T.J. Oshie is the NHL’s highest scoring player ever to come out of the state of Washington – only one other Washingtonian, Carolina’s Patrick Dwyer, is currently in the league – and is among the league’s slicker shootout artists. He also embodies St. Louis’ 200-foot game, with Dustin Penner commenting that a hit by Oshie late in Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals a season ago “was a great hit. I haven’t been hit that hard in a while. It actually almost felt good, it was so pure.”
On St. Louis’ impressive 5-for-8 shootout performance this season:
“We study the goaltenders quite a bit. One of the main things we look for is just whether or not there’s a poke check in his game. Some goalies have different tendencies, for the most part. All of our shooters have about two or three go-to moves, and then we usually just decide from there.”
On the consistency of the team’s forecheck:
“It’s been getting away just at times. It seems like every time our 200 foot game’s not there, they score. And then we get back to it, and then five minutes later one or two guys make a mistake, [the] 200 foot game gets out of our game, and they score. And then we go right back to it. It’s just got to be more of a consistent thing. It’s got to be a 60 minute thing, and then some. Whatever it takes.”
On rookie Vladimir Tarasenko:
“He’s a great guy. He’s got a lot of humor once he opens up to people, and he’s a good fit for our team. He’s a great hockey player. He’s going to have a long, good career ahead of him. [He’s] been playing alongside Andy McDonald when he was there, and now it’s Alexander Steen. He’s got a lot of veteran presence there, and hopefully he learns from them.”
On St. Louis goalies getting a lot of work at the morning skate:
“I think it was kind of for everyone, but mostly for them. We were getting a lot of shots right away. We’ve been letting up a lot of shots lately, and that’s not solely on them. A lot of that has to do with our 200 foot game and what we’re doing. They looked pretty good out there today, so we’ll see how it carries over.”
On whether there would be any “carry-over” into tonight’s game, considering last year’s playoff exit:
“I think normally there would be. Obviously there are some feelings still there, but I think most importantly, our game’s not where we want it to be right now, so we’re mostly focused on us, on getting our game back to where it needs to be.”
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