In a stunning display of dominance, Zack Bolduc, the dazzling forward of the St. Louis Blues, lit up the rink with a spectacular two-goal performance. The struggling Seattle Kraken could do little to resist the onslaught as they were comprehensively beaten 7-2 by the Blues in Tuesday night’s encounter.
The Blues didn’t just have Bolduc to thank for the victory. The night was rich with stellar performances from Robert Thomas and Jake Neighbours, both contributing a goal and an assist each, and Colton Parayko, who chipped in with two assists. Not to be outdone, Jordan Kyrou also made his mark on the scoresheet and netminder Jordan Binnington was a veritable fortress, turning away 25 shots.
On the other end of the rink, it was a night to forget for the Kraken’s Joey Daccord. The hapless goalie was subjected to a barrage of shots and ended up conceding five goals from just 21 attempts before being replaced by Nikke Kokko.
From the outset, the Blues made their intentions clear, outshooting the Kraken 14-4 in the opening period and establishing a commanding 2-0 lead. The Kraken’s attempt to claw back into the game in the second period by utilizing a power play fell short as Jared McCann’s shot ricocheted off the crossbar. Further attempts by McCann and Kaapo Kakko were thwarted by an unyielding Binnington.
The Blues continued their assault as Thomas expertly batted home his own rebound following a 3-on-2 rush. Shortly after, Bolduc once again displayed his sharpshooting skills, converting a cross-ice pass from Sundqvist to find the back of the net.
The Blues’ offensive prowess was further demonstrated by Fowler’s wrist shot from the center point that sliced through the traffic and into the net. Not satisfied, Fowler then whipped a cross-ice pass to Neighbours, who blasted a one-timer from the right circle. Bolduc added his second goal just 20 seconds into the third period, deflecting Mathieu Joseph’s shot from the blue line to make it a resounding 7-0.
Despite the Blues’ dominance, Binnington’s clean sheet was spoiled by Dunn, who managed to swipe the puck and score from the slot. Schwartz added a second for the Kraken, scoring into an empty net off a carom from the end boards, but it was too little too late as the Blues sailed to a convincing 7-2 victory.
This commanding performance by the Blues serves as a stark reminder of their potency, while the Kraken will need to regroup and reassess their strategies following this heavy defeat.