The St. Louis Blues needed a test. They needed adversity. And fortunately, the Nashville Predators gave them some. A bad hockey team overall this season, the Preds nonetheless helped the Blues out. Because when you’re a team that’s as hot as St. Louis has been, it’s easy to get overconfident.
And to be honest, I thought that’s what we were going to see against a team that, on paper, they’re far superior to. For a while, it looked that way, as the Blues couldn’t get anything going before a monster third period kept the streak alive.
This test also came at the right time since the Blues, who now have 39 wins and 85 points on the season, are on the home stretch. It’s when they need to be laser-focused if they plan on keeping their momentum going and perhaps pull off an upset or two during the second half of April, or the first part of May.
St. Louis Blues made a statement and now they need to keep making them
The statement was simple, even against one of the worst teams in hockey: The Blues aren’t going to fold. But the real test will come on Saturday when they face a surefire playoff-caliber team in the Avalanche. If they can play the same brand of hockey they played in the third period on Thursday, then expect a ninth win in a row.
Games like what the Blues had on Thursday are momentum builders, and they’re learning experiences. Momentum builds when you can struggle throughout the first 40 minutes of a contest, then get it together in the third period and take home the win. But it also put the Blues another step closer in their odyssey of knowing what to do when such a situation arises.
Because if they complete this comeback-type of season they’ve enjoyed and get into the playoffs, those come-from-behind games will multiply, albeit against tougher opponents. Right now, if the season ended today, that opponent would be the Winnipeg Jets, a team the Blues have beaten once, lost to once in regulation, and also lost in overtime.
Build and sustain momentum, and keep playing good hockey in the clutch
While it would be great to see the Blues just roll into Denver and crush the Colorado Avalanche, I’d still like to see them face some adversity a few more times this season. If so, we need to see similar results to what we saw on Thursday - a good period or two so they can clinch another win, build more momentum, and ultimately cross the coveted line and earn their golden ticket into the playoffs.
But there’s more to it than that. Another few games similar to what we saw the Blues accomplish last night, and they’ll be more than ready for the playoffs. Sure, the competition will be stronger, but they’ll have had plenty of repetition in facing and dealing with it. That would give us a team brimming with confidence as they enter the postseason.
But first, they got to get there, and a win against Colorado will give them 87 points and right up there with the Minnesota Wild.