St. Louis Blues Go Goalless When They Need Goals The Most

The St. Louis Blues are no slouch on offense, even if they are not league leaders. However, there are still some very important scenarios where they simply cannot produce.

We’re all just waiting to see if the St. Louis Blues will be able to finish the 2019-20 season. While we wait, might just as well do a little complaining.

Despite what we perceive about our favorite team at times, they are actually a pretty good offensive team. In 2019-20, they were tied for fourth in goals scored in the Western Conference. Seven Eastern Conference teams had more goals, so they were slightly better than middle of the pack.

The same was true in 2018-19, as the Blues were 15th in goals scored. St. Louis was 12th in goals scored in 2016-17.

So, clearly they are not loaded with offensive firepower. They’re still better than the majority of the league.

However, Tom Timmermann confirmed what we had long suspected and feared. The Blues are absolutely useless when it comes to scoring in key moments when they really should score or really need to score.

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In a Q&A on stltoday.com, Timmermann ran down several interesting numbers from what we had of the 2019-20 season. Coming up with big goose eggs was the Blues with their goaltender pulled and also with a five-on-three power play.

The power play is something we have known about for quite some time. The Blues have not scored a five-on-three in years – not months, not a season, but years. Ken Hitchcock was the coach the last time the Blues scored with a two-man advantage at five-on-three.

It is continually puzzling how a team, even with its struggles on the power play at times, can look relatively good at even strength and on the power play and then be at a loss for ideas when up by two men. Their passing becomes predictable and they invite pressure by being indecisive or slow.

St. Louis doesn’t force their opponent into any mistakes. Opposing penalty kills just tighten up their triangle defense and either block shots or allow easy saves for their goaltender.

There are differences to defending a five-on-three. It is much more positionally oriented, so you’re guarding space rather than a man, but it clearly is not the fact there are only three guys on the ice that gives the Blues fits.

St. Louis leads the league in four-on-three goals. They have four of those.

St. Louis is not that bad on the power play either. At five-on-four they have dipped their toes into the top five regularly in 2019-20.

However, they had over nine minutes of five-on-three power play time just this season and no goals. At this point, it has to be in their heads.

Another situation that the Blues continue to fail in is scoring with their own goaltender pulled. These are critical moments in a game when you are trying to grab at least a point.

While few can complain with being first in the Western Conference, the Blues could have had more of a cushion if they got some of those points. However, St. Louis has not scored at all when their goaltender is pulled and they are attempting to tie the game in 2019-20.

I’d like to know when the last time they did tie the game in that scenario was. It was probably not as long ago as a five-on-three goal, but it feels like it.

At this point, the Blues only pull the goaltender because the situation dictates it. The reality is they’d be more likely to tie the game if they stuck to five-on-five and the stats bear that out.

Not only do the Blues not score in those situations, but they almost always allow a goal. When the opposing team pulls their goalie, they pressure the Blues like crazy. When St. Louis pulls its goaltender, they always seem to bungle some pass or zone entry and the puck ends up in their net.

Maybe it is nitpicky, but it is insane that a team with no quit and a team that continually finds a way to battle back cannot find ways to battle back in the final minutes with their goaltender pulled. It’s a situation where you’re not expected to score a ton, but none? C’mon.

If the season is canceled, no Cup should be awarded. dark. Next

St. Louis has talent and they have perseverance. The fact they cannot score five-on-three or with their goaltender pulled is mind boggling.

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