Pattern Presents a Problem

The Blues got out a brilliant start this season, winning five of their first six. They came from behind in three of those five victories, showing heart and spirit. Over the past three games, this spirit has disappeared.

After a tough road loss in Detroit in which a horrid call cost the Blues at least one point, when captain David Backes was ejected for a hit to the head (it was actually to the shoulder), the Blues came home for a four game stretch in St. Louis. The first game of the homestand was against a Nashville team that they'd beaten twice already this season and did so soundly at home the second time with a 3-0 win. One would expect the Predators to be tired of losing to the Blues and to come out with a big effort. Well, they certainly did that and the Blues had no answer for it. The final was 6-1 and it was pretty embarrassing. I fell asleep after it was 3-0 and it was pretty obvious that the Blues were content to lay an egg that night. I wrote it off, as many of us did, to these things will happen on occasion, especially with such a condensed schedule. With Detroit coming in two days later, they'd want to take it to them after they got robbed at the Red Wings' place just days earlier. Wrong. The Blues came out strong in the first, but got behind 2-0 fairly early and had a "woe is me" lull. They began to play well again in the second and got a power play goal from Alex Pietrangelo to cut it to a 2-1 Detroit lead. In the blink of an eye, the Wings answered with two goals in 1:31 and that was all she wrote. It was 4-1 and even with a period left, they essentially gave up. That one lull right after scoring cost them the game.

Saturday night, the Blues had Anaheim in town. The Blues grabbed the momentum early with a quick power play goal, but they gave it right back when goalie Brian Elliott gave up perhaps his softest goal of the season, a straight shot right off his arm that trickled across the line. The Blues hung with it and while I feel they didn't outplay the Ducks by that much in the first, finished the period with a 3-1 lead. Things fell apart in the second period. Anaheim scored three goals in a span of 1:41, with defensive breakdown after defensive breakdown. Obvious plays like putting a body on a guy who is approaching 700 career goals in Teemu Selanne escaped the Blues during this span and it cost them. A two goal lead became a one goal deficit almost instantly. The Blues would rally with a goal to tie it at four early in the third and then the two team would trade goals in the last six and a half minutes of the third, forcing overtime. The Blues caught a bad break when they scored what looked to be the winner in overtime, just to have it waived off when Patrik Berglund was shoved into the Ducks' goalie and eventually lost in the shootout. But the point stands, that it never should have come down to overtime. Without the Blues taking two minutes off in which they allowed three goals, they would've been in great shape to win the game. 

The most frustrating thing for me after the game on Saturday as I walked out of the arena with my friends, was some moron started sarcastically chanting Brian Elliott's name. I pointed out how his defense hung him out to dry during that three goal span, but he just argued it further. Elliott hasn't been good over the last few games by any stretch of the imagination, but to blame solely him for the Blues' losing streak is ignorant and short sighted. Saturday's game was a team loss and so were the other three games before it. The Blues need to get it together and start putting together team wins again.

I'm aware that players are more likely to be tired with the shortened scheduled, but that can't be an excuse with every team dealing with those issues. No one is going to feel sorry for the Blues. They have to get back to playing the way they were at the beginning of the season, not taking shifts off, fore checking relentlessly, and being accountable on defense. If the Blues do that, they can get back on track and contend with the Blackhawks for the Central Division title.

Return of the Zambon-I

Two Sundays ago, at a little after eight A.M., I received the news via text message from my friend, Tyler. Hockey is back. 

I was pretty much having a completely shitty day at that point, as it was eight A.M. on a Sunday and I had already been at work for over five hours. And with one text message, that changed. I had my favorite thing in the world back. I'm still all for my Gary Bettman needs to die in a fire (#DIAF on twitter) campaign, but I was beyond happy at this point. 

