Paul Stastny didn’t have the impact he was supposed to when he joined the Blues last season. He scored 46 points, but that total was well below what was expected after posting 60 points with the Avalanche in 2013-14.
Don’t look now, but Stastny seems to have finally found his groove in 2015-16 and has matched his point total from last year with 46 points in 60 games. Over the past three weeks, Stastny leads the NHL with the most points recorded (16) over his last 11 games.
Why are things suddenly clicking for Stastny? The St. Louis Post-Dispatch outlines several reasons including the fact he has developed some solid chemistry with Troy Brouwer and Robby Fabbri. He also isn’t feeling the same amount of pressure as he was in his first year with the Blues. Stastny appeared to be pressing at times and that resulted in plenty of scoring opportunities being missed. This year he looks more relaxed and is blossoming with consistent linemates. Hopefully Ken Hitchcock will finally realize that chemistry among linemates is a very real thing which shouldn’t be tinkered with.
If Stastny didn’t miss a chunk of time with an injury this season, it’s possible he would have approached some of his best point totals that he notched with the Avs.
Now it’s time for Stastny and the Blues to look ahead to the playoffs. If the Blues hope to make a deep run, they’re going to need continued production from Stastny.
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