Murphy’s Law, “Whatever can go
wrong, will go wrong.” It’s simply stated here, but it accurately describes what
is going on with the St. Louis Blues right now. Just when it appeared the Blues
were almost unbeatable in January, Jaroslav Halak suffers a groin injury,
forcing Brian Elliott into the starting role. Suddenly, the team falls into a
fairly significant slump, which included 4 straight losses on home ice.
Coincidence? Maybe. Let’s dig a little deeper.
Next
they hit the road with a few wounds exposed, and inexplicably, win 3 straight
games in Detroit, Calgary, and Vancouver. Riding the
coattails of rookie goaltender Jake Allen, the team got a much needed shot of
adrenaline, and fed off the rookie’s youthful energy. Allen quickly became a
household name back home with a few highlight reel plays, and 3 wins in his
first 3 NHL starts.
Suddenly,
the slump was over, and with Brian Elliott’s psyche in question, there were
actually rumblings around town about who would back up Halak, when he returned?
It was fairly obvious to anyone who understands how sports work, that the
rookie would eventually have to step aside. Still, it made for compelling theater
on the St. Louis airwaves. All
of a sudden, the Blues were dealing with a good problem, if there is such a
thing, too much goal tending. Ol’ Murphy dropped by again Monday morning,
when the team’s chartered plane had mechanical difficulties.
All dressed
up and nowhere to go, the Blues waited over 15 hours for a flight out of Vancouver. Anyone
who has had a flight delayed or cancelled knows how exhausting it can be just
hanging around the airport, waiting… waiting… asking questions only to be
frustrated by the reply. We’ve all been there. Thanks a lot Murphy.
The Blues
should have been home Monday afternoon, but did not arrive in St. Louis until
around 6am Tuesday
morning. No excuses would be made, but it’s safe to say, the team was road
weary, if not leg weary, Tuesday night against the San Jose Sharks. It would be
a factor.
Coach Ken Hitchcock
would thrill the home crowd, giving rookie Jake Allen his fourth straight start,
and why not? They were looking for a much needed a home win, and the kid was on
a hot streak. Unfortunately, the Blues were unable to muster much offense, and
the Sharks were simply a step quicker all night. Even the Blues vaunted power
play, currently ranked #1 in the NHL, could not
produce in this game. The Blues would still strike first on a Patrick
Berglund(9) goal, and Allen would keep the team in the game right to the end.
Joe
Thornton would bang in a 2nd period rebound, and tie the game at 1,
where it would remain until Tim Kennedy slipped behind the Blues defense in the
3rd period, picked up a long pass, and somehow crammed a slapper
through Allen’s pads, that trickled into the net. Whether it was tired legs, or
just Murphy at work, the Blues suffered another tough loss at home.
Curiously,
the Blues continue to struggle at home. There was
no rest for the weary, as the Blues would head right back to the airport, and
board a plane to Colorado, for a
Wednesday night skate with the Avs.
Welcome
back Jaroslav Halak, who was not exactly tested, but looked comfortable in
net, and showed no ill effects from the groin. He wasn’t exactly spectacular,
but he didn’t need to be last night. The Blues held the Avs to 20 shots
Wednesday night, as both teams played a tight, solid checking game.
The
officials accommodated by letting a few things go as well. In fact, the NHL will
likely be reviewing a hit on Vladimir Tarasenko that sent him to the locker
room for the rest of the game, yet drew no call. Another Blues player took a
high stick to the back of his head, and he took the walk down the runway as
well. Again, there was no call. Last night’s game had a playoff feel, but there
doesn’t seem to be much uniformity among the refs from crew to crew. A penalty
today may be overlooked tomorrow. Was Murphy wearing stripes last night?
There was
no scoring in regulation, though the Blues threw puck after puck at Semyon
Varlamov, who stopped all 33 shots he faced, earning his 10th career
shutout. The game went to overtime tied 0-0, earning the Blues a point on weary
legs. But with 16.4 seconds left in overtime, Murphy got involved again.
After Halak
thwarted a 2 on 1 breakaway with roughly a minute and a half left in overtime,
and a shoot-out looming, the puck was sent down behind Varlamov. Avalanche defenseman
Matt Hunwick picked it up behind his net, and raced all the way up the ice
lugging the mail. He gained the blue line, and then dropped a neat pass to
trailer David Jones. Jones, who had been struggling in his own right, cut to
his right, and using a screen provided by a Blues player, he fired a shot that
appeared to tip off the blade of a Blues stick, and then whipped past Halak for
a 1-0 Colorado win.
You’re KILLING me Murphy! You’re KILLING me!
The Blues
currently have 20 points good enough for 5th place in the Western
Conference. They also have a home game Saturday night against the last place
Columbus Blue Jackets. If there were ever a best case scenario for the Blues to
remember how to win at home, this would be it. They will also get their longest
break of the lock-out shortened season, before they host the red hot Chicago
Blackhawks, Thursday February 28th. Even with Murphy doing his
thing, this is possibly the best time for the mishaps. Four days off will do
everyone some good; especially with the 1st place Hawks coming to
town.
As
expected, Jake Allen was moved back to Peoria, and Brian
Elliott once again takes over his role as back up. The Blues need to find a way
to recapture their home ice advantage. Winning on the road is always a plus,
but any athlete will tell you, it’s no good to lose games in front of
your home fans. The Blues will have a chance to right the ship Saturday night.
No word yet on who will start in goal, but don’t be surprised if Ken Hitchcock
gives Brian Elliott a start against a Jackets team that is struggling to score
goals, and sitting in last place overall in the West.
Rodney N Eldridge
The Sportz Yak
The Sportz Yak
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