St. Louis Blues Need a New Spark

The St. Louis Blues have overcame one obstacle after another but is this pressure to win finally starting to take it’s toll

As the old proverb goes, “It is always darkest just before the dawn” but, as of right now, some of us St. Louis Blues fans are starting to wonder if we are ever going to see the light of day.

After a five game winning streak that showed some signs of offensive life, after Thursday night’s game, the St. Louis Blues took a big step backwards. Although they had more than their fair share of chances, players failed to convert on what should have been easy goals and once again left us wondering if this team really has what it takes to win it all.

As Todd Panula pointed out in his recap of the game against the New York Rangers, you could sense that something just wasn’t right with the St. Louis Blues. They didn’t look lost, they didn’t look tired, they looked frustrated. A point that seemed to come to a head when the TV camera caught Vladimir Tarasenko telling someone on the bench to “shut up” after his failed pass on the power play lead to another turnover.

This is not good St. Louis Blues fans. The last thing we need right now is for this team to start feeling sorry for themselves. The moment they accept defeat is the moment our championship dreams get flushed down the toilet. So how are we going to fix this problem?

The easiest solution would be to bring in some outside help. Make a trade for an established goal scorer that can step in and pump some life into this team. That sounds great, as long as it works.

The sad reality is that these are human beings and not robots. As Ken Hitchcock pointed out in his radio interview earlier this week on KMOX, one of the hardest things to do is bring in a top tier goal scorer, stick them in a new system with a new supporting cast, and expect them to save your offense. Not to mention what you have to sacrifice in order to get said player in the first place.

This team has proven it can score goals, albeit those games are far and few between. Is it really worth sacrificing the future of this club for another gamble that very possible won’t pay off?

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Another alternative would be to bring in a high energy third or fourth line player that can boost morale and inject some energy back into the offense. The problem is if the team believes they are beaten before they even step on the ice then you could have the energy equivalence of every cheerleading team in the nation and it wouldn’t make a lick of difference.

Instead, I believe, it is time for the St. Louis Blues to adopt a new attitude, “Screw It”. That’s right, screw it. Screw the negativity, screw the expectations, screw the bad luck that seems to follow us everywhere we go. Let’s just go out, play some hockey, and let the chips fall where they may. Who knows, we just might find exactly what we need.

I mean, honestly, what do we have to lose? A year with out a championship? Been there done that. Another first round playoff exit? At least I would save money on playoff tickets. The fanbase screaming to blow the team up? In St. Louis we just call that the off-season.

In fact, next game, I want to see four completely different lines. Robby Fabbri between Tarasenko and Jaden Schwartz. Put our resident old folks Patrik Berglund, David Backes, and Troy Brouwer on a line together. Give Paul Stastny some youth and speed with Ty Rattie and Dmitrij Jaskin and see what he can do. Switch the defensive pairings up so we have some muscle on every shift. Make the other team bleed. Do whatever it takes to break out of this funk we are currently in. What do we have to lose?

Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /

Will we win the game? Heck no, we’ll be lucky to score a goal. But who cares? Every night before a game the coaching staff thinks and rethinks our line combinations and what does that usually get us? One goal, maybe another in overtime. Screw it. Let’s go have some fun. I mean it can’t get much worse.

It appears the St. Louis Blues can not skate from one end of the ice to the other without somebody getting hurt. Our roster has been beat to hell. We’re playing with a goalie that looks as rusting as my Grandpa’s ’57 chevy. Our star player looks like he is about to stab a coach with his skate. Seriously, what do we have to lose?

We have tried playing things safe and conventional. And while that has gotten us to where we are, it is starting to take it’s toll. We aren’t in danger of missing the playoffs yet and we probably aren’t going to win the division (which I think maybe a good thing). So before this is over let’s have some fun. This team needs to find something, anything it can to light its fire.

Next: ST. Louis Blues Trade Deadline Primer

The St. Louis Blues have had to play this entire season from behind and it has been nerve racking to watch, let alone play in. And still, they have done an awesome job. They are third in the Western Conference and fifteen points ahead of the first team out of a playoff spot. This is nothing to sneeze at. But unfortunately we are not playing for a playoff spot. Our goal is not simply to make the playoffs or even just win the division. Its all or nothing.

So from management, to the players, down to the fans, lets take a breath, step back, and get a run at this thing. It’s us against the world. I like our chances.

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