• HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • Site Index
  • NHL Salary Caps
  • Hockey 101: A Beginner’s Guide
  • Join Our Team
  • Free Newsletter
  • Store
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
Home
St Louis Blues

St. Louis Singing the Blues

By Zachary Defreitas March 9th, 2018

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

The St. Louis Blues have been struggling for quite some time. From a division title contender in November to now being out of the playoff picture entirely, the fans have lost in faith in Mike Yeo, Jake Allen and the entire defensive corps. There are 16 games left in the 2017-18 regular season, and the Blues are two points out of the final wild card position. Time is running out for the team to turn it around.

Defensive Youth Put to Test

Jay Bouwmeester is injured, again. With Bouwmeester out for the rest of the season, the Blues will be leaning on young defenders to carry them the rest of the way. For the upcoming California road trip, Vince Dunn will move up to pair with Colton Parayko, which means a larger share of responsibility for the rookie. Dunn has over-achieved this season for the parent club and to many he has been one of the highlights of this team. Through 59 games he has 16 points, including four goals and an impressive plus-seven.

On the other hand, Jordan Schmaltz has been disappointing for many fans. His play has been less than stellar and his production isn’t close to being enough to justify his place on the team. In his seven games with the parent club, Schmaltz has zero points and only two shots.

Joel Edmundson is close to returning and the Blues need him badly. But what they need even more is for him to return healthy. His 15 points and 53 penalty minutes are sorely missed right now. The Blues are being pushed around left and right in their own defensive zone, and have no protection for their stars without him in the lineup when things get physical.

A Terrible Month of February

The boys in blue dropped nine of 13 games in February, including an abysmal seven game losing streak where they were shut out twice and gave up 29 goals. You read that correctly: in seven games between Feb. 11 and Feb. 27, Blues goalies gave up 29 goals. We can blame anyone that will make you feel better about those numbers. Jake Allen regressed drastically with 23 goals surrendered and only one win for the whole month. Carter Hutton didn’t do much better; he managed a meager 3-3-1 record with 17 goals against for the month.

Carter Hutton

Carter Hutton (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

But it’s not fair to put this all on the goalies. In that same seven game stretch the offense was as anemic as they have been all season. 10 goals were scored by the Blues during their losing streak, and two of those games had three goals scored. Which means that in five of the seven games the Blues scored a combined four goals. Two shutouts, which occurred in back to back games mind you, showcased the struggles to the whole league.

I’ll give you a second to digest those terrible numbers. It was a month to forget, not even a big win over the Winnipeg Jets on Feb. 9 can really give any hope for the rest of the season. BUT there is still hope.

Related: Blues Plagued by Injuries Yet Again

A Familiar Place

At the end of the day on Mar. 8, 2017, the Blues were one game over .500 and had 71 points, good for fourth in the Central Division. Flash forward to this season and the Blues have 75 points and are nine games over .500. The problem is that the Jets, the Dallas Stars, and the Colorado Avalanche are all player better this year than they did last season. The Nashville Predators are improving on their stellar campaign from a year ago, and the Minnesota Wild are right there again in the mix after a slow start.

The Blues finished last season with 46 wins and 99 points, going 13-2-2 from Mar. 8 on to make the playoffs as the third seed in the Central. If they can go on a similar run this year with the team they have assembled they would break 100 points and be well into a playoff position.

Vladimir Tarasenko Brayden Schenn St. Louis Blues

Vladimir Tarasenko and Brayden Schenn, St. Louis Blues, January 6, 2018 (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

The season is NOT over, in fact there’s a large enough chunk left that the standings can be radically changed by a big winning or losing streak. Vladimir Tarasenko has seemingly found his scoring touch again, Brayden Schenn is continuing to be a consistent offensive force, and Alex Pietrangelo is playing the best you can expect out of a player who is scrutinized by fans for every action and inaction. The Blues can recover, and with the support of the fans and the city, there’s no reason to believe they can’t.

  • Tags
  • Vince Dunn
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

Get theScore App Now!
Recent Posts
Jan 27th 5:45 PM
New York Rangers

Rangers Goaltending Struggles Show Georgiev Is Best Option

Jan 27th 5:30 PM
Column

Maple Leafs News & Rumors: Holl, Andersen, Marner, Matthews & Woll

Jan 27th 5:20 PM
New York Islanders

Islanders Season Ticket Sales at UBS Arena Exceeding Expectations

Jan 27th 5:10 PM
Edmonton Oilers

4 Ups and 4 Downs Eight Games Into Oilers 2020-21 NHL Season

Jan 27th 4:35 PM
Column

Blues Weekly: Standout Performances Highlight .500 Week

Jan 27th 4:15 PM
Arizona Coyotes

Soup To Nuts, Coyotes Make Moves To Improve On All Levels

Jan 27th 4:05 PM
Commentary

3 Stars That Could Be Traded in the Wake of the Laine/Dubois Deal

Jan 27th 3:55 PM
Editor's Choice

3 Best Edmonton Oilers to Never Win a Stanley Cup

Jan 27th 3:45 PM
Fantasy

Kings’ 5 Most Valuable Players for Fantasy Hockey

Jan 27th 3:35 PM
Columbus Blue Jackets

Why Burke Anticipates the Tortorella, Laine Relationship Will Be ‘Just Fine’ [Video]

Editor’s Picks
Wayne Gretzky - The Great One's 10 Most Unbreakable Records

Wayne Gretzky - The Great One's 10 Most Unbreakable Records

Test Your Wayne Gretzky Knowledge With Our Quiz

Test Your Wayne Gretzky Knowledge With Our Quiz

Masthead

Newsletters

RSS Feeds

Privacy Statement

Contact Us

About THW…

Founded in 2009, The Hockey Writers is a premier destination for news and information on everything hockey. Updated daily with news and features from over 130 writers worldwide. Over 2 million monthly readers now come to THW for their hockey fix.

© The Hockey Writers 2020. All rights reserved.
logo
  • HOME
  • Hockey Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • North Division
    • Calgary Flames
    • Edmonton Oilers
    • Montreal Canadiens
    • Ottawa Senators
    • Toronto Maple Leafs
    • Vancouver Canucks
    • Winnipeg Jets
  • East Division
    • Boston Bruins
    • Buffalo Sabres
    • New Jersey Devils
    • New York Islanders
    • New York Rangers
    • Philadelphia Flyers
    • Pittsburgh Penguins
    • Washington Capitals
  • Central Division
    • Carolina Hurricanes
    • Chicago Blackhawks
    • Columbus Blue Jackets
    • Dallas Stars
    • Detroit Red Wings
    • Florida Panthers
    • Nashville Predators
    • Tampa Bay Lightning
  • West Division
    • Anaheim Ducks
    • Arizona Coyotes
    • Colorado Avalanche
    • Los Angeles Kings
    • Minnesota Wild
    • San Jose Sharks
    • Seattle Kraken
    • St Louis Blues
    • Vegas Golden Knights
  • World Juniors
  • CHL
    • Ontario Hockey League
    • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
    • Western Hockey League
  • THW Podcast Network
  • Store
  • FREE Newsletter
  • Search THW
  • More…
    • Join Our Team
    • The THW Archives
    • Prospects
    • The Goalie Page
    • NHL Salary Cap Information