St. Louis Blues Beat: Week 6 2015

Week five was a week full of frustration and revelation. The St. Louis Blues are not the Central Division kings that we all know they can be. Week six promises to be a busy but more relaxed schedule.

After shutting the New Jersey Devils out 2-0 to start last week off, the Blues got doubled up by two teams that just looked vastly superior on the ice. The injuries the team have suffered early on are catching up to them, and it seems as though the team may be entering a bit of a rough patch.

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The New York Rangers got off to a quick start, scoring three goals in the first period. St. Louis fought back but never seemed to catch their breath after going down by three so early. This loss is an excusable one given that nobody can seem to beat NYR at the moment, they lead the league and have won nine in a row.

The game against the Chicago Blackhawks however, is not an acceptable loss, but was also not as one sided as their trip to New York. This was a much closer game that the Blues ended up losing late in the second period, but again they looked out matched.

The Blues are depleted, their lack of depth right now is a glaring hole that teams are exploiting. Taking a look at the St. Louis line combinations right now does not look so impressive, it’s a very thin group of forwards. Injury has plagued this team early this season and the production in tough match ups makes it obvious.

Outside of Tarasenko and Steen’s majestic chemistry, the forwards have lacked consistency in their production. It’s not entirely their fault as coach Hitchcock has been shuffling the lines out of panic, trying desperately to squeeze some goals out of these in-season free agency pick ups.

This week the Blues have a chance to turn it around before they really slip into a deep hole, with four winnable games on the docket.

First up this week are the Winnipeg Jets, who have lost their last four in a row and are in a slump of their own. That desperate thirst to break their losing streak is what makes this the biggest threat in week six. The Jets are a team, like the Blues, with playoff expectation from their passionate fan base. The top line for Winnipeg is one of the most productive in the league, with their second line not too far behind.