I don't have any plans to purchase a jersey this year like I was originally planning, but I want my hockey team to be there for me, so I will be there for them in the stands. After all, I'm well aware that Tom Stillman and the rest of the Blues' new ownership group didn't want any part of this lockout. The Blues were recently listed as the least valuable NHL franchise, so losing money by not playing 34 games and alienating fans would be about the worst thing they could do. Jeremy Jacobs, the owner of the Boston Bruins and just a handful of others were the reason for this lockout, the third work stoppage under Bettman (#DIAF), and it was completely unacceptable. Their greed cost us fans roughly half of a hockey season just eight years after it cost us an entire one. But since the St. Louis owners weren't the problem, I can't boycott them like I did the Cardinals' owners during the 2012 regular season for messing up the Albert Pujols situation. 

When Saturday rolls around, I will be in the stands ready to yell "Let's go Blues!" at the top of my lungs, decked out in a jersey and cap. I'll heckle the Red Wings just like usual (I once yelled at Pavel Datsyuk while he wasn't even on the ice. Alcohol may have been involved.) Maybe it's due to the longest withdrawal I've had in years, as hockey is my crack, or maybe it's because many pundits are picking the Blues to go far in the playoffs this year, but this may be the most excited I've ever been for a hockey season to begin. 

 

The Blues stellar goaltending tandem of Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott that propelled them to their first Central Division title in 11 years is back and healthy, after Halak injured his ankle in the first round of the playoffs last season. Overall, the Blues are bringing back 22 of the 25 roster players from last season. Carlo Colaiacovo left in free agency to join Detroit, but for me, that's addition by subtraction. He would make gritty, solid plays at times, but he would often make silly, careless mistakes that would cost the team. And that was when he could actually manage to stay healthy, which wasn't often. The other blueliner that won't be back is Kent Huskins. His play was consistent when he was in the lineup, but nothing special that can't be replaced. The Blues added veteran Wade Redden to fill the void left by Huskins. Ian Cole appears like he will be stepping into a full time role with the Blues for the first time as a replacement for Colaiacovo, so Redden's signing will be more for depth than anything else. The 35-year old D-man may bring some additional leadership as well, but this hockey club isn't short on that either. David Backes will resume his captaincy with the team for the second season and the same four alternates of Andy McDonald, Alex Steen, Jamie Langenbrunner, and Barret Jackman.

The only forward of last year's roster that won't be returning is veteran Jason Arnott. He was a great player for the Blues last year, recording 17 goals and 17 assists with six of his goals coming on the power play, tying him with Alex Pietrangelo for second on the team. Arnott simply didn't fit into this year's roster for the Blues, as they had to make room for perhaps their most exciting addition, rookie Vladimir Tarasenko. After spending his past two season in the KHL in Russia, Tarasenko's contract was up and he decided to make the leap to the NHL. David Perron, T.J. Oshie, and Backes certainly have offensive firepower, but not the same kind that Tarasenko wields. He could really bring an offensive punch to the roster that the team was missing at times last year. Personally, he is what I'm most looking forward to seeing this season live. He's great to watch on Youtube, but I'd much rather see the real thing (here's a video of him scoring a hat trick in the KHL anyway). 

And now that this is a possibility, the possibilities for this Blues team are endless. They have the goaltending, the defense, and the offense. They have head coach Ken Hitchcock returning, last year's Jack Adams Award winner for coach of the year. They have general manager Doug Armstrong, whom they just signed to a five-year extension, who was last year's NHL executive of the year, who is willing to add whatever little pieces the team may need, like Redden. And they certainly have the fans behind them again, as it appears that Saturday's opener against Detroit will sell out. Bring on hockey season and let's go Blues!

Labor Day

Both the NFL and NHL don't seem to get it.

The NHL is on the verge of its second lockout in under a decade and the owners and Players' Association are supposedly still very far apart on a new CBA. The NFL announced earlier on Wednesday that it will begin the 2012 season with replacement referees. Both of these situations could be greatly damaging to the leagues.

