two goaltender that can come in after not seeing any game action for two weeks and put up a goose egg against the offensively talented Anaheim squad.
• The power-play: The Blues notched two goals and were a constant threat with the man advantage.
• The PK: The penalty kill was fantastic in shutting down a unit with some very impressive names, ie: Selanne, Perry, Ryan, Getzlaf and company.
• Erik Johnson: Points from the defense was an issue last season. Many believed the return of EJ would be a major asset to this area, and so far so good. EJ put up three assists last night and continued to show how talented he is with not only his slapper, but his accurate passing.
• Andy McDonald: Two goals, one helper. Very all around solid night for the speedy McDonald.
• T.J. Oshie: Oshie has worked hard the past few games but hadn’t been rewarded for his hard efforts. He was credited for scoring the team’s fifth and final goal of the night, one that deflected in off his skate. Hard to tell if it was a kicking motion from Oshie, but the goal stood.
• First fighting major of the season. B.J. Crombeen got into a scrap in the third. Boy have we missed seeing our guys throw down, even though the first one of the year I’d deem as a draw. Still waiting for Cam Janssen to drop the gloves.
• Carlo Colaiacovo: This should be a 3/4 good, as Colaiacovo turned the puck over in a dangerous spot near his own net, but thankfully Anaheim was not able to capitalize. This is starting to be a trend for Carlo, as he has made one of these costly and dangerous giveaways each game so far. However, he redeemed for his shaky passing with a power-play goal and now all is forgiven. Here is to hoping he uses a bit more sense in his own end and can cut down on the turnovers.

There were many more positives from all over the ice. The Blues as a team turned in an incredible and dominating performance, and have hopefully but their slow starting issues to rest. With such a lopsided game, there will be no MEH or BAD selections today, but no one is complaining about that.