Winter Classic 2017: Score and Twitter Reaction for Blackhawks vs. Blues

Two third-period goals from Vladimir Tarasenko lifted the St. Louis Blues to a 4-1 win over the rival Chicago Blackhawks in the 2017 NHL Winter Classic from Busch Stadium, home of the St. Louis Cardinals.  

Tarasenko's heroics broke a 1-1 deadlock, headlined a three-goal final period and added an outdoor chapter to one of the fiercest rivalries in NHL history.

Not only did the players have to contend with a different setting and more than 46,000 fans, but they had to deal with inclement weather that included rain throughout the day. It provided a new dimension to the ice, which was quickly put on display when the puck dropped. 

Just 1:02 into the game, a shot from the point by Blackhawks defenseman Michal Kempny bounced about 10 feet in front of Blues goalie Jake Allen, took an odd hop and found a way past the netminder to give Chicago an early lead. Here's the highlight, via NHL on NBC:

It was one of the fastest goals in Winter Classic history, via NHL Public Relations:

The rain was also having an effect on the fans who were watching at home as they tried to make out the action on television in between raindrops pelting the cameras. Sara Holmes of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch wasn't happy about it:

But they could see just fine when the Blues tied the game with 12:15 left in the second period. Patrik Berglund was the beneficiary of a great pass from Jay Bouwmeester, who was behind the net at the time. Upon receiving the puck in front of Corey Crawford's goal, Berglund beat him with a one-time shot:

The St. Louis tally gave Sean Leahy of Yahoo Sports an idea that would further integrate a baseball feel into the Winter Classic:

Tarasenko had two golden opportunities to put his team up within the first six minutes of the third period prior to his outburst. He first found himself on a breakaway, but Crawford blocked his quick wrister. 

SB Nation's Second City Hockey was thrilled with the Chicago goalie, who stopped 31 shots on the night:

Moments later, Tarasenko unleashed a tough-angled shot from the left of Crawford's net that rang off the post and rebounded away from danger. 

He finally found a way past Crawford with 7:55 left in the game off an odd-man rush. After receiving a pass to the right of Crawford's goal, Tarasenko coasted to another difficult angle while on the backhand, thus making it almost impossible to get a shot off.

He instead tried to center it toward the front of Crawford, but it bounced off Blackhawks defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson's skate and into the back of the net. Here's the video, via NBC Sports:

Just 1:53 later, Tarasenko beat Crawford once again but didn't need any luck to do so. Getting on his preferred left side, the Russian whipped a wrister under Crawford's arm and tucked his shot just inside the right post. The NHL shared the highlight: 

The shot floored Travis Yost of TSN:

Even Justin Bilyeu of the MLS' New York Red Bulls couldn't believe Tarasenko's skill:

Luke Lapinski of AZ Sports wasn't sure how Chicago could have defended him:

In an attempt to fuel a comeback, the Blackhawks pulled Crawford for an extra skater with 3:10 left. But it was Alex Steen who put the cherry on top of a big afternoon in St. Louis with an empty-net goal with 1:14 to go.

This game wasn't just for bragging rights. Entering Monday, the Blues trailed the Blackhawks by eight points with two games at hand in the Western Conference Central Division. The win brought them within six points despite having played two fewer games. It will keep St. Louis in the thick of the hunt for a top spot in the West. 

Postgame Reaction

Tarasenko said he might have been so calm in that third period because he didn't feel the fans right on top of him at Busch Stadium, per ESPN NHL coverage:

"

Vladimir Tarasenko: Crowd was too far away to really have had an effect on pumping us up. https://t.co/MiXfr5umVT pic.twitter.com/4J2wNpoMZB

— ESPN NHL coverage (@ESPN_NHL) January 2, 2017"

For Hjalmarsson, whose foot helped put St. Louis in front, even he had to give props to Tarasenko's skill set, via CSN's Tracey Myers:

But for St. Louis head coach Ken Hitchcock, it wasn't just about his star scorer, per the Blues:

Hitchcock grabbed headlines on the bench during the game thanks to his outfit, per Sports Illustrated's Joan Niesen:

He handled postgame questions with his usual class and humor, per Yahoo Sports' Greg Wyshynski:

Luckily for Hitchcock, he can go back to his usual suit and tie as Blues hockey will shift indoors for the rest of the season as the team attempts to mount a charge toward a first Stanley Cup in franchise history.