NHL

St. Louis Blues: Which Team Will Show Up on Thursday?

by
Former Writers
December 19, 2018

NHL

Which Version of the St. Louis Blues Will Show Up to Play in Vancouver?

The 2018-19 season has been full of ups and downs for the St. Louis Blues… well mostly downs. But there have been a few ups. However, these ups lead to many more downs. Three times this season, the Blues have had two game winning streaks snapped by losses in which the team played a dysfunctional game. In the three losses that ended the streaks St. Louis has been outscored 15-5. All three of the losses have come at home.

There have been several times this year that the St. Louis Blues play a terrible game after winning the previous. It isn’t just with a two-game win streak. There have been eight times this season where a huge win against a strong team was followed by a loss.

Win Tonight, Embarrassed Tomorrow

Here the eight times that I noted to above:

4-1 Win in Toronto followed by a 5-4 OT Loss to Winnipeg
5-3 Win over Vegas followed by a 5-1 Loss to Minnesota
4-0 Win over San Jose followed by a 3-2 Loss to Minnesota
4-1 Win in Vegas followed by a 4-0 Loss to San Jose
6-2 Win over Nashville followed by an 8-4 Loss to Winnipeg
3-2 OT Win in Colorado followed by a 6-1 Loss to Arizona
1-0 Win in Winnipeg followed by a 6-1 Loss to Vancouver
4-3 OT Win over Colorado followed by a 7-2 Loss to Calgary

I think you get the picture. The bold lines are back-to-back games.

In the four sets of back-to-back games, the Blues have lost the second night four times. In the four losses, the Blues have been outscored 21-7. The St. Louis Blues have a 3-4-2 record in games after a win. After winning games the Blues have been outscored 39-26. Enough of the records and goals, What does this mean?

What Does This Mean?

To be Captain Obvious, this means that the St. Louis Blues are not good. It could also mean that the players either decide which games they want to play hard and together in and what games they do not want to play, or it could mean that the coaches (Mike Yeo or Craig Berube) threatened a tougher practice if the team plays terrible in a certain game. If the latter is true, this could mean that the practices have not been as hard after wins causing a lackluster performance in games after wins. I am not going to sit here and say for sure that this is what is happening because I do not know. But if it is the case, it is not a good way to coach a team.

What Could Fans Expect on Thursday?

Well, if we are going off the trend and record, fans may see a poor game with little passing success, low shot amounts, poor defense and no communication. But there is a silver lining: the St. Louis Blues have won three of their last four games. Winning three of the last four usually means the team is good, but while the Blues have a good roster on paper, the 7-2 loss to Calgary and in some of the past few wins, there were moments where the team made several mistakes in a row and did not look like they were going to pull off the win.

Last time out against Edmonton (12/18) the St. Louis Blues pulled off the win but made many defensive and neutral zone turnovers that led to a couple great scoring chances for the Oilers. If it wasn’t for Jake Allen’s play, the Blues would have lost by a lot last night.

Coming into the game on December 20, the Vancouver Canucks have won six of the last eight games and have scored 28 goals and allowed just 18 goals in that span. Blues fans have played witness to what happens when you sit back and let the Canucks make plays. Vancouver is a team that will make you pay if you take a lousy penalty or make a bad pass that will result in a turnover.

If you’re a Blues fan, you have to be hoping for a win but expecting a loss with the way the St. Louis Blues have played in games after big wins this year. For the Blues to win, they need their defense to step up and make it seem like Brock Boeser, Bo Horvat and Elias Pettersson are invisible. But since the defense did that last game in Edmonton, I would not expect great defensive plays.

Thursday will mark game number 33 for St. Louis, who are past the make or break point of the season. It is time to see what this team can do with their backs up against the wall.