The St. Louis Blues aren’t having a great month of March, with just two wins in eight games, but it’s quite the opposite for David Perron, who has been filling the net at a blistering pace for the past few weeks.
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On Saturday, against the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Quebecer scored a hat trick and added an assist in a 5-4 loss.
Even though he participated in all of his team’s goals, Perron couldn’t prevent Jakub Voracek from scoring the net that made the difference midway through the third period.
“I’ll take it, but we have to play the right way again,” he said at a press conference after the match. It’s easy when we’re trailing. We are able to come back to the point, but why don’t we play like that when it’s tighter?
The Blues have never had the lead in this meeting. They only tied the game once, when Perron made it 1-1 on the power play in the first period.
In March, the 33-year-old left winger rattled the ropes 10 times in just eight games, in addition to being an accomplice to three successes for his teammates. Perron has also found the back of the net in each of his last six games, which is approaching the franchise record of the last 25 years, established in 2005-2006 by Mike Sillinger (7).
Defense problems
St. Louis isn’t in a bad spot in the Central Division, but the standings are tightening around their second spot. Entering the last quarter of the season with three straight losses is not the dream scenario for a team that wants to reach the playoffs with the momentum.
“We scored four goals, that’s enough to win a hockey game. We have to do a better job of keeping the puck out of our net. Penalties too, we have to be more disciplined,” explained head coach Craig Berube.
“Some people will have to play better. They will have to be better defensively. We haven’t been tonight [samedi]. It’s as simple as that,” he added, without pointing the finger at anyone.
Rather confident this season, goaltender Ville Husso had a tough night allowing five goals on 27 shots. Two days off, including the famous trade deadline, will allow the goalkeeper and his teammates to regain their concentration for an important duel against the Washington Capitals on Tuesday.