The St. Louis Blues have been nothing more than an exciting team to watch this season. Since they fired their former head coach, Drew Barrister, and then hired the one guy who could potentially save this season from certain doom, Jim Montgomery, they have been must-see hockey. But, something still seems to be missing from this team, what could it be?
Powerplay
So, I guess someone in the Blues organization, either player or coach of the front office, heard the outcry that the powerplay was horrendous up until the Winter Classic. They sure silenced the haters in the first period of the 6-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks in the friendly confines of Wrigley Field.
But that is not the solution that everyone was hoping for. One good game of having multiple goals with the man advantage does not fix an entire miserable season. There needs to be more consistency when the Blues have a better chance of scoring. When the opportunity arises, there needs to be someone who can step up and execute.
Speaking of consistency...
Goaltending Consistency
One of the main reasons why the Blues have been constantly hovering around the .500 mark as of late is because of goaltending. Both Jordan Binnington and Joel Hofer have been adequate, sub-par perhaps. But, nothing to write home about.
There needs to be more consistency from the last line of defense. Both of these goaltenders have shown the ability to shut out and show out against the most elite offensive units in the league but then become swish cheese against mediocre talent. That simply cannot happen if this team wants to fulfill the expectation that they can be a playoff hockey team.
What's that about consistency...
Overall Consistency
Outside of goaltending being a consistency issue, the entire team as a whole seems to be dealing with the same issue. Not long ago, the Blues were only able to get 80 pucks to the opposing goaltender, throughout 12 periods of hockey. And then, they put up nearly 30+ shots per game over their last three contests.
Even more, their offensive output seems to be generated by the same few names. which can be a good thing, but it will inevitably not be a good thing. There needs to be help from the third/fourth lines in terms of meaningful contributions. It seems like on a nightly basis we see Jordan Kyrou, Dylan Hollaway, or Robert Thomas. Rarely do we see Zachary Bolduc or even Captain Brayden Schenn.
Those kinds of things need to change, and that seems to be what's missing from the winning formula for the Blues.