In freezing cold conditions in Minnesota on Saturday, the St. Louis Blues defeated the Wild 6-4 in the National Hockey League (NHL) Winter Classic game at Target Field in Minneapolis.
The Twins’ stadium was immersed in freezing temperatures on the first day of 2022. The mercury dropped to -22 degrees Celsius (without the wind) as the Blues kept a cool head as they demonstrated the full extent of their offensive talent.
Jordan Kyrou was the star of the meeting with two goals and as many assists. He got all his points in the second period, when the Missouri representatives hit the target five times.
With such a temperature, it was normal for a Quebecer to feel in his element. David Perron opened the scoring for the Blues at the end of the first period, helped in particular by Marco Scandella.
In a cold that striker Vladimir Tarasenko called “Siberian”, the Russians also did well. The Blues maverick himself shook the ropes, imitated by his compatriot Ivan Barbashev.
Kirill Kaprizov was one of the Wild’s scorers. His 13th goal of the season brought his career tally to 40, in 86 games. In franchise history, no player has reached this plateau faster than the left winger.
As soon as they arrived at Target Field, the Blues players tried to play inside the heads of their opponents when they got off the bus … in beach clothes. Covered by light T-shirts, shorts or half-open shirts, the hockey players made more than one laugh on social networks.
On the Wild side, goalie Cam Talbot wore the traditional toque over his mask. It was finally in the locker room that the veteran was able to warm up, after allowing six goals on 28 shots.
Kaapo Kahkonen was in the blue circle at the start of the third period, but he only played half the throw as the Wild played empty net early on. The experience paid off when Kevin Fiala scored the home team’s fourth goal.
Jordan Binnington stood like a block of ice in front of his team’s cage, blocking 29 shots.
The game became the coldest ever in NHL history. In 2003, the Montreal Canadiens and the Edmonton Oilers set a record when they met at Commonwealth Stadium at −18 ° C. Led by José Théodore and Richard Zednik, the Habs won 4 to 3.
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