- Vancouver Canucks lost Game 3 against the St. Louis Blues after overtime, 3-2.
- The champions cut down the deficit in the series to 2-1.
- All goals were seen in the second period.
- Two goaltenders, Jake Allen and Jacob Markstrom were in the middle of attention.
Schenn and Allen Bring the Win to the Champions
With 15:06 inside the OT, Brayden Schenn scored after a break, handing his Blues the first win of the series, and snapping a two-game skid against the Canucks. This win is indispensable for the champions, who should regain at least a bit of their confidence.
After losing the previous two contests, head coach Craig Berube decided to replace the starting goalie Jordan Binnington with Jake Allen, who didn’t appear in the playoffs for a long time. The current no.3 goaltender in the team was put in front of the net because Vladimir Tarasenko happened to be unfit to play.
According to the vast majority of the fans, the 30-year old was the best player in Blues’ crew. Allen recorded 39 saves, 12 of them in the overtime.
He’s extremely prepared, works extremely hard. He doesn’t take much time off. He’s always out there practicing, whether it’s on the ice or video. Just staying prepared. He’s a real good pro,” said Berube about Allen.
After a dull opening period in which we haven’t seen a single goal, four came in the second frame.
At first, it were the Canucks who got the lead at 1:19 of the frame, but after that, the Blues responded through Justin Faulk, who executed a fast response following Vancouver’s turnover.
At 18:02, the Blues got the edge after Ryan O’Reilly scored, but only 37 seconds after that, Ellias Pettersson equalized the result. The third period hasn’t seen anything as both Allen and Markstrom dominated the ice.
Markstrom’s Fantastic Performance Without an Award
The Canucks goaltender had 47 saves and was according to many the best player on the ice. He would save Vancouver in several situations, yet unfortunately, in the end, both he and his team were left empty-handed.
“We had our looks, they had theirs, and it was just a fortunate play for them. They just kind of slung it, and he ended up on a breakaway,” Canucks’ Bo Horvat explained. “I mean, we knew they were going to push again today and anything can happen in overtime.”
Boost of Morale for the Champions
After the first two games, the Blues were in a knockdown, especially following the last one, which they lost in overtime. A win like this might be the turning point for the champions, who already showed that they have enormous mental strength. Just remember how they won the Stanely Cup last year.
If they get fired up and win the next match, things will be pretty complicated for the Canucks.
Game 4 is set for Monday at 10:30 pm ET. It takes place in Edmonton and will be televised on several networks, CBC, SN, NBCSN.
