The St. Louis Blues' chances look a little iffy following a 3-2-1 start in the team’s first six games. Sure, it’s only six games. But time has a habit of just speeding by. Before you know it, it’s Thanksgiving, then Christmas, and then January. By then, plenty of teams shake their heads, wondering where the time went.
Such is the risk the St. Louis Blues run this season. They cannot afford to let time slip away. Teams with strong starts have a much better shot at ending the season in relative tranquility than those teams gasping to catch up in March and April.
As it stands, it looks like the Colorado Avalanche are running away with the Central Division. The Avalanche have 11 points in six games, and well, they don’t look like they’ll be slowing down any time soon.
The Winnipeg Jets have won five in a row after dropping their first game of the year. Heck, even Chicago and Utah look good. In particular, the Blackhawks have played way better than most pundits anticipated. Chicago has eight points in seven games and looks like it could be turning a corner.
So, where does that leave the Blues? Surprisingly, the Blues are tied with the Dallas Stars with six points in five games. But that also means the Blues are tied with the last-place Nashville Predators, who also have six points in five games.
If this trend keeps up, the Blues will be hard-pressed to catch up to Utah and Chicago. We can write off the top two spots already, as Colorado and Winnipeg look unreachable already at this point. So, it will come down to the Blues fighting for the third spot in the division in what looks to be a logjam of potential playoff bubble teams.
Blues must prioritize consistency moving forward
The saying, “one day at a time,” is one that has saved countless lives. The same can be said about the Blues’ season. If the club takes the season one game at a time, there should be no reason why the team can’t pull together a solid campaign.
The name of the game here is consistency. And that’s the hardest part of professional sports. Pro athletes now that there are so many ups and downs throughout a game, and throughout a season.
Some players get hot, others slump, and so goes the cycle. But it’s the players that remain on their game more often than not who reach the pinnacle of success. That’s why the Blues must prioritize consistent efforts moving forward.
Fans would like to see more games like the 3-1 win over the Dallas Stars and fewer ones like the 8-3 pounding against the Blackhawks. If more games like the former emerge in the Blues’ ledger, the chances of making the playoffs increase significantly.
However, if the Blues take games off against seemingly inferior opponents, then, well, things could take a drastic turn.
Since the season has just gotten started, the Blues have the opportunity to turn things around and set the groundwork for what could be a successful run at a playoff berth.