With less than three months left before sixteen teams begin the second season of play, rest and relaxation, no matter how long, is a good thing. Forty-eight players will be in Columbus for the 2015 All Star Game for the next four days, but most everyone else will be back at home relaxing or on a personal trip to some low-key destination. As a team, there is a good chance the St. Louis Blues would rather be playing regular season games instead of taking a break.
That is because they are likely the hottest team in the NHL and on a streak which makes them incredibly dangerous at a time when top contenders are experiencing key injuries. Consider since January 3rd, St. Louis has rattled off a 7-0-1 streak, scoring 37 goals, while only allowing 14. The eight-game run has been amazing and there are several reasons for why.
St. Louis Blues captain David Backes
Consider that after a start of 9 goals and 19 points in his first 40 games, captain David Backes has rattled of 7 goals and 14 points in his last 7. In Arizona to close out the last road trip, Backes netted 4 goals in the 6-0 victory. After having difficulty getting going, he seems to be leading on the scoreboard as well as in the dressing room.
Jaden Schwartz has been another nice January jolt. Before the streak, Schwartz had 11 goals and 27 points in 31 games. In his last eight games, he has 5 goals and 10 points to become a serious threat on the club’s top line.
(L-R) Jaden Schwartz – Brent Burns and Barret Jackman fight for position in front of the net
Last year’s team scoring leader, Alex Steen, is rounding into form. He has 6 goals and 15 points in those 8 games and is currently on a ten-game scoring streak in which he has registered 7 goals and 18 points. In his previous 34 games, he netted 8 goals and 22 points.
T.J. Oshie has 6 goals and 12 points in the last 8 games, and 8 goals and 14 points in his last ten. Before the streak, he had just 7 goals and 16 points in 30 games.
T.J. Oshie
While he has not produced lately as he did earlier in the season, Vladimir Tarasenko has a team-leading 24 goals and 47 points with a team-high +23 rating. His 24 goals rank 5th, only behind Tyler Seguin of Dallas (28), Rick Nash of the New York Rangers (28), Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals (27) and Steven Stamkos of the Tampa Bay Lighthing (26). He is ninth in points, 9 points behind Jakub Voracek of the Philadelphia Flyers. Tarasenko seems to have given way to others on the team to provide the offense as he has just 4 goals in his last 12 games
Newcomer Jori Lehtera, who has cooled of late, still found a role on the team and has contributed 9 goals and 30 points with a +16 rating. The substitute to some degree for the departed Vladimir Sobotka has rekindled the magic he had once before with team-leading scorer Vladimir Tarasenko.
Patrik Berglund continues to be one of the few regulars who cannot seem to get on track and this season represent the second in a row for the downward trend. Despite average fifteen minutes of ice time per game, Berglund has just 6 goals and 15 points and is -1. Last season, he contributed 14 goals and 32 points in 78 games along with a +10 rating in what was viewed as an off year. A season earlier and playing in 30 fewer games, he notched 17 goals and 25 points. His presence with off-season acquisition Paul Stastny has only stifled the gifted center man.
On defense, Kevin Shattenkirk has emerged as a leader on the blue line. The All-Star has 8 goals and 39 points along with a 3rd place ranking with a +17 among defenseman (only Calgary’s T.J. Brodie with a +23 and Mark Giordano with a +19 have a better rating). Although having somewhat of an off-year, Alex Pietrangelo has added 4 goals and 27 points, but has an even rating. He was +20 last season.
Kevin Shattenkirk
The Blues goaltending has remained solid, albeit unsettled, since Brian Elliott went on injured reserve with a left knee injury. The signing of free agent and future Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur helped stabilize the position. But in January, it has been recently named All-Star substitute Brian Elliott who has been the difference in January, playing in 7 of those 8 games. Elliott will replace the injured Sergei Bobrovsky of the Columbus Blue Jackets.
A closer look at the team stats reveals some interesting performance revelations. The Blues have scored an average 3.13 goals per game, trailing only Tampa Bay (3.21) and the surprising New York Islanders (3.15).
Defensively, St. Louis is 6th overall allowing just 2.37 goals per game trailing only Nashville (2.24), Chicago (2.28), New York Rangers (2.32), Montreal (2.33) and Winnipeg (2.35). In save percentage, Blues are 10th stopping 91.3% of the shots their goalies face.
St. Louis has the top-ranked power play converting 25.5% of the time with the man advantage. They have scored 40 goals on 157 attempts. When playing short-handed, though, St. Louis is at 17th surviving only 81.2% of the time, allowing 29 goals on 154 attempts. Reducing the number of penalty minutes they take a game (11 minutes a game and ranking 23rd) will go a long way to improving this number.
The Blues win 54.2% of their face-offs leading to greater puck control. They rank 6th with 31.3 shots per game and 3rd with 27.1 shots against per game.
As to their record at different stages of a game, when leading after one period, St. Louis is 16-3-1 and ranked 12th. After two periods, they are 17-1-2 and ranked 13th.
When trailing after one period, the Blues are 4-9-0 and ranked 13th, but surprisingly, they are 5-7-1 when trailing after two periods, good for second in the league and just behind Detroit.
They are 7-2 in the extra frame and 4-2 in the shootout.
The streak has propelled the Blues to a 29-13-4 record with 62 points, much better than the 22-13-3 record with 47 points they held after a 4-3 loss at Anaheim, their last regulation defeat. St. Louis sits 3 points behind division-leading Nashville (one game in hand) and tied with Chicago (who have played one more game).
The Blues are fantastic at home with an 18-4-2 record, 3rd overall behind Tampa Bay (19-4-1) and Anaheim (18-5-3), but dismal on the road at 11-9-2, 16th overall.
In the Western Conference, Anaheim leads with 31-10-6 record and 68 points in 47 games. Among the 30 NHL teams, St. Louis is 6th overall, behind Anaheim, Nashville, Tampa Bay (64 points), New York Islanders (63 points) and Detroit (63 points).
Lots of good things await the Blues in the second half, and with a little more polish and better play from some of their forwards, a more complete package could emerge to challenge the top contenders.
Currently, St. Louis is 6-5-2 against Chicago, Nashville, Anaheim, Los Angeles and San Jose, St. Louis is 6-5-2. Against the rest of the League, the Blues are 23-8-2.
The momentum the Blues have generated the last three weeks has propelled them in the race for home ice. To have a break in the middle of their best streak of the year is tough. But a few extra days for the majority of the team to recharge before facing top-ranked Nashville at home in their first game after the All-Star Game can only be helpful for a time which will face a slightly more compressed schedule during the final 36 games.
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