The St. Louis Blues have been struggling to find their offensive balance. While the STL line continues to roll and score on a nightly basis, the rest of the key players have been mostly silent. I already touched on the fact Paul Stastny has been off to a slow start, but other skaters (T.J. Oshie, Patrik Berglund and others) have really been slow out of the gate.
Then there’s the fourth line. The Blues’ fourth line has been one of the best stories of the still young season. Other than the STL line and the steady play in net, the fourth line has been outstanding and has been one of the brightest spots on the roster.
Ryan Reaves, Steve Ott and Max Lapierre. You may recall that the CPR line (Reaves, Chris Porter and Adam Cracknell) was a dynamic force, but now it’s the ROL line. Or the LOR line or whatever acronym you want to use.
Reaves has elevated his game to a much higher level. He has refrained from dropping the mitts as frequently as he would in previous seasons and has focused more on other aspects of the game. His shot is much more accurate. His ability to cycle the puck and his general awareness with the puck have taken strides forward.
Here’s a fun stat:
Player – Goals – Games Played
Reaves – 3 goals – 20 games
Stastny – 3 goals – 13 games
Berglund – 2 goals – 20 games
Oshie – 1 goal – 14 games
Shattenkirk – 1 goal – 21 games
Pietrangelo – 1 goal – 21 games
The above stats really put things in perspective, especially when you factor in that Stastny has one empty-netter and one goal which barely grazed his boot.
Meanwhile, Lapierre has been a strong player too. He only has one goal so far this season, but what a goal it was.
Overall, Lapierre’s game has been solid. He has been physical when he needs to be while also putting a tremendous amount of pressure on the puck.
As for Ott, it’s easy to mock the fact he still hasn’t scored a goal as a member of the Blues. That streak just keeps on rolling, but Ott has contributed in other areas. Along with Reaves and Lapierre, he has assisted in making the Blues’ forecheck a dominant force. His timely checks are forcing bad passes and dislodging the puck. On his own, Steve Ott’s effort so far this season may be easy to overlook and easy to ignore, but with Reaves and Lapierre he has shined in a trio which is arguably the best fourth line in the NHL.
Long story short, the Blues are stumbling offensively in a few very important spots on the roster, but the play of their fourth line has been huge all season long and has lifted them to a couple key victories of late.
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