BLUES A poor start made the difference for the St. Louis Blues at Mullett Arena on Saturday night, taking a 3-0 deficit in the first despite playing two strong periods of hockey afterwards.
After a 9-3 shot differential for Arizona in the first period, the Blues dialed up their offense and outshot the Coyotes 29-13 in the next two. Brandon Saad's goal got them on the board, but an empty-netter from Alex Kerfoot sealed the Blues' fate.
"We have about 10 minutes there of bad hockey, 15 minutes of okay hockey and 35 minutes of good hockey," said Torey Krug. "But it's not good enough."
Large, early deficits have been a common theme in Blues losses this year. Of the Blues' 11 losses this season, eight have included a three-goal deficit at some point in the game. Five of those deficits came before the games' midway points.
The Blues will look to come out with aggression in the early minutes of their next game, a road matchup against the defending champion Vegas Golden Knights. They are nearing the end of a very road-heavy portion of the schedule - from Nov. 16 to Dec. 9, 10 of the Blues' 13 games have been or will be played in opposing buildings.
They'll visit the Golden Knights with a record of 12-10-1, worth 25 points and fifth in the Central Division.