The Blues host the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes, and Real Blue’s hosts tell it like it was: a game the Blues hung in for one period and then lost control of. Eric, Nathan and Matt talk about an even first period, with Colton Parayko laying a shoulder on Svechnikov and Philip Broberg moving well. Then Carolina took over and the Blues were shut out. They go through the Hurricanes goals, from Carlo being late getting to a player in the slot, to Justin Barron being beaten after a four-point game the night before, to a Carolina power-play goal. They also come back to the coverage problem they’ve been pointing out for weeks: nobody picks up the player in the middle of the ice in front of the net.
They also dig into Joel Hofer’s very aggressive puck-handling in net and whether it helped or hurt, with a few jokes about Jordan Binnington’s influence along the way. The hosts then weigh in on the third line’s struggles and Dvorsky’s place in the lineup, and on who might have to go down to the AHL, Stenberg or Kaskimaki, when Toropchenko and Johnston get healthy. They cover the latest roster moves and injury news, including Alexei Toropchenko’s expected return and Ross Johnston’s health. They finish with predictions for the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday.
