Bleedin' Blue
Fansided

St. Louis Blues: What If The NHL Playoffs Began Immediately?

By Todd Panula

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - FEBRUARY 16: Alex Pietrangelo #27 of the St. Louis Blues takes a shot past Ryan Johansen #92 of the Nashville Predators during the second period at Bridgestone Arena on February 16, 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - FEBRUARY 16: Alex Pietrangelo #27 of the St. Louis Blues takes a shot past Ryan Johansen #92 of the Nashville Predators during the second period at Bridgestone Arena on February 16, 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 4
Next
St. Louis Blues
ST. LOUIS, MO – NOVEMBER 19: Ondrej Palat #18 of the Tampa Bay Lightning pressures Sammy Blais #9 of the St. Louis Blues at Enterprise Center on November 19, 2019 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Joe Puetz/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Stanley Cup Final

Blues vs. Lightning

The Blues battled it out for seven games and came out battered and weary from the Western Conference. They were going against a more rested, more talented offensive team that should rid the rest of the country from midwest filth easily. Sounds familiar, right?

While this series would not have the snarl that we came to expect from the Blues against the Bruins, by the time you get to play for a Cup, teams find a way to hate one another. Just look at 2011 when Boston beat Vancouver and players were literally biting one another.

This series would not approach those levels, but just the fact that Pat Maroon might be taking part would give this series a different and gritty feel. It would be odd for Blues fans to see their “hometown hero” on the other side and also see the other side of him. They would quickly learn to hate him for the same things that made us love him last year.

The series would honestly come down to who was better in the playoffs. If you go by the regular season, the Blues have the edge since Tampa has not defeated them since 2017. The Blues have won four straight, including both games in 2019-20, winning 3-1 and 4-3.

Both teams are far different than they were back then (November) and tey would be far different by this time too, having gone through the grueling experience that is the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The magnitude of every mistake is beyond reckoning.

However, if you’re reading this, you know who I am picking.

I’m a Blues fan and an unabashed homer. I respect the talent on Tampa and, if they made it this far, they would scare the hell out of me. I would not be surprised to see the Lightning hoist the trophy based on skill alone.

Even so, unless the Blues are just completely worn out by all the hockey they’ve played over recent seasons, nobody outside of Boston is denying them from the Eastern Conference. The Blues had mixed results against the East this season, but their style is just so hard to play against and the travel tends to help the Western team since the teams in the East are not accustomed to it.

If the Blues play their game, they win, pure and simple. It would likely be another long series and, if you listen to the Hockey Guy, winning back-to-back Cups is hard and unlikely to happen this year.

If NHL resumes, does delay hurt Vladimir Tarasenko?. dark. Next

The Blues are built to win right now though and they have the depth to do it. Maybe they don’t win another Cup in our lifetimes, but in this scenario, with the rest gained and a potentially healthy Vladimir Tarasenko in hand, the Blues win their second Stanley Cup in franchise history and we get to annoy even more Blackhawks fans.

Hopefully, we will get back to real hockey and see if this actually comes true. For now, all we have is our guesses. I hope this was a fun one for you, even if you think I’m off my rocker.

Home/Editorials