St. Louis Blues Look To Remain Undefeated In 2019
By Jason Martin
The St. Louis Blues may have had a lackluster 2018 campaign, but they will look to turn the tables in the right direction heading into the new calendar year.
The St. Louis Blues stunk in 2018, and there are few positives that can be taken away from a team standpoint. None of that matters now, it’s 2019, and the Blues have the fewest losses in the National Hockey League.
There was some good news heading into the first game of 2019, Ryan O’Reilly has been chosen as the only St. Louis Blue to represent the team at the 2019 NHL All-Star Game, which should not come as a surprise to anyone.
Washington Capitals (1st Place Metropolitan)
Record: 24-11-3
Last 10: 8-2-0
Point Leaders: Alex Ovechkin (45), Nicklas Backstrom (44)
The Washington Capitals are picking up right where they left off after last years run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The defending champions are not showing any signs of a hangover from their long season and are once again one of the best teams in the league.
In order to beat the Capitals, the Blues need to shut down Ovechkin. Even at his “old age” (33) he is still on pace to break the all-time scoring record and is solidifying himself as one of the greatest players of all time.
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Stopping the Capitals powerplay is also a big priority for St. Louis. The Caps top powerplay features five players who are all capable of doing damage.
Discipline has been a problem for the Blues this season. Too many men penalties continue to haunt St. Louis and if they want a chance to win this game they need to stay out of the box.
St. Louis has a chance to have more than one all-star a few weeks from now in San Jose. Vladimir Tarasenko has the opportunity to be voted in by the fans as the final representative from the Central Division.
The Russian is having a terrible season by his standards. He is third on the team in points with 22 and has just 11 goals on the season. The alarming stat for Tarasenko is the lack of even strength goals. Five of his 11 goals have come five on five while the remaining six have come on the powerplay.
There is a question of whether or not Tarasenko will play tonight against Washington. He has been held out of practice the past two days due to an illness. He is listed as a game-time decision and if he is unable to go then Zach Sanford will likely take his place.
St. Louis could also opt to start all seven defensemen on the roster. This is the first time all season that every defenseman has been healthy and with Carl Gunnarsson returning to the lineup tonight, the Blues, the team finally has some defensive flexibility.
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There is no such thing as a winnable game for this Blues team, and facing the Capitals may be the furthest thing from a winnable game. It may be time to stop wondering if this team will turn the season around, and start wondering if it is time to starting the “lose for Hughes” campaign.