The St. Louis Blues appear to be coming together at the right time as they try to complete a perfect three-game road trip Tuesday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Torey Krug had five assists Sunday as the Blues defeated the Montreal Canadiens 7-2.
Krug’s five assists and points were the most in a game by a defenseman in Blues history.
Forward Robert Thomas added a goal and three assists as St. Louis won its fifth consecutive road game.
“They were giving us a lot of room up top for (Thomas) and Torey to kind of just get the middle and try to get some shots,” said Blues forward Jordan Kyrou, who had two goals. “We were shooting the puck, we were getting good shooting lanes there, so we were getting good bounces as well.”
The Blues have won seven of their past eight games. They defeated the Buffalo Sabres 3-1 on Saturday to open the trip.
“I think we’re really coming together on the ice as a group,” Kyrou said. “We’re really playing for each other out there and we kind of just all have a little swagger right now, a little confidence going, which definitely helps as well.”
“We’re playing the right way and everyone’s chipping in,” Thomas said. “It doesn’t matter the night, someone seems to step up every night, and that’s what you need coming down to tough games.”
The Maple Leafs, who have lost two of their last three games, are coming off a 5-3 road loss to the Ottawa Senators on Saturday. Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly will have a hearing with the league on Tuesday after he cross-checked Ottawa’s Ridly Greig in the head area near the end of the game.
Toronto removed goaltender Martin Jones for an extra attacker to tie the game. In the final seconds, Greig had a breakaway on the empty net and scored with a slap shot at 19:54 of the third period.
An irate Rielly cross-checked Greig and caught him in the face. A melee ensued as Greig was helped off the ice.
Rielly was assessed a five-minute major and a game misconduct.
“I thought (Rielly’s reaction) was appropriate,” Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said. “He’s reacting to a play. Their player has the right to react in that moment, and our players have the right to react. That’s the emotion of the game.”
“We didn’t like the result on the empty-netter,” Maple Leafs captain John Tavares said. “We’re going to … stand our ground when necessary.”
“In a situation like that, we stick together,” said Toronto forward Max Domi, who scored a third-period goal. “We didn’t like that. Emotional game. No matter what happens, from puck drop to the final buzzer, we’re going to stick together.”
“Any time you lose in the NHL, it’s not a great feeling,” Tavares said.
Auston Matthews scored his 42nd goal of the season on Saturday to add to his league-leading total.
Matthew Knies and Domi also scored for the Maple Leafs, who have looked for more scoring from players other than stars Matthews, Tavares, William Nylander and Mitchell Marner.
“They’re big parts of our team and players who can generate offense,” Tavares said of Knies and Domi. “Great to see them get on the board and contribute (Saturday).”
–Field Level Media
