It takes a team effort to lose three games in a playoff series and a team effort to right the ship and prevent elimination. With that being said, the Blues need to get more out of David Backes, T.J. Oshie and Paul Stastny if they hope to prolong their stay in the 2014-15 playoffs.
This trio combined for 159 points over the course of the regular season, but they have just a combined four points through five playoff games against the Wild. Backes and Stastny have lit the lamp, but both goals came in a Game 4 effort in which the Blues cruised to a comfortable 6-1 victory.
The playoffs are always tricky to analyze as they force you to place a huge emphasis on small samples of data, but that’s what the quest for the Cup is all about. Key players are called on to rise to the challenge in high-pressure situations and so far these three aren’t answering the call.
David Backes
As captain, Backes will be the first player tackled in this article. Through five games, Backes has one goal, one assist and eight shots. Offensively, Backes needs to produce more and he needs to help take some of the pressure off of Vladimir Tarasenko. More time could be spent on that, but it’s pretty clear cut. Backes needs to contribute offensively.
The captain’s leadership has left a lot to be desired. Backes’ biggest role in the series to date has been tossing some punches in the scrums following a whistle. Instead of rallying the troops and pulling the club together for a rally when the game isn’t going the Blues’ way, Backes is mixing it up after the whistle which doesn’t do much on the scoreboard. Honestly, a lot of these incidents are comical and make the Blues look kind of silly.
The most frustrating thing is that the fire from Backes only seems to be coming out after the whistle. During play, Backes is playing a fairly quiet game. It’s difficult to remember any big checks or punishing hits and that’s a big part of Backes’ game. Instead, he’s saving up all of his frustration and anger for after the whistle where it’s wasted.
T.J. Oshie
Oshie has received criticism all season long, but most of that has been fairly unjustified as he recorded 55 points in 72 games (5th on the team). In five games against the Wild, Oshie has just one assist. Like the comments with Backes, it’s obvious Oshie has to step up and help take some of the pressure off of the team’s other forwards.
Something is off in Oshie’s game. Fans love to joke about Oshie’s balance and the fact he’s almost always falling down, but against the Wild Oshie looks like he is just learning to skate for the first time. With or without the puck, Oshie is slipping and tumbling on the regular. The issue is almost so bad that you have to wonder if Oshie is hiding an injury.
Paul Stastny
The man with the $7 million contract has received his fair share of heat this year. Stastny had 46 points in 74 games which is decent but well below the total you’d hope for from the most expensive forward on the roster. Stastny has one goal in the playoffs so far and it was the fourth goal in the team’s 6-1 win in Game 4.
The bigger issue here is that all season long the argument was made that the Stastny signing would pay off in the playoffs. Though he went through long mediocre stretches in the regular season, Stastny was supported because he was supposed to be a difference maker in the playoffs. In 2013-14 with the Avalanche, Stastny had five goals and five assists in seven games. That Stastny hasn’t shown up in five games against the Wild.
Some will point to his success in the faceoff circle as a redeeming quality (57.4%), which has certainly been nice, but it’s not enough to warrant the paychecks he’s earning.
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