Three Takeaways From Blues’ 3-2 Win Against Rangers

ST. LOUIS — For the St. Louis Blues, it never comes easy, even on nights where things headed in that direction.

The Blues averted a lost weekend when they knocked off the struggling New York Rangers 3-2 at Enterprise Center on Sunday, a day after falling 2-1 in overtime against the Dallas Stars, but it was anything but easy.

In fact, when the Rangers (15-14-1), who have lost four of five and 10 of 13, scored twice in 1:19 in the third period to slice a three-goal deficit down to one, the Blues (15-14-3) had their work cut out for them. But in the end, they got the job done.

“We played smart, made them defend,” said Blues center Robert Thomas, who extended his point streak to seven games with goal and an assist. “We wanted to play 5-on-5 tonight and I think we accomplished that. Yeah pretty much the whole game was 5-on-5. That’s a good thing and yeah for the most part of the game, we played really well.

“We can’t let them get back to 3-2. It’s something we can’t let happen, but at the end of the day, we found a way to close it out and not give them many chances after that.”

Pavel Buchevich scored to give him a point in nine straight games played, Jordan Kyrou scored in his fourth straight game and Joel Hofer won his fourth straight start with 26 saves.

Let’s check out the Three Takeaways:

* Checking habits were up to par — Blues coach Jim Montgomery addressed the ails of the Blues the past two games, both losses and addressed the “habits” as needing to be better, even in light of the heavy schedule and limited ice time for practices, instead having to teach through video sessions.

“Our habits need to be more consistent,” he said prior to the game. “…Players need to be able to grab that and then go out and execute the habits. Stopping and starting. As simple as that may seem, it’s not that simple when you’re playing a lot of games, three in four night or whatever it is with travel. Sometimes that escapes you.

“I think that’s why you’re seeing in the league in general,…