Remember when I said the St. Louis Blues ‘could sink in November’ or something along those lines? And do you remember when they gave us a little hope that may have rendered that projection void? Then, do you remember what just happened a couple of nights back in which they completely forgot how to play hockey?
Finally, have you checked the upcoming schedule by any chance? I’m asking this question because the Blues are facing a make-it-or-break-it moment in the middle of November. No, it won’t decide the season, but it could be a momentum booster or, well, the opposite.
The Blues are a team that needs to figure out how to get consistent in the W column, and, unfortunately for them, so do the teams they’re about to play. Over the next seven days, starting on November 12th, St. Louis will face the Boston Bruins twice, the Buffalo Sabres, the Carolina Hurricanes, and the Minnesota Wild.
Two of those teams and three of those games will come against teams in a similar position as the Blues. Boston and Buffalo are both inconsistent, and we have no idea whether they’re good hockey teams or just mediocre.
St. Louis Blues have one make-it-or-break-it gauntlet coming up
I don’t think I need to explain much about the Minnesota Wild and the Carolina Hurricanes, as both teams have been phenomenal so far. This means the Blues will have their work more than cut out for them, but it will also give us a good measuring stick over where they’re currently at.
And yes, I know they’re still banged up and will be missing key players, but that just tells me we’ll see if they can keep rising up and challenging adversity, something they’ve done a few times already.
I won’t be so brash and claim the Blues will come close to winning all of these games. But if they can take three of them and stick around the 0.500 mark, consider my ‘sinking prophecy’ void. Or, at least we can start believing that I spoke too soon.
If they win two or fewer of these matchups, the season won’t be finished by any stretch, but it’s hard to shake the vibe that sub-0.500 hockey will be on the slate for most of the season. It’s also worth keeping in mind that they’ve lost 8-1 twice in a two-week span, so here’s to hoping this team won’t start taking the ice and thinking about their recent performances.