Only in the last couple of years has the NHL truly started to get back its fans in most of its markets. Most of the Canadian teams, Detroit, Boston, and New York, got their fans back either right away or pretty quickly. But even Chicago, an Original Six team, didn't see their fans come back until a few years after the lockout. This was partially due to their now deceased owner, William W. Wirtz, running the franchise in a very non-fan friendly manner, but the lockout certainly didn't help matters. St. Louis, which is a historically strong hockey town, also dealt with ownership problems in the post-lockout era and frankly wasn't a competitive team again until the 2008-09 season when they rallied to make the playoffs, before being swept by Vancouver in the first round. And like in any city, even when the fans are there, the tickets sell better when a team is winning. The Blues have raised ticket prices the last two years, which is certainly a signal that their fans are back strong. This is the case in many NHL cities at this point. But there are still franchises that are struggling as well.

The Phoenix Coyotes have been in financial trouble for years in the desert, and the vultures have certainly been circling the Jobing.com Arena for a while. The Coyotes are still currently being run by the NHL itself and are constantly being discussed as a team that could possibly move cities. The same can be said about the Florida Panthers. The Dallas Stars used to sell out routinely, but they've struggled in recent seasons both in the standings and in attendance. Even the New York Islanders, a historical franchise that had a dynasty of four consecutive Stanley Cups in the early 80's, have been talked about as a potential franchise that could move. The Islanders haven't won a division title since the 1987-88 season and have rarely been in the playoffs since the 80's. Their crosstown rivals, the Rangers, are bigger draw as they win more often, have the more famous arena, and have more history.

It is situations like these that could make the average fan side with the owners on the CBA. Teams like the Islanders, Panthers, Coyotes, and Stars can't afford to see the salary cap creep closer and closer to where it was before the 2004-05 lockout. But franchises like the Red Wings, Rangers, Flyers, Maple Leafs, and Canadiens certainly can. These teams might not like the revenue sharing, but they have to play someone and without all of the other teams, it just wouldn't be the same league. On the players' side, the owners and the league were completely unreasonable in their first proposal to the NHLPA. In addition to a steep drop in revenue sharing between the players and owners, they asked for salary rollbacks, a lower salary cap, and extended entry-level contracts, which was probably the worst part. There is absolutely no way that the NHLPA would agree to that and the NHL had to know that.

I understand asking for a lot in order to get a little in a compromise, but when another season is at risk and the deadline for negotiations is this close, this was a waste of time. The first proposal should have been more fair and with that, they could have expected a better first proposal from the NHLPA. We're now on the league's second proposal, with under three weeks to go until a potential lockout and things don't sound like they're coming to a head any time soon. I quite honestly don't think the NHL, which is miles behind the NFL and MLB in popularity, can survive another lockout, especially the franchises that are already struggling. I'm not sure I would want to keep following a league that will continue to shoot itself in the foot every time it starts to turn things around again. And if a hockey fan like me won't be in the stands, then who will?

As far as the NFL's referee situation goes, I again will side with the little guy, but mostly for my own sake as a fan. People complain about officiating all the time, no matter the sport. But in the country's most popular sport, the one that is talked about more than any other, does the league really want poor officiating from inexperienced referees to be what is talked about the most? Probably not. Talking about how bad the refs were on Sunday afternoon doesn't sell jerseys. It doesn't sell tickets either, except maybe on Stubhub when the fans get so frustrated with blown calls that they don't even want to go to the game anymore. By bringing in replacement refs, the NFL is downgrading its product, a product that has become the most popular sport in the United States, passing even America's past time of baseball. Why on earth would you want to give that up? Commissioner Roger Goodell will make $20 million this season. Are you honestly telling me that a league which can afford to pay its commissioner that much money can't afford to make a few concessions to  appease its top officials? Especially when it will help keep its brand as the king of American sports? Please.

The NFL and NHL both need to do what is best for the fans and get these matters settled quickly before they do extensive damage to themselves. After all, the fans are the ones actually paying the salaries.

The End of an Era

When I read that Nicklas Lidstrom had retired this morning, it made me smile from ear to ear. Not because I think he's a douche. Not because I think he's well past his prime and that he hung on too long. Because I think he's great and he played for a team I despise.

