St. Louis Blues: Central Division Surprisingly Still In Blues Hands

The St. Louis Blues are far from in control and not the dominant team we might have hoped for. They do still have the destiny of the division in their hands though.

The St. Louis Blues were one of the hottest teams in the league to start the season. Injuries and a butt-load of games compared to everyone else eventually caught up to them though and they faltered.

That hot start has been all that saved them from being on the outside looking in. The Blues are currently in the toughest division in hockey and things won’t be any easier as the end of the season draws closer.

However, despite much hand wringing by fans, there is still a lot to be positive about. Surprisingly, the Blues are still in control of the division.

When that statement is made, there are some caveats. Clearly, the Blues do not lead the division at the All-Star break, so they are not in the driver’s seat. Additionally, things are so jam-packed that even the team in the basement of the Central can still win it.

Still, some fans have overlooked the schedule. Most focus only on the amount of games left or games in hand for the other teams. One thing many of us have overlooked is who the Blues will be playing though.

Games played over games left will come into play. Nobody in the Western Conference has played as many games as the Blues (51). Only Pittsburgh and Toronto have played as many in the East.

That means teams behind the Blues have more opportunities to pass them up and teams ahead have more chances to put distance between. Of the teams in the playoff race, Nashville and Colorado – fittingly division rivals – have the most games in hand, four and three games respectively.

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That can actually work in the Blues favor though. St. Louis got really worn down in December. As fans we can say there are no excuses or these guys are getting paid to be in shape, etc. The bottom line is that fatigue does factor in, whether we like it or not.

It seems hard to believe that some of these other teams will not face its affects at some point when their schedule is condensed. The Blues should be the more rested team, in theory. That could give St. Louis a decided advantage when it comes to those important late season games.

More importantly than that is the Blues very clear advantage as to why they hold the destiny of the division in their hands. Simply put, the Blues play divisional opponents more than any other team in the Central.

Now, that is a double-edged sword, but it could be the deciding factor in where the Blues and everyone else finishes.

St. Louis has 14 of their remaining 31 games against Central opponents. That’s 14 times to have a four point swing every night.

Having games in hand is fantastic, if you have that on your side. If the Blues can win 60% of those games, however, then they shove those games in hand right back into their opponents’ faces. You put even more pressure on those teams to actually win those games instead of throwing away points.

So far, the Blues have done exactly that. Entering the All-Star break, they were 7-4-1 against the division. That’s winning 59% of your games, which is right around what they would need.

With the exception of Chicago, with whom the Blues have three games, there are not an overload of one opponent either. St. Louis still has to play every divisional opponent at least twice.

Again, there is a definite danger in that. There is also opportunity to steal points every single game.

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The part that is not in the Blues favor is the away game factor. Nine of the 14 divisional games will be on the road, including two straight to end the season.

If you’re going to be a contender, those are the breaks you have to deal with.

There are pitfalls everywhere, but Winnipeg is only three points away. Conversely, Chicago is only eight points back. The bottom line is that this division can still be the Blues to lose. Win eight or nine of those 14 games and don’t go to OT and you’ve set yourself up to finish well within the Central.

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