St. Louis Blues

Yes, I have been a fan of the Blues since their first day in the NHL. The team's first three seasons were magical: 3 Stanley Cup finals! Even though they lost to Montreal 4 games to 0 twice and to Boston 4 games to 0, they were, at least, in the finals.

But, since those first 3 seasons, 47+ years have passed and no Stanley Cup final games have been played involving the Blues. Each season, "they bleed blue" according to their commercials. The season starts and they play great. Then, usually in December or January, the downhill slide begins. Oh, there have been exceptions, but, generally speaking, this seems to be the trend.

2017-2018 is no exception. Even in early November, the Blues had the best record in the NHL. Now, they have two games remaining in the regular season and may very well miss the playoffs. As of this writing, they are 1 point behind Colorado for the final playoff place. They play the Hawks tonight in Chicago and then in Colorado for the final game. Even if the win tonight, they will need at least a tie against the Avalanche. This is a big hill to climb. The team almost appears cursed!

I have never played or coached ice hockey, so I realize I do not make the best analyst. But, I do watch some games involving not only the Blues but also other NHL teams (good ones!). I've made some observations (good and bad) from these games and thought I would share some suggestions when it comes to how the Blues play.

1. SHOOT THE PUCK! Good grief, they pass and pass and pass and ... lose the puck. Shoot the thing, men! Get a guy or two in front of the net and let it rip. You will not score without shooting. More shots, please!

2. "SO-AND-SO SHOT WIDE". How many times in one game can Jon Kelly repeat himself? When they do shoot, they shoot high, they shoot wide, they "miss the net". Come on, men, the net is 6 feet wide 4 feet tall. Perhaps you need to spend more time in practice shooting at the net. Time and time again, I have watched a Blues player with the puck six feet from the net and they shoot wide. Enough, already.

3. DUMP AND CHASE. Dump the puck into your offensive end and then chase it down. Not a bad philosophy IF (1) you have the speed to chase it down, (2) someone actually chases it down! Too often, a Blues player dumps the puck in and the defense immediately brings it back out. What's the point (unless you are in a line change)?

4. SHOOTER!  I have seen certain individuals in pick-up basketball games never really play defense. They will hover around the center line on the court, wait for someone on their team to get the ball, and then head for the offensive end for a pass and shot. They are shooters because that's all they care about. Watching the Blues, I see some similar behavior. Certain players hover between their blue line and center ice, waiting on one of their team members to get the puck and hit them with a long pass ("stretch pass"). Instead, they should be in the defensive zone, working on getting the puck. I truly believe the Blues would play a better game IF THEY ASSUMED the old 2-line pass rule was in place and the puck had to be carried from one zone to another. Perhaps, then, some of the "shooters" would play more defense.

That's enough from me. Take it for what it's worth.

While I hope the Blues make the playoffs and, then, find some magic to hang around all the way to the finals, I don't really believe it's going to happen this year. Not unless something radically changes starting tonight.