What a difference a couple of weeks make.
On April 4, the day after their last win, the St. Louis Blues had 111 points, tied for tops in the NHL. The team had a three-point lead over the Anaheim Ducks for the best record in the Western Conference and a seven-point lead over the Colorado Avalanche in the race for the Central Division title.
The Blues were in position to challenge for the Presidents’ Trophy, awarded to the team with the best regular-season record. More importantly, they were a leading choice to win the Stanley Cup. (I, for one, predicted they would do so.)
Then everything fell apart.
The Blues lost their last six games, limping into the playoffs. They won neither the conference nor the division, and now must face the defending-champion Chicago Blackhawks in the first round. (Don’t even get me started on the NHL’s idiotic new playoff format.) The timing couldn’t be worse. After going without their best players for weeks, the Blackhawks are getting stars Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews back just in time for the playoffs.
Is there any chance that St. Louis can recover from its late-season slide to beat Chicago in the seven-game series that starts Thursday at Scottrade Center? It’s impossible to predict what the Blues have left in the tank, if anything, and anyone who’s feeling confident is kidding themselves. But if the Note is to compete for the Cup, here’s what it needs to do:
1. Ryan Miller must live up to his reputation. It’s this simple: The star goaltender, acquired in a blockbuster trade, has thus far been a bust. Many in the media still talk about Miller like he represents a major upgrade, but that’s based on his name, not his performance. Of the three netminders who have taken the ice for the Blues this season, Miller has the lowest save percentage and the highest goals-against average. And like the rest of the team, Miller has only been getting worse. He lost his last five starts, allowing a 3.60 goals-against average over that span. Jaroslav Halak, who was traded away for Miller, has been putting up much better numbers since the deal. It’s time for Miller to prove he’s still an elite player.
2. Get healthy. In the regular-season finale on Sunday, a disheartening, depressing, and lifeless 3–0 loss at home to the Detroit Red Wings—on what was supposed to be Fan Appreciation day—the Blues played without most of their regular lineup. David Backes, T.J. Oshie, Patrick Berglund, Barrett Jackman, Brenden Morrow, Alex Pietrangelo, and two Vladimirs—Sobotka and Tarasenko—all sat out. Backes, Oshie, Pietrangelo, Jackman, and Sobotka are expected to be back for Game 1. But will they be even close to 100 percent? The current losing streak seemed to coincide with the loss of Tarasenko, and his return date is still uncertain. All season, this squad, which lacks major star power, has based its success on physical defense and balanced offense. For that to work, the Blues need their full complement of players.
3. Find offense. During the six-game losing streak, the Blues scored just five total goals and were shut out three times. Alex Steen, who led the team with 33 goals, has yet to put the puck in the net in April. David Backes had a hat trick on March 25. Since then, he hasn’t scored a goal. It’s a similar story up and down the roster. Coach Ken Hitchcock needs to do whatever it takes—mixing up lines, giving really good pep talks, I have no idea what—to get these guys going. Hopefully, a few days of rest will help immensely.
4. Keep killing penalties. The Blues had the second best penalty-kill unit in the NHL this season (at 85.7 percent), thanks in large part to Pietrangelo, one of the league’s premier defensemen. He’s also often a key to triggering the offense, as the team’s assist leader. On paper, the Blackhawks seem to have advantages in several other areas, but the Blues’ superior PK could be the equalizer.
