The gut feeling is that the St. Louis Blues will sink in the Central Division and revert completely back to reality by the time December 1st arrives. But what’s left of the optimist in me says, despite losing Philip Broberg for an extended period shortly after losing Robert Thomas, that this team has enough talent to rally and be right there in the thick of the early playoff race.
Should the Blues see a few players raise the bar a little, or a lot, this will be a possible scenario, so fans still have a reason to believe. But the challenge is real, as the Tampa Bay Lightning will skate into Gateway City looking to keep proving to the NHL universe that they’re still a force in this league.
So far, Tampa has done a good job proving its naysayers wrong while, to the delight of Blues fans everywhere, its former captain has yet to provide a spark for the Nashville Predators. Again, the realist in me says that won’t last, but in the here and now, it’s the situation Nashville finds itself in, so I’ll take it.
St. Louis Blues have a tough challenge, but simultaneously, an opportunity
Just how good have the Lightning been so far in 2024-25? They’re tied for second with 14 points in the Atlantic, but the good news is that the Blues have already shown they can take care of near-surefire playoff contenders from that division, much to former head coach Craig Berube’s chagrin.
The difference here is that the Lightning have a legitimate Hart Trophy contender, while the Leafs star players are, so far, enjoying solid but not elite campaigns. You can’t say the same about Nikita Kucherov, who already has 20 points in 12 contests, or six players who are averaging at least a point per game. Yeah, that’s impressive.
That said, it’s a game I don’t see the Blues having much of a chance in, but I’ll concede that I didn’t expect them to upset Craig Berube and the Maple Leafs, so anything can happen, right? I’ll also admit this: It’s the ultimate opportunity for the Blues, who have some of their best players missing time with injuries, to step up, shock the Lightning, and keep building momentum.
Yeah, it’s in the face of adversity, but hey, anything worth having is also worth the struggle, so we’ll see what tonight’s matchup holds.