Good morning Blues fans! The day has arrived that some dreaded and others looked forward to. Former captain David Backes and the Boston Bruins will make their lone trip to St. Louis today.
The St. Louis Blues had some pretty good times under the leadership of David Backes. Of course there are arguments on both sides as to how much it was due to him, but that is somewhat immaterial.
Regardless of how you felt about his actual on-ice play, Backes was a leader in the sense of he held people accountable. He was not afraid to ruffle a few feathers here and there but did things with a general respect for his teammates that was not going to lose anyone in the locker room.
As the 2016-17 season has gone on, even someone such as myself had to concede that you could tell the difference in the team. I still contend that the play of Backes would have no impact on this team since the problems defensively are so overwhelming at times.
That said, it is the intangibles he brought that seem to be missing time to time. Now he’s bringing those back, but with another team.
The thing that is in the Blues favor right now is the fact that Boston is not better off for having Backes than the Blues are for not. The two teams have the same amount of wins currently, the same amount of points and the Blues have played three fewer games.
It has been a struggle this season for the Bruins despite having some solid talent and locker room character. Like the Blues, they have been up and down and surrounded by talk of missing the playoffs a second straight season.
Right now, they are firmly in second in the Atlantic division. Ottawa is only a point behind though and Toronto, Florida and Tampa are still a car length behind in the rearview mirror.
Tonight’s game is going to be a rough one. That is true both literally, as Boston is a physical team and they tend to draw the Blues in, despite being a non-conference game, and figuratively for me personally and for Backes.
It’s a difficult game for me because my wife is a Bruins fan. I’ve converted her to the Blues for 80 games a year and the playoffs, but she has dual alliances when it comes to Boston. I don’t mind, but it just stinks to be sitting next to someone cheering the other way.
For Backes, it has to be difficult to return to the place he called home for so long. He’ll be over it once the puck drops, but those moments must be odd where you warm up on the opposite side and sit in a different locker room or not have the same parking space you did since you arrive on a bus.
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Hopefully the Blues can take advantage of those few reminiscing moments. St. Louis needs a win today.
Again, they don’t HAVE to win. They have remained in a solid playoff spot despite not winning back to back games since November.
Still, you can’t rely on the rest of the conference to keep sliding. Eventually someone needs to find their game if they are to be a threat and we need it to be the Blues.
Here are your St. Louis Blues Morning Links to get your day started off right.
It is not as though the Blues have failed to put together a win streak at all this season. However, when you see multiple teams with double digit win streaks and the Blues have barely gotten more than two at a time, it becomes worrying. So, the Blues keep plugging away and getting some healthy bodies will help. (Post-Dispatch)
We have seen the former captain tear up and get emotional plenty of times. It is nothing new to Blues fans as Backes wears his heart on his sleeve sometimes. That said, he is going to attempt not to cry tonight but if fans give him an ovation, that may be difficult to accomplish. (NBCSports)
The Chicago Wolves are one of the hottest teams in the AHL right now, in no small part to their coach. The players are doing their part as well and they have three guys in the top five in scoring. As great as that is, you have to wonder if any of them can translate that into the NHL. (Bleedin Blue)
The Blues have been up and down all season, proven by their unwillingness to win games back to back. They aren’t alone though as a term we have been using all season long applies to our opponent tonight as well. (Causeway Crowd)
Next: Ty Rattie Getting A Chance Elsewhere Finally
Kevin Shattenkirk has stepped up offensively but his defense is questionable. It hasn’t been the greatest of years, but he’s having a decent free agent season. How much that weighs on his mind, plus other topics were discussed when the league sat down with him for a chat. (NHL)
Roberto Luongo has been one of the better goaltenders in the NHL for quite some time, but hasn’t had the team success to go with it all the time. His personal accolades continue to climb though as he tied Terry Sawchuk for all time wins. (ESPN)
Have a great day Blues fans!