Hello Blues fans! Another day, another win and thank goodness for it. Yesterday we entered in a little worried about playing down, but the Blues eased those fears.
The St. Louis Blues have given us plenty of reason to worry in this season. Even beyond this season, they have had a tendency to play down to the level of their opponents.
While St. Louis can hang with anyone, picking up big wins against teams like Pittsburgh or Chicago, the opposite is true too. The Blues have proven they are more than capable of losing to the Arizona’s and Colorado’s and (until this season) Columbus’ of the world.
Last night was a pleasant departure from that. The Blues did not necessarily put it to bed as early as we would have liked as fans, but the game was never really in doubt.
St. Louis got the early goal at the tail end of a five-minute power play. It was a bit fortunate as Alex Pietrangelo‘s shot had eyes, but you take the goal.
In a perfect world, the Blues would have scored two or even three goals on that major, but as long as you make them pay at least a little, then you have done the job. It might not have been the job that will get you a raise, but the job was done.
After that, there was little doubt in the game. St. Louis got the early second period goal on another seeing-eye shot from Scottie Upshall and then finished it off with an empty netter for David Perron.
The Blues appear to have returned to their form of last season. They limit the shot numbers of opponents but let their goaltenders have the opportunity to clean up the mistakes. St. Louis is not only getting a lot of shot numbers but actual quality scoring attempts.
In the past it was the opposite. Teams were getting too many shot attempts and getting top-notch scoring chances. The Blues were tossing random rubber toward the net, but even if they got 50 shots they were easy saves for the opposing goalies.
If St. Louis can both play up to their competition and take care of business against the cellar dwellers then we are in business. St. Louis has to keep that form going and keep their focus sharp.
The Blues only have two games remaining against teams currently in the playoff picture. You could bump that number to three if you consider Winnipeg still in the running for the postseason.
If they keep their foot on the gas, they can make some waves. As the postseason approaches, the Blues might actually be able to focus on who their opponent might be instead of just whether or not they get in.
That might sound like a small thing, but playing for form instead of having to perform can leave a little gas in the tank. We all point to the L.A. Kings doing it, but eight seeds winning a Stanley Cup is not a common occurrence and St. Louis should not rely on that.
Do that and maybe we can dream of something beyond the first round.
Here are your St. Louis Blues Morning Links to get your day started off right.
During the postgame interviews, the Captain talked about team momentum, the Snake talked about his 15th shutout and the bench boss discussed the team game as a whole. (Blues)
As a coach, it is easier to impart your knowledge on others when it is clear that you love and respect the game. Mike Yeo is one of those as he loved the game as a player and had his career taken from him before moving to the bench. (STLToday)
As a businessman, he is shrewd and intelligent. As an owner, he is only as involved as he needs to be and let’s people do their jobs. However, as a fan, Tom Stillman is much more like the rest of us than you would think of most NHL owners. (Post-Dispatch)
Next: Blues Better Without Kevin Shattenkirk
Though both have been retired for some time, we are still in the age where Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemiuex were the idols for many of today’s NHL players. Taking those names out, the other names guys looked up to might surprise you. (ESPN)
Speaking of things that might surprise you, a former Blue has designs on becoming a general manager. He was an intelligent player during his day, but running a team might not have been the first thing we thought of as a post-playing career when he was mashing opponents against the boards. (ESPN)
Have a great day Blues fans!