Montgomery said he liked the Blues’ top line of left with Neighbours, center Robert Thomas and right wing Pavel Buchnevich offensively, but said they have to be “a little sharper and a little quicker” defensively.
That said, he wasn’t blaming them for Connor’s goal.
“The fourth goal, to me, sometimes the other team makes a high-end play, and that’s a high-end play made by two high-end players; that’s going to happen. It’s like the only way to stop Michael Jordan is to let Dean Smith coach him,” Montgomery said of the former NBA great and his college coach at the University of North Carolina.
“You’re not going to stop him besides that. He’s going to get his looks, and we’re going to get our looks.”
The Blues recognize what they did well in Game 1. Their power play was 2-for-3. They were physical, especially early; St. Louis was credited with 32 hits in the first period. It held Winnipeg’s power play, ranked No. 1 in the regular season (28.9 percent) to one goal on four opportunities.
“There’s a lot to take away,” Blues defenseman Cam Fowler said. “It’s always fun coming in, playing in an environment like that. The energy was great, and it was a competitive hockey game: physical, everything you’d expect from playoff hockey.
“We were right there the whole time, and they capitalized on a couple of opportunities in the third period, and that’s the difference in the game. Our guys fought hard and have to make sure we prepare and be ready for the next one.”
The pressure of being down 1-0 in the series probably won’t bother the Blues; they were eight points out of a playoff spot heading into the 4 Nations Face-Off on Feb. 12 and an NHL-best 19-4-3 after the tournament.
But there’s no disputing they let a good opportunity slip away Saturday and they don’t want that to happen again.
“There are certain tactical things we can look at that can help us for the next game and just understanding that in order to have success in the playoffs, you have to sustain that momentum for 60 minutes, especially when you’re on the road and you’re playing against a really good team in a difficult environment,” Fowler said.
“I was proud of our guys. I thought we fought hard and it’s something we can learn from and build off of and know that we were right there in a competitive hockey game. Next time we’re in that situation, hopefully we can get the job done.”
