NHL scores 2017: The Blues just can’t stop leaking goals

The Blues’ goaltending on Thursday night could have fit right in with the Penguins and Capitals or the Stars and Rangers.

All Washington needed was 18 shots on net against the Blues, and the St. Louis netminders took care of themselves. Between them, Jake Allen and Carter Hutton allowed seven goals. That left just 11 Capitals shots that were saved between Allen and Hutton.

No, you don’t want to know what their save percentages were (.600 and .625 respectively. Sorry Blues fans, I’ve got a journalistic responsibility here.)

It hasn’t been a good few weeks for St. Louis and goaltending. In their last four losses over the course of six games, the Blues have allowed five or more goals against. Allen had an extremely rough night, as he was yanked after allowing two goals on three shots, then brought back in moments later. Hutton didn’t fare much better after relieving Allen after the normal starter allowed his fourth of the evening, allowing two goals on five shots.

When your goaltender was flopping around in the crease like a fish all evening, you know it was bad. Paging Brian Elliott... oh wait.

Islanders 3, Stars 0
Senators 2, Blue Jackets 0
Rangers 5, Maple Leafs 2
Capitals 7, Blues 3
Wild 4, Coyotes 3
Predators 4, Flames 3
Ducks 2, Avalanche 1
Sharks 2, Lightning 1

1. Shutouts were had early

The Capitals and the Rangers seemingly stole all of the goals for the evening, as three different teams pitched shutouts on an eight-game Thursday slate. Dallas used up all of their goals in New York, as the Islanders blanked the Stars’ 23 shots. The win was Doug Weight’s first behind the bench as an interim head coach for the now Jack Capuano-less Islanders.

Columbus stalled also at home versus the Senators, their second shutout this month since their 16-game win streak.

It’s either a mere coincidence, or the universe is balancing itself out once more.

2. The glass wouldn’t cooperate in Anaheim

The Ducks and Avalanche experienced a delay of 45 minutes thanks to a cracked glass panel that just wouldn’t cooperate. The entire saga — which held strife galore for Anaheim’s maintenance crew — tacked on almost 10 minutes of time to the third period, which was broken up by a dry scrape of the ice.

Eventually the game got back underway, but not after the replacement glass panel the Ducks’ crew brought out had to be re-shaped twice. And to fit the robo-cam, no less!

3. Minnesota, not Columbus, has been the league’s best team since early December

The Blue Jackets had a longer streak than the Wild, but Minnesota has had the better of play since after their 4-3 win against Arizona boosted their record to a league-best 18-2-1 since December 4.

The Wild did struggle against the Coyotes, as they saw their 3-1 lead deteroirate in the final five minutes of the second. Minnesota did win the game thanks to Nino Niederreiter’s power play goal with seven minutes left in the game.

Jonathan Drouin is one bad man.

Too bad the Lightning lost, unfortunately, because this dangle was something else.