The St. Louis Blues went north and their game has gone south.
After a week that ended with a victory in Dallas, running the club’s winning streak to six games, the Blues travelled to Canada to face the two teams sitting in the bottom of the Western Conference in back-to-back games.
A lopsided loss to Calgary triggered some alarms, and those that weren’t set off certainly will be after Wednesday’s 6-4 loss to Edmonton. Another late rally by the Blues, with third-period goals from David Backes and Patrik Berglund, wasn’t enough before Mark Letestu added an empty-netter.
The Oilers scored four of their six goals on the power play, as the NHL’s No. 26-ranked unit on the man-advantage had its way with the league’s No. 2 penalty-killing group. It marked the most power-play goals the Blues have given up in a game in 10 years -- Nov. 26, 2006, against these same Oilers.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins led the way with two of Edmonton’s power-play goals. Leon Draisaitl scored two, but only one counted, as the Blues challenged his first for offsides and won. Letestu also had a power-play goal for the Oilers, who had had a total of four power-play goals in their last 17 games combined.
The challenge, however, would be the only victory Wednesday for the Blues, whose second straight loss kept them at 91 points. They once again lost a chance to claim sole possession of first place in the Western Conference over Dallas, which was idle, and put some distance between them and Chicago in the Central Division, as the Blackhawks fell for the fourth straight game.
The Blues have been spoiled by a penalty-killing unit that has been among the best in the league this season. But it has hit hard times of late, coming into Wednesday’s game, having allowed a power-play goal in four straight games.
The team didn’t do itself any favors in trying to snap that streak Wednesday, committing six minors, including four in the second period, and a major late in the game. Edmonton scored on three of its four second-period power plays, opening a 5-2 lead after the Blues had tied the score, 2-2. It began with a delay-of-game penalty against Kyle Brodziak that led to Letestu’s goal for a 3-2 Oilers lead with 12:18 left in the second period.
It continued with a holding-the-stick call against Jaden Schwartz, who was in the box when Draisaitl scored not once but twice on the same power play. His first was negated, however, when referees wound back the video at the Blues’ request and confirmed that teammate Taylor Hall was offsides on the zone entry.
So the “4” came off Edmonton’s board, but only momentarily. Twenty-three seconds later, with the Oilers still on the power play, Draisaitl scored again, and this time it counted for a 4-2 lead.And it continued when Backes was whistled for slashing, setting up Nugent-Hopkins’ second power-play goal of the game with 1:51 left in the period for a 5-2 lead. After four straight Edmonton power plays, the Blues played the final 18 seconds of the second period on the man-advantage. They didn’t score then but did get one goal back 58 seconds into the third period on Berglund’s eighth of the season. Backes followed with an even-strength goal, pulling the Blues within 5-4 with 14:12 remaining.
But another penalty, a five-minute boarding call against Troy Brouwer with under six minutes to play, thwarted the Blues’ chances of a comeback.
The Blues found themselves battling back all night.
Edmonton jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period on goals from Nugent-Hopkins and Taylor Hall.Nugent-Hopkins’ ninth of the season came on the power play, after a frightful situation involving the Blues’ Joel Edmundson put the Oilers on the man-advantage.