St. Louis Blues: Weekly Division Review (5th Week of March)

The St. Louis Blues had a relatively productive week. However one bad performance may have cost them a shot at the division title.

The St. Louis Blues opened the week knowing they had to have a good week since the Chicago Blackhawks had turned things around a bit and began breathing down the home team’s neck. They didn’t disappoint in a couple games against division foe, the Colorado Avalanche.

The Blues played their fourth-to-last home game of the season on Tuesday in a matchup against the Avs. After a nervy first period that saw David Backes’ powerplay goal answered late in the frame, the Blues came back with two goals in the second and coasted to a comfortable 3-1 win to begin the week.

St. Louis then had one of the worst team games we’ve seen from them in quite some time. While it was somewhat understandable to potentially lose to the Boston Bruins, who are fighting for their playoff lives, it was the way the game transpired that was disappointing.

Brian Elliott was not his normal self and though not to blame for many goals, still did not help his own cause. The defense was not cohesive and the team looked sluggish. After falling behind, the Blues rallied back late in the game but ultimately fell short by the score of 6-5. Also, as an odd side note, Jake Allen picked up the loss in that game even though Elliot let up five and he let up one because the goaltender who allows the game-winning goal is credited with a loss.

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St. Louis rebounded nicely as they traveled to the Mile-High city of Denver to take on the Avalanche for the last time this season. The Blues came out with a mission and put their game plan into affect perfectly. Similar to what Boston had done to the Blues, the Blues were quicker, more tenacious, more physical and just better overall than the Avs. All that led to an eventual 5-1 victory.

Unfortunately, the game was quite costly despite the relative ease in which it came. Backes and Allen were lost for the remainder of the regular season. Their timetable is currently uncertain for any return and all the team and coach Hitchcock are saying is that it is not preventative and they will be reevaluated once the regular season ends.

Blues’ Weekly Stats

Alexander Steen – 0G 4A 4P
Paul Stastny – 1G 3A 4P
Troy Brouwer – 2G 3A 5P
David Backes – 2G 3A 5P
Vladimir Tarasenko – 1G 3A 4P
Magnus Paajarvi – 1G 1A 2P
Jaden Schwartz – 1G 0A 1P
Jori Lehtera – 1G 0A 1P
Kyle Brodziak – 0G 1A 1P
Kevin Shattenkirk – 1G 2A 3P
Alex Pietrangelo – 2G 1A 3P
Colton Parayko – 1G 0A 1P
Robert Bortuzzo – 1G 0A 1P
Brian Elliott – 38 saves/44 shots, .864 save percentage, 3.60 goals against
Jake Allen – 15 saves/16 shots, .938 save percentage, 1.54 goals against
Anders Nilsson – 19 saves/20 shots, .950 save percentage, 1.50 goals against

View from the Midwest Division Recap

Looking Forward

The Blues have some tough games ahead. They play the Arizona Coyotes on Monday night and while the Coyotes are out of the playoff picture, they just beat Washington. The Capitals were coming off a similar scenario, having just played in Colorado before having to face Arizona and ended up getting beaten quite handsomely.

The Blues then travel to the Windy City to take on the Blackhawks on Thursday. That’s a game that could potentially decide who has home ice advantage come the first round.

The team then comes home for the final game of the season against the President’s Trophy winning Washington Capitals.

Next: Does Tarasenko Have to Shoulder the Load?

The Blues open the week two points behind Dallas, but behind on the tie breaker. They need three points won or three points combined by either Blues’ wins/overtime results and Blackhawks’ losses to guarantee themselves at least second place in the division.

The injuries to Backes and Allen come at a terrible time, but this team has endured more than most and succeeded. They must continue to do just that heading into the final week of the year.