With an outstanding performance has goalkeeper Thomas Greiss secured the St. Louis Blues a 3-0 away win at the Minnesota Wild on Sunday. The 36-year-old from Füssen parried all 35 of his opponent’s shots on goal in the game at the Xcel Energy Center and thus secured his first shutout of the current season. Especially in the last third, he had to work hard to wrap up the sixteenth clean sheet of his NHL career. He made 23 saves in this section alone.
For Greiss it was the first appearance of the new year. He played his last game before the game against the Wild on December 20, in the 5-2 home game loss to the Seattle Kraken. The three weeks without a match were no obstacle for him to present himself in top form at the right moment. “It’s just the way it is. I don’t think about it too much. I try to always be ready and do my best if the worst comes to the worst,” he said, describing his lot as a backup behind the first goalkeeper Jordan Binningtonwho is known as a frequent player.
“I’ve been here for a while now and I know what’s going on. I’ve played in all sorts of situations. We have an excellent goalkeeping coach (David Alexander – ed.). With his drills, he ensures that you’re in the training stays sharp every day,” explained Greiss. His statistics this season are impressive. He has been between the posts in twelve matches so far, ten of them from the start. His match record is 5-5, his goals-against average is 3.23 and his save percentage is 91.1 percent.
Greiss, Greiss baby ????#stlblues | @pncbank pic.twitter.com/9VuRf2DBk8
– St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) January 9, 2023
With the victory at the Wild, the Blues put the icing on the cake on their road trip, which had previously taken them to the Toronto Maple Leafs (6: 5 n. P.), the New Jersey Devils (5: 3) and the Montreal Canadiens (4 :5) had led. The strong showing in Minnesota was a fitting response to the only loss of their recent tour of duty, which they suffered at the Bell Center the day before.
“In terms of back-to-back games, we did a good job this season. We never lacked energy,” said coach Craig Berube after the encounter with the Wild. “We had an excellent performance today. There were some new people in the team, including some youngsters who gave their all. The same goes for the experienced players. Everyone did an excellent job in terms of match management,” he said .
Brandon Saad gave the Blues a 1-0 lead in the first period. The attacker entered the scorer list for the fourth game in a row. “It’s always nice when you score and contribute to that success,” he said.
Video: STL@MIN: Greiss manages 35 saves in the shutout vs. Wild
In the last third, the guests from St. Louis withstood the enormous pressure from the home side. In the middle of the urge period that provided wild Brayden Schenn with a counter for the preliminary decision. He successfully completed a 2v1 situation with Saad. The goalscorer had just returned from the penalty box to the ice. “The boys won the duels and thus ensured that we survived the manpower situation unscathed. Saader (Saad -ed. Red.) then provided a great assist. He’s been in a really good mood for some time,” commented Schenn Scenes immediately before the Blues’ second goal. With an empty net goal in the final minute, he completed his double pack and caused a collective jubilation in the Blues camp.
A home series of seven games is now on the agenda for St. Louis. Kicking off Tuesday is the first of back-to-back clashes against the Calgary Flames (8pm ET; NHL.tv; Tue. 1am EST). The Blues played a total of 14 of the following 19 matches in front of their own audience. “Obviously this is a good opportunity for us to gain some ground in the table,” emphasized coach Berube. With 43 points (20-18-3) from 41 games, the team currently ranks fifth in the Central Division