High expectations are dangerous.  Just like combining tequila and wine.  I won’t name names the way Sammy “The Bull” Gravano did, but you know who you are.  You’re the ones who publicly predicted the Blues would finish 6th or higher.  The ones who boldly and ignorantly stated the Blues would make the playoffs this season.  I asked why back then and will repeatedly ask why until I receive a sensible answer.  This most likely means I’ll continue to ask why more than a 5-year old.

Let’s really begin this by looking back.  I wrote on August 12, 2010, an article titled “5 keys for the Blues to return to the postseason”.  Please go back and read this brilliant column.  For those of you too lazy, and you know who you are since you comprise most of the 10% of the unemployed, here is a refresher:

First key-light the lamp.  Well the Blues have been unable to score all season.  The team finished tied for 15th last season with 225 goals scored.  The organization did nothing in the offseason to improve the offense.  But for reasons unclear, many of you felt the offense would improve for…wait for it…what reasons exactly?  The Blues currently sit 24th in the league with 148 goals scored.  They are on pace to finish below last season’s embarrassing rate.  The offense was bad last season with Keith Tkachuk and Paul Kariya in the lineup.  The O this season is worse than Christina Aguilera trying to sing the National Anthem.

Second key–stingy goaltending.  When the Blues traded for Jaroslav Halak, you would have thought they just acquired the second coming of Glenn Hall and Terry Sawchuk combined.  Halak was coming off an incredible postseason run, but other than that, he certainly was not a proven starter in this league.  The Blues were giving him his first opportunity as a full-time “go to” guy.  The pressure would be much less in St. Louis than in Montreal, but the workload would be an entirely different story.  Halak has been average this season.  He started great, then went cold, fought off the lean streak with some effective goaltending, but has been inconsistent for much of the season.  He seems to have the ability and mental strength to become a solid stopper, but there is no question the Blues and their fans expected more from him this season.  He has definitely not delivered stingy goaltending.

Third key–tighter zone coverage.  Eeesh.  The Blues finished with an impressive 11th overall ranking in goals against last season with 218 allowed.  This season the team has been lost in their own zone.  Brutal turnovers and poor reads have plagued the team all season.  Head Coach Davis Payne has not been able to improve and correct this glaring weakness.  The Blues currently rank 20th in the league with 164 goals against.  With 27 games remaining, the team can realistically end up allowing over 250 goals this season.  Their zone coverage has been about as good as Lindsay Lohan in a jewelry store.

Fourth key–power play.  Ughhh.  The atrocious power play has been a major reason why the Blues will miss the playoffs.  The team was bad last season, finishing 20th in the league with 52 power play goals.  This season Coach Payne has once again failed to solve the issue.  The team ranks 25th in the league with 30 power play tallies.  They have just four 5 on 3 goals and have yet to score with any of their 4 on 3′s.  The team has been unable to deliver key power play scores all season and will pay for it when the season officially ends after game number 82.  Their power play is as efficient as Jerry Jones trying to host a Super Bowl.

Fifth key–no golfing.  That was a humorous attempt at saying they must stay healthy.  Due to the organization’s complete and utter failure at adding much needed depth in the offseason, the team could ill-afford any key injuries.  This ain’t golf we’re playing here.  Injuries are going to occur, and guess what?  They came in bunches.  It was clearly a case of the Hockey Gods telling the Blues management team to smarten up.  David Perron?  See ya!  T.J. Oshie?  Adios!  Andy McDonald?  Buh-bye!

So as you can clearly see, I was not fooled by the false expectations applied to this team.  Too many areas were left wide open to be exploited.  If management decides to go with this same roster next season, the keys will be the same and the results will be identical.  They will miss the playoffs for the third straight season.  I implored them in the offseason to look at Ray Whitney to help their power play.  I strongly urge them now to find ways to improve their overall offense.  Coach Payne also must create solutions to improve play in their own zone.  Halak needs to be more aggressive and certain with his decisions.  So many departments the team will need to focus in on.  But one thing is certain, don’t fall for the company line like you did this season.   In conclusion, don’t worry my faithful St. Louis sports fans.  Cardinals baseball is right around the corner.  Uh oh, nevermind.

Let me begin by quoting a great American, Gordon Gekko.  “Greed, for lack of a better word, is good”.  At some point, the Blues must adhere to these words of wisdom and take the advice of this Wall Street felon.  Note to Blues ownership, get greedy and obsess about winning  a Stanley Cup.

