Not again: Like loss in Montreal, Blues all too familiar with chasing games

MONTREAL The Blues have shown that they can come from behind.

But perhaps they would like to do so less often.

In a 5-2 loss to the Canadiens on Saturday night in Montreal, the Blues again had to climb out of a multi-goal hole.

They succeeded once, erasing a 2-0 deficit with two quick second-period goals.

But they failed another time, allowing Montreal to score the final three goals of the game to snap the Canadiens four-game losing streak.

Thats on us as players to come out ready to go for puck drop, Blues forward Jake Neighbours said.

Youve got to be ready at the start of the game.

That gives you a better opportunity to maybe grab a lead or keep it a tied game for a longer amount of time.

Thats on us as players.

Neighbours and Colton Parayko scored for the Blues in the second period, rebuffing Montreals early push and setting the table for what could have been yet another come-from-behind win for the Blues.

But Alex Newhooks power-play goal gave Montreal the lead back, Cole Caufields wicked shot extended it and Joel Armias empty-net goal ended any thought of a Blues comeback.

Jordan Binnington made 21 saves for the Blues.

This season, the Blues have trailed 28:07 per game, according to Natural Stat Trick.

That ranks fourth-highest this season, and the three teams that have trailed more often own a combined record of 5-17-3.

That figure would have ranked second-highest last season and third-highest the year before that.

It hasnt stung the Blues entirely yet thanks to a pair of wins to open the season, nullifying a two-goal Kraken lead and a three-goal Sharks lead more than two weeks ago.

They beat Carolina after allowing the first goal.

They lost by a goal to Vegas and Winnipeg when bids to wipe away two-goal leads dissipated.

The Blues have often rebounded in-game from bad stretches.

Theyve just had to do it so often.

We obviously want to be on the flipside of that more often than not, but sometimes that the way that it goes, Parayko said.

Thats our group, weve just got to make sure we stick with it, which we have throughout these games.

On Saturday night, Blues coach Drew Bannister felt that his team wasnt physical enough.

While the Canadiens were energizing their home crowd with big hits in the opening period, the Blues were declining to deliver their own glass-rattling hits.

Its not a good game, Bannister said.

I thought we tip-toed into the first period.

I thought for 40 minutes, we didnt bring a lot of physicality to the game.

We werent finishing checks.

I thought we turned off a lot.

...

It just felt like we didnt respond when we could have.

We had opportunities to play physical and we just didnt.

Across the entire game, the Canadiens owned a modest 23-17 advantage in hits, but it was 12-5 after the first period.

Arber Xhekaj leveled Neighbours on a St.

Louis power play.

David Savard took a shot at Brandon Saad.

Josh Anderson hit Parayko in the neutral zone.

Pezzettas boarding of Alexey Toropchenko led to the Blues power play in the first period.

For us, we werent willing to work early and we werent willing to be physical, Bannister said.

When youre doing that, then youre usually chasing the game, and its hard to get yourself into it.

The Blues fed into the Canadiens game on Saturday by allowing them to stretch their legs in transition.

Jake Evans goal (which gave Montreal a 1-0 lead) came on the rush when four Blues players were caught below the dots in the offensive zone, leaving Scott Perunovich to defend a 2 on 1 by himself.

Newhooks power-play goal came with Perunovich in the box for high-sticking, a penalty taken when Saads giveaway turned into an odd-man rush.

Caufields snipe was seconds after Oskar Sundqvists failed chip at the offensive blue line was turned back up ice.

Bannister said he wanted better puck management.

A perfect example is the goal that ended up as the fourth, Bannister said.

We were able to get in the zone, and weve just got to put it to the goalline, let us work.

Guys wanted to work at that point, and for whatever reason, tried to make a cute play and it ends up in the back of our net.

We cant play that way.

On Thursday night, in a 5-1 win over the Maple Leafs, the Blues did most of the little things correctly.

In Montreal, they did not, and that included taking two penalties in the second period just as they were finding their game.

In the last two periods, the Blues had a 2.15-1.66 edge in expected goals and seven more shot attempts at 5 on 5, per NST.

But turnovers and poor positioning gifted the Canadiens chances.

It allows their forwards to have a lot of speed on our D, Neighbours said.

When theyre in that situation, its tough for them to close plays and end plays, and theyre a good team off the rush.

Weve got to do a better job up front of getting in the way of them, slowing them down a little bit and managing the puck a little better.

The Blues have two games left on their four-game road trip, facing the Senators coming home after a three-game road trip and the Flyers, who just snapped a six-game losing streak.

If you look at it after our flat start, I thought we battled hard and started to crawl our way back into that game, Neighbours said.

Its tough when you go down early to chase it..

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