Blues remain perfect in outdoor games as they rout Blackhawks, 6-2, in Winter Classic

Matthew DeFranks, St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Dec 31, 2024

Published in Hockey

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CHICAGO — Undoubtedly, the Blues are the overlords of the outdoors.

In dispatching the Blackhawks, 6-2, on Tuesday evening at Wrigley Field, the Blues cemented their status as the best team on outdoor ice. St. Louis is now undefeated in three Winter Classics. They have scored at least four goals in each game. They have beaten the Blackhawks in each city’s baseball stadiums.

The Blues turned Tuesday evening into an early New Year’s celebration, as Cam Fowler scored twice and Jordan Kyrou, Justin Faulk, Dylan Holloway and Alexandre Texier each added goals of their own as St. Louis rolled over the slumping and rebuilding Blackhawks. Jordan Binnington made 28 saves but perhaps none bigger than his second-period denial of Taylor Hall on a partial breakaway that kept it a two-goal game.

Moments later, Holloway scored to give the Blues a 4-1 lead, erasing any doubt about the outcome of Tuesday’s game.

The Blues are one of two franchises undefeated in outdoor games (the Rangers are the other), and they emerged Tuesday with another memory to file away in franchise history. In 2017 at Busch Stadium, they left with a win over the Blackhawks and a future alternate jersey. In 2022 at Target Field, they left with a win over the Wild and frozen beards in subzero temperatures.

Maybe the Blues will leave Wrigley Field with the “W” flag in their suitcases.

“It’s the first time you’re ever going to experience some of these things that you don’t,” Blues coach Jim Montgomery said before the game. “The music plays, it’s louder. You feel like you’re part of a rock concert. While the game’s going, a goal is scored, you feel like you’re in the Super Bowl. This is just a terrific event.”

Special teams spectacular

The Blues power play was healed by going outdoors; the Blues penalty kill, not so much.

Fowler and Kyrou each scored power-play goals in the first period, marking the first five-on-four goals scored by the Blues in three weeks. The Blues entered the day one for their last 20 on the power play, including an 0-for-4 showing on Sunday during a loss to the Sabres.

But when Louis Crevier flipped the puck over the glass just 48 seconds into the game, it gave the Blues a chance to right their straying power-play unit. Fowler made them pay when he scored 100 seconds into his 1,000th career NHL game, ripping a shot from the slot far side on Petr Mrazek, through the screen of a falling Teuvo Teravainen.

Fowler dipped from the point deeper in the zone to receive a Pavel Buchnevich pass and scored his second goal as a Blue since his trade from Anaheim less than three weeks ago. Fowler became the first NHL player to play his 1,000th game at an outdoor game.

Kyrou gave the Blues a 2-0 lead at 8:10 of the first period, sneaking down to the back door to tap home a pass from Jake Neighbours. It was Kyrou’s third goal in an outdoor game after he had two goals and two assists in Minnesota in 2022.

Hall scored at 15:26 of the first period on a Blackhawks power play, taking advantage of a failed clearance by Nathan Walker to shovel in a goal on a rebound from below the right dot. It was the third straight game that the Blues’ penalty kill allowed at least one goal.

Hall’s goal woke up a sleepy Wrigley Field crowd and spurred the Blackhawks to have the last nine shots of the first period.

Second-period explosion

The Blues broke the game open by scoring three goals in the second period, turning a tight game into a laugher.

Faulk scored his first goal since Oct. 10 in San Jose, snapping a 34-game goal drought for the veteran offensive defenseman. Oskar Sundqvist won an offensive-zone faceoff back to Philip Broberg, who swung the puck to Faulk for a one-timer at the blue line around a Sundqvist screen at 7:15 of the second period, giving the Blues a 3-1 lead.

Holloway followed up Binnington’s massive save on Hall with a goal that pushed the Blues lead to 4-1 and drew in thoughts of a Blues blowout. Faulk put a shot on goal that popped out to the right of Mrazek, where Holloway was there to clean up the mess and usher in a party down behind the first base dugout, where Blues fans populated the sections.

Fowler’s second of the night came with 2:09 remaining in the second period, as he flung a prayer from the blue line that somehow evaded every body between the boards and the net. It was Fowler’s fifth career multi-goal game.

The goal gave the Blues a 5-1 lead and pushed the Blackhawks far enough that captain Nick Foligno felt it necessary to fight Blues captain Brayden Schenn at the ensuing neutral-zone faceoff in order to drive life back into his bench and into the crowd.