Success at Home Powering the Blues

Following their narrow 1-0 victory over the Dallas Stars on Monday night the St. Louis Blues moved into a tie for first place in the NHL with 60 total points. With 45 games in the books, the Blues join the New York Rangers (43 games – 60 points) and the Chicago Blackhawks (46 games – 60 points) at the top. Hard work and determination have fueled the club’s rise to the top which has resulted in them owning the league’s best record at home.

Following their win over Dallas the Blues record at home moved to an incredible 19-3-3. They’ve won the most games in the league at home (2nd is Detroit with 18) and have accumulated 41 of 50 possible points at home. On the flip side, the Blues have a modest record away from the Scottrade Center (8-9-3). While the road record needs some improving, you would be hard pressed to ask for a better record at home.

It’s clear that the Blues have thrived on home ice. They have taken their game to a higher level and seemingly refuse to submit to whatever the opponent throws their way. At home the Blues have scored 74 goals while allowing just 44. Their mark of 74 goals scored at home ranks 4th in the NHL while their mark of 44 goals allowed ranks 3rd in the NHL.

What’s most impressive is the manner in which the Blues have won at home. We have seen some big offensive performances and we have seen some games, like the recent 1-0 win over Dallas, where goals are tough to come by and the goaltending is leaned upon heavily. We have seen the Blues hold on to late leads as well as find late goals when trailing. We’ve seen just about every type of game the NHL can throw your way at the Scottrade and the Blues have almost always come up on the positive side of things.

If there’s one negative to take away from all this it’s that the Blues need to take their formula at home and apply it on the road more often. The Blues have only scored 45 goals away from the Scottrade Center – a mark that ranks 28th. What has kept them afloat on the road has been outstanding goaltending and a relentless defense that has only allowed 45 goals in 20 road games – a mark that ranks 3rd in the NHL.

Clearly, the Blues need to flex their offensive muscle more on the road and take some of the pressure off their goaltenders/defenseman. Eventually Halak & Elliott will look human – it’s inevitable. It may seem silly to be breaking down potential areas of weakness when the team has just recently climbed into first, but it is that desire to continuously improve that takes teams from good or great to elite. Fact of the matter is that the home record is incredible – no argument there. The road record sits at .500 and is an area the Blues can improve on.