The St. Louis Blues' Stars Are Coming Out To Shine

 

The stars of the St. Louis Blues came out to shine against the Calgary Flames and the team needed them to hold onto a win. Vladimir Tarasenko, Colton Parayko, Jori Lehtera and Brian Elliott were all instrumental in the victory, but more importantly stepped up after being silent for awhile.

Perhaps Tarasenko hasn’t been silent, but the rest had all but disappeared from the score sheet. Tarasenko now, whether briefly or for a long while, leads the NHL in goals scored, which is something that hasn’t happened in a generation. There are many who were leery to declare his stardom, but he truly is one of the top stars in the entire league. The only thing holding him back at this stage is the lack of national attention given to Midwestern teams such as the Blues.

A star in the making, Parayko, continues to impress. While he has been extremely stout defensively the entire season, his offense has dried up. His shots were not getting on net and he seemed afraid to unleash his powerful slapshot. Now, the Parayko from the beginning of the season returned and it is refreshing to see. Parayko is listed at 6-foot-5, 224 pounds and he certainly has room to get bigger, but even at his size he is imposing. Even more impressive are his hands. His goal against the Flames was something you would see from a top line winger, not usually a big defenseman.

Lehtera’s goal was also a big sign of potential things to come. The goal was only his fourth of the season, and it was his first in almost a month. It was a goal the team needed, one that Lehtera desperately needed, and ended up being a game winner. Lehtera doesn’t need to be a 30 goal scorer for this club, but he does need to be a double digit scorer and constant contributor. Luckily, his game has taken a sharp turn toward the positive as of late.

Then, Brian Elliott finally caught a break as well. Elliott had not had a win since October, despite playing well in several contests. While the Blues’ backup goaltender was not tested early, he was tested often in the end. He was sharp, decisive and quick. The Blues are leaning on Jake Allen much more than anyone really anticipated, but they will still need Elliott to provide quality performances and get victories. He has looked like he is more than capable of providing that, despite his personal disappointment due to the demotion.

The Blues are a team full of talent, but sometimes they fail to show it consistently. While the game as a whole may not have gone too well, when the Stars show up good things happen. St. Louis is returning to the form they saw at the beginning of the season and now just need their entire roster to string together these performances instead of just a player or two here and there.