• 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
Player Profiles

T.J. Oshie Getting Fired Up For Playoffs

By Sean Jeffries April 10th, 2015

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp
(Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

(Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

Fiesty St. Louis Blues forward T.J. Oshie has played with an edge in his last two games and that bodes well for the team’s post-season success. If Oshie can continue dialing up the intensity he’ll be a force to reckon with and I look for him to be one of the leading scorers for St. Louis in the playoffs this year.

Star Power

Featured for much of the season with familiar linemates David Backes and Alexander Steen, Oshie played an integral part in the monster numbers the trio has put up. Though in a bit of a scoring drought recently, he’s sitting on 19 goals, just two shy of his career high of 21 (2013-14) and 36 assists for 55 points, 5th on the team in scoring. T.J. started slowly this season as he missed seven games in October-November with a

Oshie and the Blues' PK unit has been a point of concern as of late (Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports)

Oshie features on the power play as well as the penalty killing units for the Blues (Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports)

concussion and the Blues were carried by the STL Line of Jaden Schwartz, Vladimir Tarasenko and Jori Lehtera. Once reunited though, the Steen-Backes-Oshie line led the way to the top of the Central Division for the Blues, pumping in a staggering 65 points between them over a span of 18 games after Christmas break.

As one of the best stick-handling, puck-possession forwards in the league, T.J. Oshie frequently makes plays that dazzle, making no-look passes like this one in a February game against the Lightning:

Looking To Get His Groove Back

With plays like that it’s easy to see why Oshie’s become a fan favorite, but sometimes those no-look passes get picked off or at best, end up in empty ice, or his aggressiveness leads to poor choices like icing the puck trying for an empty netter while the Blues are up by only a goal late in the game. Oshie didn’t come back playing with the fire we expect after missing a game with flu-like symptoms in late March. It’s no coincidence the Blues faltered in that game and the next as he recovered his strength.

T.J. is like the catalytic-converter on the bus that is the St. Louis Blues. He plays with controlled chaos, often sprawled on the ice as much as he’s on his skates because he’s going full-bore into every corner, after every puck, all the time. Against Winnipeg Tuesday he finally looked like his ornery self, continually in the middle of post-whistle activity and a stuck like glue to the puck throughout the game. In the closing seconds he kept a puck in the offensive zone for the scrambling Blues by leaping 2-3 FEET off the ice to spoil a Jets’ clearing attempt.

While unable to translate his inspired play into points, he really had that spark in his eye Tuesday which nearly turned to flames when he was (wrongly) charged with a 4-minute High Sticking penalty. Tempers flared again after the final buzzer and Oshie was right there in the middle of the scrum. T.J. was motoring again Thursday and led all Blues forward with 22:44 minutes as the they beat Chicago to clinch the Central Division.

Line Changes

Oshie’s lack of scoring (5 points in his last 10 games) can perhaps be attributed to lineup changes due to injuries, (Tarasenko and Steen have missed five and six games respectively) though new combinations have created interesting dynamics within the Blues forward corps. Playing recently with Paul Stastny and Jaden Schwartz, Oshie appears to be back on his game, dangling, toe-dragging and crashing his way into the offensive zone and creating space for his new line-mates.

View image | gettyimages.com

The new “SOS” line has 14 total points in the last six tilts and the other newly formed lines have been energized as well. Patrik Berglund has 3 goals and an assist playing on a line with Backes and rookie Dmitrij Jaskin. Truth be told, all four forward lines have been playing inspired hockey lately,  whether it’s because of who’s been in net for the Blues, the fact their penalty kill has been outstanding (killing 17 of the last 18 power-plays against,) or Oshie’s infectious energy, but it’s evident come Game One of Round One, T.J. will be ready to lead the charge.

 

 

 

  • Tags
  • 2015 NHL Playoffs
  • Peter Stastny
  • T.J. Oshie
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

Get theScore App Now!
Recent Posts
Jan 26th 6:20 PM
Calgary Flames

Tkachuk Shows His Ignorance Discussing Maple Leafs’ Campbell Injury

Jan 26th 6:10 PM
Vegas Golden Knights

Golden Knights Reaping the Rewards of Zach Whitecloud’s Development

Jan 26th 6:00 PM
Buffalo Sabres

Sabres Outlook After First 6 Games of 2020-21

Jan 26th 5:50 PM
Winnipeg Jets

Jets’ 2021 Offseason Free Agent Preview

Jan 26th 5:05 PM
Chicago Blackhawks

Blackhawks Unlikely to Call Up Former Fan Favourite Darling

Jan 26th 4:40 PM
Archives

The NHL’s Best Farm Systems Ranked – 2020-21 Season Update

Jan 26th 4:32 PM
Archives

Jimmy Howard’s Red Wings Legacy

Jan 26th 4:25 PM
Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins Not Playing to Full Potential in Comeback Wins

Jan 26th 4:15 PM
Colorado Avalanche

Mediocre Avalanche Road Trip Plagued by Inconsistency

Jan 26th 4:05 PM
Buffalo Sabres

Sabres Coach Ralph Krueger is a Jack of All Trades

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