Blues' fourth line provides the necessary punch in Game 2

After beating the Wild in Game 1, St. Louis coach Mike Yeo made it clear: His team needed to be more assertive and physical in Friday's Game 2. But Yeo cautioned that the Blues had to achieve that within their structure, rather than "running around like a bunch of idiots."

The fourth line took that to heart. Ryan Reaves, Kyle Brodziak and Scottie Upshall know the Blues depend upon them to be the designated disrupters, and they provided an infusion of energy and grit that helped push their team to a Game 2 victory. In addition to being agitators — and getting under the Wild's skin with their hard-charging play — they played effective defense, caused havoc at the net and drew Charlie Coyle into a confrontation that resulted in a pair of penalties, creating a four-on-four situation the Blues used to score the winning goal.

Reaves finished the 2-1 victory with three hits, and Upshall added four. Brodziak, the former Wild center, assisted on Jaden Schwartz's game-winner. Their play set the more aggressive tone the Blues needed to counteract a greater push by the Wild, a key factor in giving St. Louis a 2-0 series lead.

"We play physical when we can, but we're not running out of position to get a hit," said Reaves, who has six hits in the series. "We provide energy. We get in guys' faces; we don't leave our team short, but when we have to get in somebody's face, we do.

"[Friday], as the game went on, we got better. [The Wild] cranked up the intensity, and we matched it and cranked ours back up. It was a good response by us."

Yeo inserted defenseman Robert Bortuzzo, who had been sidelined by an injury, into the lineup to provide some extra muscle Friday. He wanted a greater push from the rest of his team, too, though he wasn't necessarily looking for the Blues to get nastier. Yeo said the Blues had to intensify their effort "in the right way," with each player providing a little more of what they usually bring.

He knew what he would get from the Upshall-Brodziak-Reaves line. It helped limit the Wild to 24 shots on goal, down from 52 in Game 1, and gave little room to Wild forwards desperate for the time and space they needed to get past goalie Jake Allen.

"We don't try to hide those guys; it's quite the opposite. We enjoy when they're out against good players, and they relish that opportunity."

They were out against the Wild's top line when Reaves and Upshall tangled with Coyle along the boards in a third-period dust-up. After Upshall knocked Coyle down in a collision that also took out linesman Steve Miller, the three began shoving and jawing. Coyle and Upshall went to the penalty box for roughing, and during four-on-four play, Schwartz got open in the slot to score the deciding goal.

Of the trio, Coyle said, "They know their role, and they play it well." Their Blues teammates concurred.

"It's the same thing they've brought all year: consistency and hard work," defenseman Alex Pietrangelo said. "Those guys have been unbelievable for us all year, playing in all situations, five-on-five and penalty kill. They really take charge and are physical for us."

It's something they take pride in, even when it's difficult. Reaves even got into the face of his close friend, Wild forward Chris Stewart. Reaves is the godfather of Stewart's twin sons, but during the playoffs he's all business.