Blues Fall to Boston, Have Tough Road Ahead

Let’s hope the Blues got that out of their system. In their last home game before a grueling stretch of road games the Blues fell to the Boston Bruins in an effort (can we call it that?) that left a lot to be desired. Coming off a disappointing loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday, expectations were high that the Blues would bring their “A” game against the Stanley Cup champions. Instead, the Blues appeared to have taken another step back right as they enter the toughest part of their 2011-12 schedule.

The Blues need to figure things out – fast. The team’s next six games are on the road. Thirteen of their next 16 are on the road. We all know that the Blues have been a different team on the road, compiling a modest 10-13-3 record. As a whole, the Blues have relied on their play at the Scottrade Center to catapult them into playoff contention.

Unfortunately, the Blues failed to capitalize on their last home game before starting out on a tough trip that will take them to Nashville, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and San Jose.

In my opinion tonight was the most sloppy and unorganized the Blues have been under Ken Hitchock. The defensive unit as a whole looked like a group that had just met a few minutes before the game rather than a group that has been playing some outstanding hockey all season long. Passes were rarely on target and too frequently both defenseman would join the rush leaving the Blues exposed. It was this type of mistake that sealed the team’s fate when Brad Marchand had a breakaway to wrap things up. The Blues were out of position, beaten to the puck and lost battles in nearly every area of the ice.

As a whole the Blues played like a team full of players each trying to accomplish their own mission rather than a squad all marching by the same beat. Players seemed to bunch up regularly as if the ice was slanted in one direction. These are mistakes we might expect in the preseason, not 60 games into the year. We can chalk this up as a “bad night” but these past two losses have been pretty troubling given the schedule looming ahead.

The Blues have a matter of hours to right the ship before taking on an extremely solid Nashville team. The offense that hasn’t traveled with the Blues must spring to life. For those of us that doubt that the team has enough offense within its current lineup to truly be a playoff threat, now is the time to show it.