I knew this would eventually happen, when player of the game could go to any number of guys, and on this night, an 8-2 St. Louis Blues victory against the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday at Ball Arena, I'm going with Pavel Buchnevich.
Just days ago, after a 5-2 loss against the Winnipeg Jets, remember these comments from Buchnevich? "I'm just awful. I'm just awful all season."
This guy was holding himself accountable for what he said was a lack of production. In that game, he had a goal taken off the goal line by a Jets defender [Dylan DeMelo] before fanning on a breakaway, both attempts in the first period, and basically blamed himself.
He had an assist on the game-winner Thursday and came back with his third NHL hat trick, including a pair of shorthanded goals, becoming the third Blue in history and first since Michael Handzus (Feb. 5, 2000 vs. Atlanta) to score multiple shorthanded goals in the same game.
Buchnevich and Brayden Schenn, who also deserves consideration here for a his fourth NHL hat trick and one assist, became the first Blues teammates with hat tricks in the same game since Doug Gilmour and Mark Hunter did it against the Hartford Whalers on Feb. 23, 1986.
Robert Thomas (four assists) and Jordan Binnington (36 saves) also deserve strong consideration, but when a guy dumps on himself like that and can back it up literally within days, he gets my props.
