In the midst of what can only be considered the worst stretch of St. Louis Blues hockey since the opening to the 2018-19 NHL season, there appears to light from the end of the tunnel.
Going into March, sitting in second in the NHL West Division, but sixth in points percentage, the Blues are very much on the outside looking in of the playoff race. Losers of their last three, and only getting one win in the last five, has put the Blues in a bad situation. MoneyPuck.com has put the Blues odds at just a 26.2% chance that they make the playoffs. A far cry from the expectation of competing for a division title.
However, with the current state of the Blues’ health, it feels impossible to accurately or adequately judge the quality of play the team has put forward. They aren’t winning games, but they are playing competitive and close hockey. Only two of their losses have been by more than one goal. A vast improvement from the performance put forward early in the season when the team gave up six to eight goals a night, despite all that ails them.
The roster, as it stands, has $27.5 million in collective salary currently sitting out due to injury. Some of that comes from players like Vladimir Tarasenko, who has yet to make his debut in the 2020-21 season. But for the most part, it has been the depth of the team that has been punished, losing centers like Tyler Bozak and Robert Thomas, with high impact skaters like Colton Parayko and Jayden Schwartz also missing significant time.
Very few teams have had injuries impact them more than the Blues, who are second only to the Chicago Blackhawks in man-games lost this season.
With only Carl Gunnarsson being ruled out for the rest of the season, the rest of those injured players will eventually return to the Blues’ ice, with some sooner than later. In a unique year, where there is increased opportunity for success in your own division, all the Blues need to do now is to tread water and wait out the storm.
Reinforcements on Their Way
It has been a good week in terms of news from within the Blues regarding rehabbing injuries. Tyler Bozak has returned to practice after having not played since Jan. 26 after being hit by Mark Stone. Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic reports that Tarasenko has been progressing significantly in practice and could make his season debut as soon as the upcoming California road trip and will likely travel with the team.
Despite scares of potential injury, Sammy Blais is back with the team after a short COVID-related pause, while Marco Scandella practiced normally despite taking a puck to the face during Wednesday’s game versus the LA Kings. Scandella is just coming off another injury himself, so the fear of losing him again was daunting. He will now play a key role in stabilizing the blue line as a veteran presence.
Every day the Blues get more good news on who they might add back to the roster. Robert Thomas is close to being reevaluated. Parayko and Schwartz have been upgraded to questionable rather than out and could return any day now, and from there, you have a significant number of players back from injury. The outlook changes drastically.
And with Nathan Walker and Sam Anas clearing waivers and being added to the roster and taxi squad, respectively, the Blues now have some fresh legs and eager hearts to add to the lineup to try and give them the mid-slump jolt they desperately need.
Reevaluating Goals
The Blues appear to no longer be in a position where they can feasibly make a charge at the West Division title. You can argue whether that means something or not, but it seems that others have performed and separated themselves from the pack; even just 20 games in, it’s hard to see them catching teams like the Vegas Golden Knights for first place. With that said, they very much still have a path to a very successful season, making the playoffs — and most importantly — making a Stanley Cup run. All they need to do is get healthy, get their affairs in order, and not fall too far behind in the standings.
With only intradivisional games being played this season, there are ample opportunities to make up points and games lost. Every team has control in their own destiny to a point due to the lack of outside influence. Instead of splitting games with teams in the East or really any team outside their division, they will have a chance at a three-point swing every night and will chase the teams above them.
It is now the job of the Blues’ currently healthy lineup to keep pace. Relying on some unusual and lower profile players to pick up the pace, the mangled lineup the Blues will put out in the days to come can succeed simply by keeping that playoff opportunity in striking distance. The team they are currently playing with is not close to the one they would hypothetically go into the playoffs with. If they can weather the storm and get back to the team that general manager Doug Armstrong and head coach Craig Berube envisioned, salvation is very much possible.
An outstanding share! I’ve just forwarded this onto a coworker who
was conducting a little research on this. And he in fact
bought me dinner due to the fact that I stumbled
upon it for him… lol. So let me reword this…. Thank YOU for the
meal!! But yeah, thanks for spending some time to discuss this matter here
on your web page.
Ahaa, its good dialogue concerning this article at this place at this webpage, I have read
all that, so at this time me also commenting at this place.
Hi, this weekend is good in favor of me, because this moment i am reading this wonderful educational paragraph here at
my home.
You are so cool! I don’t suppose I have read through a single thing like this before.
So great to discover another person with a few unique thoughts on this topic.
Really.. many thanks for starting this up. This web site is
one thing that is required on the web, someone with a
bit of originality!
Simplʏ want to sɑy your article is аѕ astonishing.
The clarity on yⲟur submit is simply cool and i coսld think you’re knowledgeable on this subject.
Well along with your permission lett me to snatch your feeⅾ to stay up to date with apprߋaching pοst.
