Preds 3, Blues 1
Jury Remains Out

Two games into their six game homestand, the Blues have yet to give their fans any clue as to what to expect from this team from night to night. Following a beatdown on Vancouver that saw the Blues take control of the game early and never let go on the way to a 6-1 victory, the Blues once again scored early but this time failed to close the game out.

Is this a new pattern? A game with a flurry of goals (see Anaheim, Carolina and Vancouver) followed up by an overall dismal performance in a crushing loss. Thankfully, there are still four games remaining in what may prove to be a very telling series of games on home ice. One thing is clear: dropping two points to a Central Division foe following a blowout win has let the air out of the fanbase yet again. Any idea of momentum believed to have been gained from the Vancouver win is gone, and the Blues have to try to put together a winning streak starting Saturday against a tough San Jose side.

No complaints about how the game started. Two minutes in, Brad Boyes tapped in a nifty pass from Erik Johnson to open the Blues scoring before many fans had even sat down. Unfortunately, this was the last time the Blues lit the red lamp.

Nashville tied the game midway through the second through a Patric Hornqvist goal. The contest remained level until the last breath of the game, when Jordin Tootoo gave the Preds a 2-1 lead with a little over three minutes left. While earlier in the year the Blues faltered early in games and came on late, as of the past few games, the team has struggled late in the game and when the game reaches OT, they look gassed.

Mason was pulled from his net and the Preds added an empty netter as the period expired.

Does this team not believe in winning back-to-back games? It sure seems that way. There were poor efforts from around the ice, as well as some disasterous giveaways by Erik Johnson amongst others.

The jury remains out on what exactly this team should be expected to accomplish this season. They are 6-7-4 for 16 points. They are 13th in the West, four points removed from a playoff spot with as many as one to three games in hand on the teams ahead of them. However, a more concerning note is that with each of the five teams in the Central Division having played 17 games, the Blues are fifth, bringing up the rear.

San Jose comes to town this weekend and bring with them the most points in the NHL with 29. To say the Blues need to bring a full and complete effort to stay in this one is a gross understatement.

The Blues true identity will be revealed sooner or later and we likely will have a better view of things once the homestand is completed. Then and no sooner can we place any sort of label on the 2009-10 edition of the St. Louis Blues.