Starting tomorrow the St. Louis Blues will face one of the toughest stretches of games of the season. After this stretch we will know a lot about this team.
The St. Louis Blues have had an interesting season so far, there have been moments when the look like world beaters, but there have been moments where they don’t impress. Starting tomorrow, the Blues are going to need to have their top game ready and will need to play hard at every turn.
Blues @ Wild Sunday 3/6 7:00 PM CST NBCSN
One week from tonight, we will know a lot about this team and their playoff chances. Tomorrow night, the Blues will be taking on one of the hottest teams in the NHL in the Minnesota Wild, a team who is 7-3 in their last ten games and had a stretch where the scored 16 goals in three games in February. They are a streaky team looking to prove that they are a playoff contender.
They are going to come in looking to take it to the Blues yet again, as they not only beat the Blues in the playoffs last season, but have split the season series with the Blues with both teams claiming two wins and two losses. The Blues did beat the Wild in the last game, but this came right before the firing Mike Yeo.
The Wild have been playing much more like themselves since the Yeo firing and will be looking to keep their pace against the Blues and continue to move up the Western Conference standings and lay their claim on a playoff spot.
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Blackhawks @ Blues 3/9 7:00 PM CST NBCSN
This one doesn’t need much explanation. The Blackhawks are always a tough play and these games are often very entertaining. The fact that the Blues are just two points behind the Blackhawks in the race for the Central Division and the Western Conference’s top spot, makes this an even more intriguing matchup.
The Blackhawks haven’t been playing like themselves lately, as they have just two wins in their last five games and four wins in their last ten games, with losses to Boston, Nashville, Minnesota, Anaheim, Dallas, and San Jose. However, the Blackhawks still have arguably the best group of forwards in the NHL and with the recent addition of Andrew Ladd, they have gotten even better.
If the Blues want to make a statement to the league, this game is a huge opportunity to do so. If the Blues can come away with a win in this game, they will even up the season series with the Blackhawks, as the Blues have lost the last two games against the defending champs. This is the game you get up for, this is the one the Blues need to make a statement in.
Puck Prose
Ducks @ Blues 3/11 7:00 PM CST FS-MW
Much like the game against the Blackhawks, this game will be a big statement game. This is the game many will have their eyes on, especially if the Ducks keep up their hot play. The Ducks have not lost a game since February 11, making them 10-0 in their last ten games. They are playing hotter than any team in the league right now, and have been the most active team in the trade market.
Their best acquisition was acquiring former Blue David Perron from the Penguins in exchange for Carl Hagelin. Since the acquisition Perron has 17 points in 20 games, but it’s what he’s done to linemate Ryan Getzlaf that is drawing the attention to most, as Getzlaf has 24 points in 19 games since the acquistion of Perron.
While the Blues did net a pick that resulted in Ivan Barbashev in the Perron trade to Edmonton in 2014, I have always lamented the fact that the Blues practically gave away Perron. Perron is showing that he has the skill set to play with some of the best forwards in the game, and the Blues could really use a player like him right now.
The strong play of Anaheim right now cannot be ignored, as they have played themselves to just one point behind the Blues in fourth place in the West and three points behind the Stars and Blackhawks. This is going to be a very tough matchup for the Blues, and much like the game against Chicago, the Blues will need to bring their absolute best in order to bring down Anaheim.
Blues @ Stars 8:00 PM CST FS-MW/NHLN
While the Stars have seemingly dominated the West this season, the Blues have faired pretty well against the Stars this sesaon, going 3-1 against the Western Conference leader. The most recent game against the Stars went very well, the Blues limited one of the leauge’s best offenses to just 18 shots, while killing seven penalties.
Like Chicago, Dallas will be coming into this game a little cooled off, as they have lost seven of their last ten games, giving up at least three goals in each loss. They have come down to earth a bit from their hot start, but they are still one of the top teams in the league and have a dangerous offense.
With the acquisition of former Blues’ defenseman Kris Russel, the Stars have gotten a bit better. While Russel is not a defensive type of player, he will add another wrinkle to their offense and give them a scoring option from the blue line. This will be an interesting game to see, it definitely will carry just as much weight as the previous two. But, with the Blues’ success against Dallas this season it is not as “big” of a match as Anaheim and Chicago.
Recap
These next four games will tell us a lot about the Blues and their quest for a cup this season. If the Blues can come away with points in at least three of these games it will be a big victory for them. They absolutely cannot overlook any of these opponents and they need to make a statement this week.
Next: Do the Blues have what it takes to win the Cup?
There definitely is the potential for them to win all four, if they do this it will put the league on notice. What are your thoughts on these next four games? Do you think the Blues will do well? Let us know in the comments!