3 Takeaways from Blues win over Penguins

St. Louis Blues' Colton Parayko scores during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023, in St. Louis.

AP Photo ~ Jeff Roberson

The St. Louis Blues (2-1-1) bounced back in a big way with a 4-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins (2-3-0) on Saturday, Oct. 21, in St. Louis.

“I think the guys really, you know, kept the foot on the gas and continued to play the way we wanted to play the game,” Blues coach Craig Berube said. “Overall, we had real good structure in our own end, kept it to the outside for the most part, ate a lot of pucks. Played a good hockey game.”

Here are three takeaways from the Blues' win over the veteran Penguins:

Like a good Neighbours, Parayko was there

Forward Jake Neighbours and defenseman Colton Parayko each scored a goal within 1:33 of each other to give St. Louis a 3-1 lead in the second period.

Kasperi Kapanen assisted in two goals during the game, including Neighbours'. The veteran forward previously played for the Penguins before being acquired by the Blues last season.

“That’s one of those ones where you just kind of watch,” Neighbours said of Kapanen. “He put on a show there. Just have my stick on the ice and go to the back post. That’s an easy one for me.”

Parayko is tasked with going up against the best from emerging stars like Arizona's Clayton Keller to living legends such as Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby on Saturday. So far this season, when Parayko is on the ice and the team is at full strength, opponents have scored only one goal.

“I think that’s when I’m at my best when I’m skating, making plays, and just playing hockey,” Parayko said. “Hopefully, this will keep building.”

A Saad day for Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh native and Blues forward Brandon Saad scored his first two goals of the season on Saturday against his hometown team. His first goal gave St. Louis a 1-0 lead in the first period and his second goal handed the Blues a 4-1 cushion in the third period.

"You always have a little bit of extra jump," Saad said. "You have a lot of friends and family watching. It’s always exciting to play against your hometown team. It’s always nice to play against them, and then to get a win tops it off.”

Saad, who turns 31 on Friday, was a part of the Chicago Blackhawks' Stanley Cup-winning teams in 2013 and 2015. The veteran still employs what Parayko called "sneaky speed".

"It’s just effortless the way he strides, but he’s fast," Parayko said. "It doesn’t seem like he’s going fast, but he’s moving really fast.”

“He’s got wheels, still can skate like the wind, and showed that (Saturday),” Neighbours said. “He probably could have had five or six goals, honestly, and he said that to me on the bench, so it’s pretty funny. We were having a chuckle. It was a big night for him.”

Less is more for St. Louis

Efficiency has been the key for the Blues, who won despite being out-shot 33-21. The Blues had five more shots on goal during their 6-2 loss against Arizona on Oct. 19. They also had 25 shots on goal against Seattle and 24 against Dallas.

The Blues have been successful so far despite being selective with their shots. That has much to do with the success of goalie Jordan Binnington who has a 1.26 goals-against average and a .959 save percentage in three games.

“He’s been huge for us,” Saad said of Binnington. “We’ve had some tight-checking hockey games and we win by one goal. Obviously, he’s been a huge part of that. He’s making big saves, giving us confidence up front, and then any goals we can collect, we can feel pretty good about it.”