_ The Blues are coming off the heels of a hard fought loss in
shootouts last Saturday in Minnesota and look to rebound against another
formidable opponent in the Los Angeles Kings this Tuesday. The early
6:30 PM puck drop will look to feature similar teams resembling an
almost identical record as the Blues are 17th in the Western Conferance
with 22 points and the Kings are 15th with 23 points, respectively. The
Payne led Blues laid an egg against the Kings in the last matchup
losing 5-0 in the teams' last meeting in LA. The Blues may not have had a
worse game all year, including all of last year, as Simon Gagne touched
them for 2 goals and 3 points, and Anze Kopitar added a goal and an
assist in mid October. However this Blues team now compared to only a
month ago hardly resembles itself to the team that looked so horrid in
the city of angels before Ken Hitchcock took the reigns as
head coach. Hitchcock's can-do-attitude and sets of intangibles he
brings to the table has been the topic of much discussion amongst Blues
Fans. It will be very interesting to see what game plan Hitchcock will
want to instill tomorrow night against the King's potent offense. Brett
Hull played under Hitchcock (and won a Stanley Cup under him) and
revealed a few weeks ago to the St.Louis media the mentality and
coaching style he brings. The former Blues great eluded to Hitchcocks
overall defensive system, but mentioned he made certain tweaks depending
on the style of the opponent. Well it seems the Kings' lineup
represents the Blues' in many ways; speedy wingers and defensemen who
can move the puck and shoot from anywhere, big centers who like to
screen the goalie and crash the net for rebounds, and goaltenders who,
on any given night, can be difference makers. This is a really
unpredictable game as we could see either a
high scoring rope-a-dope style, or see both teams form into defensive
shells and not take many chances. If I were a betting man I'de say both
teams start out defensive early looking to get that lucky break and
then try to pepper the goaltenders later. Another matchup to watch is
the Blues defensemen against the big Kings centers Gagne and Kopitar who
look to reak havoc in front of whichever goaltender the Blues set out
there.
While there has been much kudos eerned early in the Hitchcock era, there are still many unanswered questions. Will his message and system resonate with the young Blues players over the long haul? Will they keep up the tempo and sustain the great play over the last three weeks and push for a deep playoff run? Heck, will they even make the playoffs? Right now I imagine if you asked anyone following the Blues right now they would say this team should seriously compete for a playoff spot based on the last ten games, but the same followers also would have told you the same thing last year after the Blues won seven in a row and nine of their first twelve. Yes you read that right... Seven in a row!-- and they still couldn't manage to make the playoffs after a great start. Yikes, even certain sporting news conglomerates had the Blues ranked 1st to 3rd in the early season rankings. Yes they did get hit with a rash of a few key injuries, but anyone who follows the Green Bay Packers can tell you that injuries are no excuse. Besides, this is the NHL playoffs we are talking about here. Not exactly the hardest format in terms of making the playoffs. I mean come on, over half the teams in the NHL make the playoffs and the Blues couldn't manage a playoff win in nearly a decade.
While there has been much kudos eerned early in the Hitchcock era, there are still many unanswered questions. Will his message and system resonate with the young Blues players over the long haul? Will they keep up the tempo and sustain the great play over the last three weeks and push for a deep playoff run? Heck, will they even make the playoffs? Right now I imagine if you asked anyone following the Blues right now they would say this team should seriously compete for a playoff spot based on the last ten games, but the same followers also would have told you the same thing last year after the Blues won seven in a row and nine of their first twelve. Yes you read that right... Seven in a row!-- and they still couldn't manage to make the playoffs after a great start. Yikes, even certain sporting news conglomerates had the Blues ranked 1st to 3rd in the early season rankings. Yes they did get hit with a rash of a few key injuries, but anyone who follows the Green Bay Packers can tell you that injuries are no excuse. Besides, this is the NHL playoffs we are talking about here. Not exactly the hardest format in terms of making the playoffs. I mean come on, over half the teams in the NHL make the playoffs and the Blues couldn't manage a playoff win in nearly a decade.
_ Think about it, Justin Beiber was 7 years old, Scott Stevens was still playing for the New Jersey Devils, and Kieth Primeau was still in uniform with Philadelphia Flyers the last time the Blues had a playoff win. If the Blues fans were to stand by their team much longer
I'de have to say they are a glutton for punishment. Primeau, by the
way, suffered four concussions in the NHL before calling it quits, which
brings me to the next topic of discussion. David Perron does not have
to wear the red no contact jersey in practice anymore. The only
remaining step for him to come back is to
pass conditioning tests which is a great sign for the Blues. The
Blues may be playing their next game against LA without two of their
top offensive forwards in Stewart (suspension) and Perron (concussion),
but they both could be in the lineup in their next game vs the Penguins a
day later possibly. All things are merry thus far in Bluestown USA,
however I remain cautiously optimistic on all fronts.