The St. Louis Blues really didn't even show up against the Edmonton Oilers. We got a better version against the Winnipeg Jets, but things still don't always go their way.
The Blues opened up the period quite well. Otto Stenberg had a great chance at net just a couple of minutes in, and St. Louis looked like they came to play.
Unfortunately, the fates had other plans. After a faceoff, Nathan Walker had his stick lifted, and his stick hit him in the chin. When reacting to that, his stick then hit the Winnipeg player up high, and the Jets got a four-minute power play.
Josh Morrissey scored on a wrister within the first two minutes. Tyler Tucker was trying to push the Jets man out and ended up screening Joel Hofer.
About 90 seconds later, the Jets were up 2-0 with another power play goal. This time, Justin Faulk charged the man near the blue line and missed. Mark Scheifele drove to the goal line and roofed a shot over Hofer's blocker's shoulder when Hofer cheated off the post, thinking there would be a pass.
The Blues immediately responded, but still had no luck. Cam Fowler had a great wrister that went off the glove and trickled towards the goal line. The Jets defender cleared it just before it could cross, so it stayed 2-0.
The Blues still had a couple of looks. A one-timer from Jimmy Snuggerud on a late power play was well set up, but the Blues kept missing the net. Both teams finished the first period with six shots, but the Jets hit the back of the net.
The Jets nearly got a shorthanded goal in the second period. They won the faceoff and sprung a breakaway, but it remained 2-0. The Blues couldn't get set up on the power play after that, and the Jets nearly scored on another breakaway just after it ended, but shot wide.
It continued to be a wide-open mess in the first three minutes. Hofer turned the puck over around the goal line, but thankfully, the Jets didn't get a shot off.
A turnover at the Blues line nearly made it 3-0. Scheifele found the man on the two-on-one, but Winnipeg hit the post on the blocker-side shot.
Minutes later, the Blues were denied by the iron. The red-hot Nick Bjugstad broke in on the right wing and beat the goalie, but found the post.
The Blues were buzzing for a bit and then earned themselves a double-minor power play. Similar to the Jets, St. Louis got a goal in the first two minutes as Faulk got it from the blueline to Jordan Kyrou on the left circle, and he scored with the one timer to make it 2-1.
Unlike the Jets, the Blues couldn't get the second one on the backside of the double minor. Hofer then bailed the Blues out after a giveaway led to a one-on-none chance in front, but the Blues' goalie got the glove save to keep it a one-goal game going into the intermission.
St. Louis came out well in the third period. They outshot the Jets 5-1 through the first 13 minutes. The Blues killed off an early Dalibor Dvorsky hold, but then failed to get more than one shot on their own power play minutes afterward.
St. Louis shot themselves in the foot at the end of the game. They pulled the goalie with close to 2:30 left in the game, which wasn't necessary. They needed to get full possession of the puck and then pull him with about two minutes left, but they didn't have the puck, and of course, the Jets just came right out and scored an empty net goal to make it 3-1.
St. Louis pulled the goalie again and didn't score, but also didn't allow another one. It was a 3-1 win for Winnipeg.
Pro: Better at five-on-five
Nobody wants to hear it. I don't want to say it - there isn't any room for moral victories right now. However, the reality is that the Blues were the better team at even strength.
The Blues played a well-orchestrated game, keeping the Jets in check, and had the better of the scoring chances. They held the top scorers for Winnipeg off the board at even strength, and they really didn't even create anything that was overly dangerous.
The Blues' offense only had six shots in the third, which isn't enough, but they held the Jets to only two. Considering the Jets had a power play in the third, overall, the Blues shut them down to give themselves a chance to tie.
Pro/Con: Special teams
On the positive side, the Blues got a power play goal. They got Jordan Kyrou going after not scoring for 14 games and worked the puck around and looked like a real power play.
Overall, they went 1-4 though. St. Louis' only other decent power play was the second of the double minor. The rest were mediocre at best.
When the game is in the balance, you want your special teams to come up with that big play. As the game got tighter, the power play went back to the problems it has had in previous games.
Meanwhile, the penalty kill just didn't get it done. Hofer cheated on the one goal and the other one was a defender actually trying to get his man out of the front, which the Blues often don't.
Those aren't excuses though. It's just a reality this team is faced with that choices made often end up being the wrong ones.
If Faulk stays in position, the man at the point just charges in and has a great shooting lane or a pass for a backdoor play. He charges out and comes up empty, which leads to an unguarded shot down low. It's damned if you do, damned if you don't.
Similarly, if Tucker doesn't move the man, that guy might screen Hofer anyway. Or, maybe leaving him be lets Hofer see the puck. Nobody knows. The bottom line is the Blues allowed two power play goals on three attempts and only got one power play goal back on four attempts. That's the difference in the game.
Overview:
Other teams continue to keep the Blues alive in the playoff race, but even with 32 games left, it's just time to realize this is what this team is. They can't beat the teams at their level consistently enough to get over the hump and get their doors blown off too much in other games to keep letting good performances slip by.
If you're going to get destroyed by the Edmonton and Colorado's of the world, you have to beat Chicago and Nashville and Winnipeg.
The Blues got whalloped by Chicago, they've had mixed results against Nashville and just lost to the Jets even when they outplayed them most the game. This current incarnation of the Blues simply cannot overcome their own mistakes.
If the goaltenders don't pitch shutouts, the chance of winning is miniscule. Hofer played well enough to give this team every chance to tie and win it late.
He makes one mistake by cheating off the post and the Blues can't bail him out even though he and Jordan Binnington have bailed them out countless times. It's just the same story over and over.
Where is the offense? This team has good, young talent coming up and they'll make mistakes and not have that killer, finishing instinct all the time just yet. But the veterans, guys who are capable of 25-30 goals, aren't scoring enough, which puts more pressure on rookies and fourth line guys.
The Blues hit posts and had a sure goal cleared off the goal line. It's just not happening this time around. Even when they're the better team, they can't get points when they should.
I'm not giving up on this season because I love the Blues and, frankly, the discussion about tanking for better draft position irritates me to no end. If they make a charge for the playoffs, so be it and we should all be happy, but I just don't see it in this current squad any more.