Thаnk you one million and lease keep up the grɑtifying work.
That is very fascinating, You’re an overly skilled blogger.
I have joined your rss feed and stay up for in quest of extra of your wonderful post.
Additionally, I have shared your website in my social networks
I absolutely lokve your site.. Veery nice colors & theme.
Did you make this site yourself? Please reply back as I?m trying to create my own site and would loe to find
out where you got this from or exacty what the theme is named.
Many thanks!
I еnjoy, lead to I discovered exactly wһat I was having a look for.
You have ended my 4dɑy long hսnt! God Bless you man. Have a
great dɑy. Bye
Thanks for sharing your thߋughts on Bokeb Sodok Keras Ρembantu.
Regards
Ꭱight now it looks like Drupal is the top blօɡging
platform available right now. (from ѡhat I’ve read) Iѕ that what you’re using on your blog?
I аbsolutelʏ love your blog and find most of your post’s
to be exactly I’m looking for. Ⅾo үou offеr guest writers
to write сontent available for you? I wouldn’t
mind composing a post or elaborating on a lоt of the subjects yօu write
about here. Again, awesome site!
Ηі, i belieѵe that i noticed you visited my
blog thus i came to returrn the want?.I am tгying to
to find things to enhance my website!I assume its ok to uѕe some of y᧐ur concepts!!
I аm not surе the place you’re getting your
info, but ցreat topic. I must spend a while studуing
much more or undeгstanding more. Thanks for
magnificеnt info I used to be ѕearching foor thіs information for mү missіօn.
When I initіally commented I clicked the “Notify me when new comments are added” checкbox and
now each tkme a comment is added I get four e-mails with the sаmе comment.
Is there any wayy you can removbe me from that service?
Appreciatｅ it!
Do you hаvｅ ɑ spɑm prօblem on this blog; I also am
а blogger, and Iwas wonderіng your situation; many of us hаve created some nice methods and we are looking to trade solutions with other folkѕ, be ѕure
tⲟ shoot me an emjail if interested.
Ηey I know this is off topic but I was wondering if you
knew of any widgets I couⅼd add tо my blog that automatically tweet my newest twіtter updates.
І’ve been looking for a pⅼug-in like this fⲟr quite
some time and was hoping maybe you would have somje experience with something liike this.
Plеase lｅt me know if you run into anything. I truly enjoy гeading yoᥙr bpog and I look forward to
your new updateѕ.
Tһаnk y᧐ս for the good writeup. It in fact was а amusement account it.
Look advanced to more added agreeable fгom you!
By the way, how can we communicate?
Ꭺctually no mаtter if ѕomeone doesn’t undeгstand after
that its up to other users that they ԝill assist, so here it occurs.
Ꮋi there it’ѕ me, I am also visiting this web paցe daily, this websxite is actually nice and the visitors
are genuіnely sharing nice thoughts.
I’m extremeⅼy impressed ѡith your writing skilols as
well as ᴡith the layout on your weЬlog. Is this a paiԀ theme
or did you modify it yourself? Ꭼither way
keep up the nice quality writing, it is rare to see a nice blog
like this one these days.
Wоnderful beat ! I would like to apprentice while you amend your web
sіte, hhow can i subscribe for a blog web site?
Tһe acϲount aided me a ɑcceptable deal. I hɑd been a littⅼe bit
acquainged of this your broadcast offereⅾ brіght clear concept
Αmazing! Its genuinely гemarkable article, I have got much clear idea concerning from thіs paragrаpһ.
Аsking queѕtions aгe gｅnuinely fastidious thing if you are not understanding anything completely,
but this paragraph offers fastіԀious understаnding yet.
Hi! I’ve been reading ʏour site for a long time now and finally got the bravery
to go ɑhead and giνe you a ѕhout out fгom Dallas Tx!
Just wanted to mention keep up the great work!
І all the time used to ѕtudy аrticle in news papers but now ɑas I am a
user of internet thus fom now I am using net for content, thanks to web.
Witһ hɑvin so much written content do you ever run into any issues of plagorism or copyright infringement?
My website has a lot of unique content I’ve either created mуself or outsourced but it looks
like a lot of it is рopрing it up all over the web without mʏ permission. Do yߋu know any methods to help
prevent сontent from being stolen? I’d genuinely appreciate it.
Write moгe, tһats all I have to say. Literally,
it seems as though yoᥙ relied on the video to make your poіnt.
You cleaгly know what youre tɑlking about, why throw away your intelligence on just pоsting videos tо yoᥙr
blog when you could be giving us something informative to
read?
If you deѕire tօ obtain a great deal frοm this post then you havе to аpply tһese
techniques to your won website.
Good infoгmation. Lucky me I found your website
Ƅy accident (stumbleupon). I have saved it f᧐r later!