Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde might not be an extreme enough example to explain what’s going on with the Blues at home and on the road this season.
In summary, the Blues have been nearly unbeatable at the Scottrade Center. Meanwhile, they haven’t been able to maintain even an average record away from St. Louis. As the team continues to fall in front of opposing crowds, precious points keep slipping away which may (OK, they will) come back to haunt them later in the season.
Home: 12-1-3
Away: 4-9-1
Let’s look at things a bit closer.
Goals scored
Home (16 games): 44
Away (13 games): 34
Goals allowed
Home (16 games): 32
Away (13 games): 46
The Blues have a +12 goal differential at home and a (-12) differential on the road. That split is worse than it appears considering the Blues have played in three more games at home.
Why have the Blues been so bad on the road? It’s definitely a team effort, but the goaltending is one area which has to improve.
Home
Jake Allen: 1.79 GAA, .932 save percentage (12 games)
Carter Hutton: 2.22 GAA, .917 save percentage (4 games)
Those are some pretty awesome numbers and that’s putting it lightly. Allen’s numbers in particular are just incredible at home. Unfortunately, the story – much like the team’s record – is very different on the road.
Road
Jake Allen: 3.13 GAA, .883 save percentage (11 games)
Carter Hutton: 4.01 GAA, .850 save percentage (4 games)
Those numbers aren’t acceptable on a team expected to make the playoffs, let alone on a team which has some big expectations just one year removed from a Western Finals run.
You’d expect the other team stats to fall under a similar pattern, but the power play completely breaks this idea. The Blues have a crazy 29.3% rate on the road while their home rate is at 16.7%. The PK makes a lot more sense, clicking at 91.7% at home while sitting at 83.3% on the road.
Realistically, there isn’t one clear answer behind the team’s struggles on the road compared to their strong play at home. If there was, it’s fair to assume the team would be addressing it. As things currently stand, it’s kind of a mystery.
Are fans and the media making too much of this story? That’s one question which has a clear answer – definitely not. Points may equal the same amount regardless of when you earn them – either early in the year or late – but the Blues are coughing up points they need to secure. How can anyone have any real confidence in the Blues and their future later this season when they can’t string together a few decent games on the road?
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