Scott Rovak – USA TODAY Sports
The St. Louis Blues notched an impressive win on Thursday, rolling past the Calgary Flames by a 4-1 score. With just one game remaining in the regular season, the Blues are getting hot when it matters most and should enter the postseason on a high note. While goaltender Brian Elliott earned his league-leading 10th April win on Thursday, the Blues offense was led by Ryan Reaves, who had a pair of goals.
Reaves will never be looked to by the Blues for scoring, yet they will always be grateful when he is able to chip in on the offensive end of the ice. A third-year player who knows his role on the team, Reaves is a fourth-line enforcer who leads the Blues with 79 penalty minutes. He leads the Blues with eight fighting majors, and got the best of the Flames’ Tim Jackman in the third period Thursday night. The pair of goals he scored against Calgary gives him four in this shortened season, which is a career high. During the lockout, Reaves suited up for the Orlando Solar Bears of the ECHL, and had six goals and collected nine points in just 13 games. That was by far the best offensive stretch of his professional career, and the Blues are now reaping the benefits of his continued improvement.
Andy McDonald and Alex Steen also scored for the Blues, who moved into fourth place in the Western Conference with the win. They will finish the season by taking on the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday, and while a win could help them keep fourth place and home-ice advantage, a loss and a combination of other results could have them drop as far down as sixth.
Jonathan Katje is an NHL senior writer for Rant Sports. You can follow him on Twitter or add him to your circles on Google Plus.