When a great player plays for a team that constantly stops your own from winning titles, playoff series, and lots of regular season games, you're going to hate him. This is how Bears fans feel about Brett Favre, how Cavs fans feel about Michael Jordan, and how Cubs fans felt about He Who Shall Not Be Named before he went to some stupid red team in California.

Lidstrom wasn't known for the bone-jarring hits of a Scott Stevens, the laser slap shot of an Al MacInnis, or even the vocal leadership of a Mark Messier. However, he made the proper checks in his own zone when they were needed. Lidstrom always found a way to get the puck to the net, either with his initial shot or with a deflection of the boards which he perfected, making him a menace on the power play. He led by example both on and off the ice and was described by teammates as a perfect person. Of course, if a guy helped me get into the playoffs every year and win a bunch of titles, I doubt I'd have many bad things to say about him either.

I'm thrilled that the St. Louis Blues will never have to kill another penalty with Lidstrom on the blue line, worry about him making an outlet pass, or have to try and dump it by him into the offensive zone. The Red Wings fell apart without him in the lineup for the 12 games he missed last year, which opened the door for the Blues to win the division. I'm sure Detroit will find a nice replacement with all of the money they have to spend towards the cap. Perhaps they'll lure Ryan Suter away from the Predators, but he's not Nick Lidstrom, nor will he ever be. And for that, I am very thankful. The door is definitely open for the Blues. They just have to step through it.

Home Ice is Still Within Grasp for the Blues

The Blues have taken a bit of a skid as of late, winning just three of their last ten. They certainly laid an egg in the game last Saturday when they hosted Columbus. The Blues didn't respond well when the Blue Jackets got physical and they spent the majority of the third period with at least one player in the penalty box because of it. It's difficult to score goals when you're constantly outnumbered on the ice.

That said, St. Louis did play a much better game on Wednesday when they hosted Detroit. They may have lost, but they did pick up one point before succumbing to the Red Wings in the skills competition...err... shootout. The Blues have struggled for most of the season in shootouts, posting just a 4-10 record in them. Luckily, only two more games this season, tonight's and tomorrow's, have the possibility of going into one. After that, ties after regulation will result in the most beautiful thing in sports: sudden death overtime hockey, play until someone scores. This comes from a guy who watched the third longest game in NHL history when the Penguins and Flyers went five overtimes back in 2000. And it was a school night. I'm pretty sure my mom had thought I went to bed, but I stayed up until I saw Keith Primeau end it for the Flyers. I was disappointed, since I was cheering for Pittsburgh, but it was an amazing hockey game just the same. I hope for a few similar contests this spring.

Even with the Blues' struggles as of late, they got a nice gift from the Calgary Flames on Thursday night. Calgary trailed the Vancouver Canucks 1-0 heading to the third period, but the Flames managed to light the lamp three times in the third and held on for a 3-2 win over the Canucks in regulation. This kept Vancouver within two points of the Blues with one game remaining, while the Blues still have two left to play. Based on tie -breakers, the Blues will take the top seed in the conference if they win out, regardless of what Vancouver does in their final game. That is a huge opportunity for the Blues, seeing as they've posted a 30-5-5 record at home so far this season, with the 30 home wins being a franchise record. Their 65 points at home this year are the best in the league, one point ahead of Detroit, who has gone 31-7-2 at home. The Wings have their home finale tomorrow afternoon against Chicago, who would take the five seed from Detroit with a win. I'm not sure either team wants the five seed, as they will end up playing Nashville in the first round, who is certain to me a tougher opponent than the winner of the Pacific Division. So for those watching on NBC, you may see a game of "who's better at throwing this game without making it look too obvious." The current leader in the Pacific is the Los Angeles Kings, who have a tremendous goaltender in Jonathan Quick, but other than that, aren't nearly as threatening as the Predators.

