Atrocious

If the NHL playoffs began today, The St. Louis Blues would be packing for home, which would probably be for the best. The Blues have no idea what it takes to win a hockey game right now, never mind win a playoff series. The team set out on a five game road trip, with an opportunity to separate themselves from several Western Conference teams, by beating them head-to-head. It seemed possible considering the Blues have been better on the road this season, than at home. Unfortunately for Blues fans, opportunity is knocking, but nobody is home.

Since February 1, the Blues have lost 10 of 15 games. With a few exceptions, they have been grossly outplayed in those games. It could be said they were more lucky than good in the few games they won, specifically at Detroit, at Vancouver, and home against Edmonton. They fell behind in each of those games, and put themselves in a position where they had to play catch up hockey. Not the best formula for the Blues.

Okay, maybe they deserved a better fate in Colorado, losing a 1-0 heartbreaker in overtime. They also should have won at home against Anaheim, even though they did not play very well at times in that contest, and ultimately found a way to lose it in the shoot-out.

Those who religiously sip the Blues “Kool-Aid” will not appreciate this, but after searching for words that properly describe their play over the last month, one that probably says it best is atrocious.

atrocious adj. shockingly cruel or wicked || of very bad quality || extremely painful || very unpleasant [fr. L. atrox (atrocis), cruel] Webster’s Dictionary Encyclopedic Edition.

This clearly isn’t your 109 point St. Louis Blues from a year ago. No sir, the 2012-2013 edition has virtually no heart at all. There are individuals out there giving up the body, and leaving it all out on the ice every night. David Backes "C" is a perfect example of that, playing most of the game last night with a bloody face, after catching a high stick that was apparently missed by the refs, who found plenty of other occasions to raise their right arms. However, the collective pulse is weak and the Blues are being outworked at both ends of the ice, night after night. It is most glaring on the defensive end, with the Blues regularly leaving men unattended in front of whoever is the unfortunate backstop that evening.

The Blues went to Dallas on Sunday, tied with five other teams at 24 points, sitting in 5^th place in the conference. After back to back losses to the Stars on Sunday 4-1, and the Kings last night 6-4, they now sit in 9^th place in the conference, skating themselves right out of the playoff picture. It doesn’t get any easier for the Blues, who still have to go to Phoenix, San Jose, and Anaheim, and figure out how to win hockey games, against teams they are now chasing.

The Blues scored first in Dallas, and then proceeded to give up 4 unanswered goals, suffering a very unpleasant 4-1 loss. The loss dropped them into the 8^th and final playoff spot, and seemed to set the cruel tone for this west coast swing. This team is just not good enough.

That fact has never been more crystal clear than it was last night in Los Angeles. The Blues came out flying, scoring the first goal, and getting in three scraps with the defending Stanley Cup Champs, as if to say, “We are not going to be pushed around any more this year.” The Kings missed that message, and pushed them around anyway.

After spotting the Blues a 4-1 lead, and pulling starting goaltender Jonathan Bernier, who started on consecutive nights for the first time in his career, the Kings turned on the juice. They scored 5 unanswered goals, erasing what should have been a “safe” lead, and exposing the Blues as a team in utter disarray. They do not come from behind very well, and last night they proved that they cannot play with a lead either.

             By definition, the Blues have been atrocious since they shot out to a 6-1 record to start their season. It has been extremely painful to watch at times, and they have allowed far too many ridiculously easy scoring chances during the stretch. Some will argue, “They have played hard,” or “They’ve had a lot of injuries,” and they would be correct to say those things. Still, there is honestly no excuse for the way this team is playing right now, and any professional athlete needs to know that there are no acceptable excuses, for the way they are playing right now.

Guys who are getting paid to play hockey, or any sport professionally, are expected to play at a very high level. It’s that simple. The Blues, are not playing with any level of quality, and it is beginning to take on a similar aroma to the way the beloved St. Louis Cardinals stunk up the NLCS last season. They basically forgot how to play baseball after being up 3 games to 1 against the San Francisco Giants a year ago. They went on to drop 3 straight games, scoring only 1 run in 27 innings. Atrocious fit then and it fits where the Blues are concerned now.

The Blues recalled goaltender Jake Allen from the Peoria Rivermen immediately after the game last night. Allen provided a major spark when the team was struggling back in February, and hopefully he can bring some of that same energy with him upon his return. No word yet if he will start Thursday in Phoenix, but it stands to reason, the kid will play. The Blues have also signed defenseman Joel Edmundson and forward Yannick Veilleux to three-year entry level contracts today. Again, no word on when they will join the team.

The Blues do not have time to cry over spilled milk. They will take on the Phoenix Coyotes Thursday night, in another very important conference road game. The Blues can pull themselves out of this nosedive, if they can find a way to get ahead, and play with a lead tomorrow night in Arizona. There is not much room for error with 26 games to play, all against division rivals. They need to figure out a way to get on a positive run, and win a few consecutive games, if they don’t want to be playing golf at the end of April.

Rodney N Eldridge

The Sportz Yak