The St. Louis Blues laid down and lost Game 4 to the Colorado Avalanche, dropping both home games in the series. It was a disappointing effort for a team that needed to respond after an ugly Game 3.
The uphill battle continues for the Blues in this series with their backs entirely up against the wall. They looked like a team ready to go home in the early part of the second period. In 2019, after the San Jose Sharks’ infamous hand pass in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals, the Blues responded by winning games. They did not have that same approach this time, and it cost them.
Blues Don’t Have the Ability to Keep Up
The Blues got outplayed on every level in this game, and it was even worse than the previous game. The Avalanche are a juggernaut team, that’s been well documented, but the Blues didn’t even test them in Game 4. It was disappointing to see them fall into their habits of Game 1, but the Jordan Binnington injury completely buried this team, and that’s not an excuse.
Related: 3 Takeaways From Blues’ 3-2 Overtime Loss to Avalanche in Game 1
They are not getting much production from some of their best players, such as Robert Thomas and Brayden Schenn. There were no expectations for the Blues to win this series by most, so it shouldn’t be that surprising that they are now down 3-1. The high-end talent and effort from the Avalanche were on display in Game 4 and, of course, Nazem Kadri netted a hat trick.
Blues fans should expect more effort from their team in a spot like this, and the Blues just didn’t show it. At one moment, it felt like an entirely different series from the 2021 sweep by the Avalanche, but that moment has passed. The Blues must dig a lot deeper to even have a puncher’s chance to win this series. At this point, it doesn’t look good.
Perron Came to Play
David Perron now has nine goals in 10 playoff games, as he continues to play at a high level at the age of 33. He’s been brilliant in both the regular season and playoffs in his third stint with the Blues, and it has been on display in these playoffs.
Since returning to the Blues in the summer of 2018, Perron has 221 points in 251 games in the regular season. As for the playoffs, he has gotten some redemption for the 2021 Playoffs, where he missed it all due to COVID. He has 20 goals and 18 assists in 45 playoff games since the 2019 Stanley Cup victory.
The main point is that the Blues have disappointed on many levels, and none of it has been more disappointing than the Blues’ forward group after Perron and Ryan O’Reilly. The depth for the Blues has not been effective enough for them to make a deep run, and it hurts when they match up with the league’s best team.
Feels Like the Series is Over
I hate to be this blunt, but there is really no other way to feel about the series. The Blues registered just 20 shots on goal in a pitiful Game 4 effort, which is not acceptable on any level. The game started with Ville Husso making big saves, and he completely fell apart after that. He ended up allowing four goals in the second period and one in the third, including some that he should not be giving up.
There is an argument to be made where every single Blues player should be blamed for the Game 4 loss, with the exception of O’Reilly and Perron. They lost their composure and that is not something that should be happening with an experienced group like this. It’s likely too little, too late for them as the series now shifts to Colorado.
The Blues will head to Colorado for Game 5 on Thursday, which will be a chance for the Avalanche to send them home for the second consecutive season. The Blues should try to play hockey for all three periods in Game 5, and that still might not even be enough to win against this Avalanche team.