The Blues will host Phoenix tonight. The Coyotes have already been assured a playoff spot, but they could win out and take the division title from the Kings, so they have a lot to play for still. The Stars, on the other hand, have nothing to play for but roster spots and contracts on Saturday. It shouldn't be a walkover game for the Blues, but they should definitely win it. Hopefully, with their first regular season conference title since the 1999-2000 season within their grasp, the Blues will show up more like they did against Detroit than they did against Columbus. The Canucks do finish up tomorrow night at home against Edmonton, one of the worst teams in the league, so the Blues should count on needing to win both to win the conference. I'm certainly looking forward to watching it all unfold tomorrow night, especially if the Blues win tonight.

Home Ice is the Light at the End of the Tunnel

It's official. The Blues are practically unstoppable at the Scottrade Center.

On Thursday night, they improved to 28-4-4 at home on the season and have lost just once in regulation in their building since a December 3rd loss to the Blackhawks. The one loss was to the Bruins of the Eastern Conference and with the rest of the team's home games being against the Western Conference, that should give Blues fans a big reason to smile. The team finishes a brief three game home stand on Saturday night against Columbus, who the Blues defeated in the teams' only previous meeting at Scottrade by a score of 6-4. Overall, the Blues are 2-1 against the Blue Jackets this season with a decisive 2-1 win in Columbus, a furious comeback 6-4 at home, and a rather deflating 2-1 loss in their last trip to Ohio that was a tenth of a second from at least going to overtime, as that's how much time remained in the period when Colubmus scored their first goal.

The Jackets have picked it up as of late, posting a 5-4-1 mark in their last ten games which includes a current four-game winning streak. However, the club is still just 9-20-4 on the road this season and that figured coupled with the Blues' ridiculous home record doesn't bode well for Columbus. I wouldn't expect the Blues to have much trouble with the Jackets on Saturday night.

Both teams will have a quick turn around as they head back to Ohio for a 5 pm central start on Sunday on the other end of a home-and-home series. With things so tight at the top of the conference between the Blues, the Vancouver Canucks, and the Detroit Red Wings, St. Louis really needs to pick up both wins since they'll be at an even disadvantage with the Blue Jackets as far as travel goes, and they'll still clearly be the better team. The Columbus game kicks off a seven-game road trip for the Blues and while they showed on the last trip with a 5-1 record that they can win on the road, it still won't be as easy as at home. The following game is in Chicago on Tuesday, against a Blackhawks team that probably won't be too happy about the way St. Louis pushed them around in a 5-1 win at Scottrade just a week earlier. I'm not saying that the Blues will lose in Chicago. I just think they should take advantage of playing weaker teams like Columbus right before that game and Carolina, the worst team in the east, right after the Blackhawks. That would certainly soften the blow of a potential loss in the Windy City.

The Blues need to use their current momentum to keep pressure on Vancouver and Detroit. The Canucks finish with nine of their last 14 games at home after a win over Winnipeg on Thursday, so they have a leg up on St. Louis.  And while the Red Wings still have their injury problems with Pavol Datsyuk and Nicklas Lidstrom, they certainly won't lay down with home ice and the right to avoid a first round series with Nashville on the line. Detroit has been just as dominant as the Blues have at home, so earning home ice through at least the two rounds is quite a prize for whichever team can win the Central Division, even if neither can keep pace with Vancouver.

Elliott Phones Home

It's been quite the ride for Blues goalie Brian Elliott this season. He signed a two-way contract with St. Louis after a tough season which he split between Ottawa and Colorado after being dealt to the Avs late in the season. Elliott came in, won the backup job from Ben Bishop, who also played well in the preseason, and he hasn't looked back since.

Starting netminder Jaroslav Halak got off to a rocky start and Elliott was there to save the day, so much so, that when friends asked me what goalie was playing that night and I responded that Elliott was starting, they would say things like,"Oh good, we'll win tonight." That's a pretty high confidence level to have with a backup goalie. Elliott's play was so good that it took away from the fact that Halak wasn't playing up to his potential and it allowed Halak to get his game together. Halak now is 7-0-3 in his last ten starts and if the Blues could score in a shootout, it would be even better. I don't want to give Elliott all the credit for Halak's success, as Jaro certainly has been making lots of saves, many of them quality ones. However, Elliott's stellar play took pressure of Halak and now it doesn't seem to matter which goalie Hitchcock starts, as the Blues will have a solid backbone in either player.

