Patrick Sharp came in with four points in his last two games and he began raising his stick for a game-tying goal about 13 minutes into this one after a great feed from Sami Lepisto. But Jaroslav Halak got enough of his right leg on it to keep it from crossing the goal line, then nudging it from behind him to keep it 1-0.
The Hawks spent most of the first chasing the puck in their own end and getting knocked around. What offensive zone time they've had they've had difficulty keeping the puck on their sticks.
A Hawks power play came and went without any serious opportunities as St. Louis killed off its 28th straight. Some Hawks retaliation late in the period resulted in a Brent Seabrook penalty and the Blues made em pay on an Andy McDonald rush around Johnny Oduya and his centering pass deflected in off Dylan Olsen's skate for the 2-0 lead after 1.
Pretty much all Blues in the opening 20 - outshooting the Hawks 13-5.
Puck possession's belonged mostly to St. Louis so far and Ray Emery appears to be fighting it a little, not picking up the puck quickly in the early going. He gave up a tough goal when Carlo Colaiacovo's shot from the point five minutes in was re-directed by TJ Oshie, through David Backes and then trickled through Emery's pads.
It took just three minutes for hometown kid Brandon Bollig to make his tweeted desire earlier in the day a fight to be realized and it was a beauty, taking on Blues tough guy Ryan Reaves. Reaves seemed to have the upper hand early, but Bollig kept smiling and stretched things out and got several shots in late in a bout that must have lasted at least 90 seconds.