Good morning Blues fans! It’s Tuesday, which means it is the calm before the storm that is the Chicago Blackhawks. The two teams face off in St. Louis on NBCSN on Wednesday.
The St. Louis Blues opened up the 2016-17 season with a rather impressive win over their rival to the north. The Chicago Blackhawks were torn up by a powerful Blues offense and stymied by a good St. Louis defense.
Through the first week of the season, that’s how things went. Chicago looked like a shell of themselves and the Blues looked like true contenders.
Things have shifted a bit since then. The Blues hit a bit of a slump and the goals were harder to find than an Easter egg hidden by parents with a dark sense of humor. Contrasting that, the Blackhawks have hit their stride.
The Blues are hanging in there, but Chicago has vaulted to the top of the division. Coming into the week they have won six straight and seven of their last eight.
They’ve been shutting teams down and scoring for fun. That’s not necessarily the best recipe for success when the Blues have only scored a bunch on a team that got blown out by almost everyone in the division last week.
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St. Louis needs to focus on themselves though. It sounds weird to not worry about what the Blackhawks bring to the table, but that’s what needs to happen.
St. Louis has proven they can beat anyone in the league if they play their game. Unfortunately, being at home might throw a wrench in that.
When the Blues get the last change, there is a tendency to match lines too much instead of just going out and playing. St. Louis and their staff need to just put out the line they think will have the most success scoring against Chicago and hope everyone does their job defensively.
Here are your St. Louis Blues Morning Links to get your day started off right.
The downfall of being a Blues goaltender is no matter how you play, there are going to be those that think there is a better option out there. Whether the better option is on the bench or elsewhere changes over time, but that fact is always there. That said, Jake Allen is setting nicely into the top role for the Blues. (STLToday)
Yesterday’s links page had the story about the Blues continuing their injury woes with Joel Edmundson going down early in the game with Colorado. Now it is official that he will be out awhile and the Blues recalled a familiar face that has been hoping for a return to the big club. (Arch Authority)
Right now, Ken Hitchcock is focusing on the here and now. Prior to playing Columbus next Saturday, he spoke with their local media on his time there. While we all hope to reach the next step, his feelings about Columbus may mirror his time in St. Louis if the team stumbles come the spring. (Columbus Dispatch)
There is always a contentious feeling between the Blues and Blackhawks fans regarding their behavior during the national anthem. Now, the Blues and the league are asking fans to join together on Wednesday’s game. The anthem singer will stop after the first few bars and allow the entire stadium to sing together to honor veterans. (Blues)
Have a great day Blues fans! Enjoy the day off before the storm comes tomorrow.