ST. LOUIS -- Sometimes, the law of averages doesn't play out when the numbers are skewed against you.
Especially when the St. Louis Blues lost the special teams as poorly as they did.
And in going 0-for-7 on the power play and the penalty kill only being 1-for-2, the Blues needed to grind out one of those low-scoring, not pretty type of wins, and in order to do that, they needed quality defending.
They got it from a number of skaters in their 2-1 victory against the Arizona Coyotes at Enterprise Center on Thursday, but I thought defenseman Justin Faulk was exceptional in the defending areas.
When the Blues needed people to close and kill plays out, muck and grind in their zone, boxout the front of the crease and slot areas, Faulk was at the front of the line for the Blues.
"Sure, yeah, we won the game, guys are happy," Faulk said. "That's the goal. Obviously there's stuff that goes along with it. Power play, yeah it's frustrating. It's not new to tonight though. Guys are happy about the win and we'll keep working at it and move forward."
Faulk played a team-high 23:37, was a plus-2 with five shot attempts, two hits, two blocked shots and three takeaways in an all-around solid effort, along with partner Torey Krug.
"I'll take a one-goal lead at any point in the game," Faulk said. "You've got to bear down. There's ways to play and it's not sitting back. It's still being aggressive and making sure you take it to them a little bit.
"I think overall I like our game when we're up a goal. This year, I think we've held it down pretty good for the most part and limited chances. They're going to get shots, but the quality is what matters."
And Faulk is a big part in that style of play when the Blues (6-5-1) are trying to buckle down and win a game.
