Blues Get Bounced
Tristan Jarry is too Taurus to let this one slide.
Listen, I don’t know who told the St. Louis Blues it was 2019 again, but somebody clearly told them to get good, you have to start down bad, real bad. They meet the Pittsburgh Penguins tonight with a record of 3-4-1 and, I imagine, an axe to grind. The Taurus rising of this chart tells us it’s business as usual, but the Blues have opened up The Jerk Store and everyone on the roster is an employee.
There’s going to be a real sense of friction tonight. It won’t be an all-out brawl, but it’s definitely going to have a vibe of two old guys arguing over a parking spot outside of the Giant Eagle. Let’s get into it.
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First Period
Tonight, Venus owns the Penguins and is running them ragged with less payoff than a Pirates baseball season. Things are ordered and organized the way they’re supposed to be, but nothing clicks in the right place when it’s supposed to.
There’s been a lot of talk of the good old days at PPG Paints Arena lately, and cuing up Bruce Springsteen’s Glory Days isn’t a bad idea for the first 20 minutes of the game. The ghosts of hockey teams past aren’t so scary in Pittsburgh; they’re motivating, and so yinzers everywhere will delight in at least one vintage goal from Sidney Crosby.
The Penguins take the lead after the halfway point of the first frame and head to the locker room to talk about how to be more aggressive on the power play.
Second Period
At the start of the second, the Blues hit the ice and dare it to hit back. They took giving up that last goal personally, and they’re dead set on getting it back. Their overzealous gameplay will probably result in a few penalties, but once they kill each of them off, they’ll be rewarded for the hustle and tie it up midway through the second.
Jordan Binnington’s aura alone will probably summon a demon in the Blues’ net, but don’t count out Tristan Jarry tonight for Pittsburgh. His defense will show up for him most of the night, but he’ll need them to be better. There’s a need for him to put his head down and grind through emotion and setbacks.
The Blues likely go up 2-1 by the end of the second, due in no small part to the refs’ whistles not working right.
Third Period
After a raucous second period, both teams settle down for the third and refocus on wanting to win a hockey game. The Penguins slip a step or two in the early minutes but quickly find their way back to their grind.
The MC in Aquarius makes the finish feel futuristic; it’s a statement game about the future in Pittsburgh being now. This is the “see what we’re building” moment. The IC in Leo roots it all in pride and self-expression. It’s our house, our name, our way.
The final minutes are tense but calculated, and it’ll feel like a fated sequence plays out before the eyes of every Penguins fan in the building. There’s a rebound or a redirection, a perfect angle that reminds everyone of 15 years ago, a golden age for hockey nights in Pittsburgh.
Prediction:
The Penguins have their hands full with the Blues tonight, and the teenagers in Pittsburgh’s lineup will continue to be the talk of the town, but with their sudden arrival comes big-boy hockey, and they might taste of it tonight.
Look for the Blues to hit hard. There’s a distinct feeling that boundaries are being pushed to St. Louis’s benefit. The Penguins might get one or two power plays as even-up calls, but it’s likely the Blues draw a few extras with embellishment or bitching at a ref.
I think this game will come down to the goalies, and Jarry has something to prove and he’ll want to prove it against Binnington, who is favored to be on the US Men’s Olympic Team for the 2026 Olympics in February.
If Jarry wants to make a statement, this is the game to do it.
Guins win, 3-2.