 For a couple of weeks, Elliott ranked number one in the league in G.A.A, save percentage, and shutouts. He still remains second in all of those categories (1.62 G.A.A., .940 SV%, and five SO) after a couple of bumpy games in Detroit (not exactly easy assignments), but he rebounded with a shutout on Saturday night against Colorado. The stat I find most impressive is easily the shutouts, as the only goalie he trails, the Kings' Jonathan Quick, has started in 35 games (sixth most in the league) but Elliott has only started 20 (29th most in the league).

Elliott would've played in Montreal on Tuesday, earning the start with Saturday's shutout, but head coach Ken Hitchcock opted to give Halak the start, as it was his first game back in the Bell Centre since being dealt to the Blues in the summer of 2010. Halak didn't disappoint in his return home, shutting out the Canadiens while making some tremendous saves, including the one shown in the video below, against a shorthanded breakaway. The video also shows him receiving a standing ovation from the Habs fans as he was leaving the ice.

That is probably the most impressed I've ever been with an opponent's fans. Montreal, you have some real class. Chris Pronger (when healthy) still comes into St. Louis and gets booed, which I'll never understand. He was traded when he would have rather stayed with the Blues, has never badmouthed the team that I've heard about, and is a great overall hockey player. To each their own, I suppose.

The Blues play Ottawa in early February, but Elliott's homecoming will happen a bit sooner due to his stellar play. It was announced today that he will be the lone representative for the Blues in the All-Star Game, barring injury to another player that was already selected. The Blues do rank second in the west right now and have a chance to slide into first with a win tonight over Vancouver, but most of the team's wins have occurred with different players stepping up each night. Alex Steen could've been considered as he was one of the team's scoring leaders before missing the past two weeks, as could David Backes, who represented the team at the game last season and currently leads the Blues in goals. However, the reality is no one on this club, aside from Elliott, really has "all-star" numbers. But that's just fine, as I'd much rather watch a team with incredible depth that should claim its first playoff berth in three seasons than a team with one superstar who is a lock to make the NHL All-Star Game.

Blues Streak Heads to Music City

The Blues are certainly showing this season the true meaning of home-ice advantage. They're off to a 12-3-1 start at Scottrade Center, which ranks second in the NHL, trailing only Detroit for the best home record in the league, based on points obtained out of points possible.

The Blues haven't gone to Motown yet this season, but they are off to a 2-0 start against the Red Wings and have won three straight against them, including the magical 10-3 win I witnessed last season at Joe Louis Arena with my friends Dave, Tyler, Dan, and Julie. So while the Blues did that against the Red Wings' backup's backup's backup due to a rash of goalie injuries, it was impressive nonetheless. And looking again at the current season, I can't remember the last time that the Blues started out a year 2-0 against the Wings, even with both games being at home. I still think they the Wings will take a step back once Nicklas Lidstrom finally retires and I still think that Jimmy Howard is not a good goalie for a number one, but for the time being, the Red Wings are still a force to be reckoned with, as much as I hate to admit it. After all, look at what Detroit did with another mediocre goaltender in Chris Osgood for years?

The Blues are now 12-2-3 since they put Ken Hitchcock (happy birthday to Hitch, btw)  in charge and with the way the team is playing under him, there's no reason to believe that they can't compete for the division title. The way the conference is shaping up so far, it looks like the Central Division winner will get either the one or two seed, as the Pacific Division is struggling and could possibly only send their division champion to the playoffs. It's still early and that could change, but it doesn't look like Minnesota, Detroit, Chicago, defending conference champ Vancouver, or the Blues are going away any time soon. The Blues have a big test tonight in Nashville. The Predators, like the Blues, are on a four-game winning streak and are just coming off a third period comeback win over Detroit on Thursday. If the Blues go hard in the first, perhaps they'll catch the Preds in a bit of a let down. Not that the Blues have needed any help lately, though.