But first, let’s dive into some of the real issues the Bluenote are experiencing.  Anybody with half a hockey brain is fully aware of the injuries which have plagued the team so far this season.  They have been without three of their top forwards for much of the campaign.  So until they see the shining faces of T.J Oshie (broken ankle, expected back near the All-Star break), David Perron (concussion, no timetable set for his return) and Andy McDonald (see David Perron), this squad will continue to struggle lighting the lamp.  The power play is a bigger joke than the United States Government.  Try to digest some of these numbers.  The team ranks 26th in the league at a 14.9% success rate.  Only Edmonton, New Jersey, Columbus and Florida are weaker.  To put into better perspective, Vancouver leads the league at 25%.  For those of you who did not finish grade school, that’s 10%  better than the Blues.  Here’s some more disturbing facts.  The Blues have earned the fifth most power play opportunities at home.  Great news right?  Try again.  It’s only good if you can take advantage of the reward.  They have converted only 14 goals in those 91 attempts.  On the road, the numbers are much worse.  The Blues own the second fewest power play opportunities away from the Scottrade Center.  They have scored just eight goals with the man advantage in 57 attempts.  They are clearly not nearly aggressive enough on the road since they have been awarded 34 fewer power play attempts.

So what can be done about this element with the current players they have in place?  What is the strategy coach?  If I’m Davis Payne (and I’m glad I’m not because he is bald with glasses and that’s not a look I want for myself), I go with four forwards and see if that makes a difference.  There’s no doubt the Blues do have some defensemen who can fire the puck from the blueline.  But it’s obviously not working right now.  First unit power play can be David Backes, Brad Winchester and Brad Boyes up front.  Let’s have Alex Steen and Erik Johnson on the blueline.  Then the second unit can showcase Patrik Berglund, Matt D’Agostini and Vladimir Sobotka.  You can then go back to two defenseman manning the points, Alex Pietrangelo and Carlo Colaiacovo.  This of course will change when Oshie returns, but it will at least give the Blues another option at improving an area to their game that is costing them valuable points in the standings.  Right now, the power play is predictable and failing miserably.  This needs to change immediately.

Now let’s get back to Mr. Gekko and his philosophy on money.  There are a number of unrestricted free agents for the Blues to zero in on after this season.  Some potential names are Brad Richards, Joe Thornton, Alexander Semin and Patrice Bergeron.  Others include Brooks Laich, Ville Leino and Milan Hejduk.  We are just discussing forwards here.  The Blues have no need to target more defensemen at this time.  The above names, particularly the first four, are all highly skilled players who can make a major impact on the Blues offense.  So suits, go ahead and get greedy.  Real greedy.  Improve this team by prying open that stubborn wallet and making an intelligent decision.  Gordon Gekko will be proud of you.

“Teamwork divides the task and doubles the success”.  This quote can easily be attributed to any player currently on the Blues roster.  This season so far has been a rollercoaster.  The beginning showed the Blues off to one of their best starts in franchise history.  Then injuries hit and the team went into a downward spiral.  But Head Coach Davis Payne was able to maintain control and pull the team out of its sorrow and back into the Western Conference playoff race.

The Blues are now in the midst of their second longest winning streak of the season, thanks to their fifth straight victory Friday night over the Phoenix Coyotes.  They are 4-0 on their current five game homestand which concludes Sunday against the Dallas Stars.  Here are some BLUENOTES from their impressive win over Phoenix:

*Alex Steen notched his team-leading 12th goal of the season.  That tally made it 4-0, which ended up being the game-winner as the Blues held on for the 4-3 victory.  Steen has easily been the team’s best forward this season.

*Jay McClement was a force in the faceoff circle.  McClement won 13 of 19 draws against the third best faceoff team in the league.  His dominance was instrumental in the Blues gaining much-needed puck possession.

*Jaroslav Halak.  His casual style in goal makes you wonder sometimes, but the bottom line is he continues to get the job done.  Halak stopped 30 shots and and increased his shutout streak to 123:09 before finally allowing a goal to Shane Doan.  Again, thank you Montreal.

*Roman Polak:  Did anybody realize his true value and importance to this team?  It is no coincidence since Polak’s return from injury, the Blues defense has been much better.  Polak had 21:35 of ice team against Phoenix which was second among Blues defensemen.  He also blocked two shots and led all Blues d-men with 3:42 of ice time while the team was shorthanded.

It is now just a matter of time before T.J. Oshie returns.  If Andy McDonald and David Perron can find their way back from concussion-related problems, the Blues should continue to be a team that will put a scare into the West.

Are you, my beautiful, loyal, faithful audience growing tired of reading my articles blaming the St. Louis Blues management?  If so, then definitely continue reading.  I am going to place new blame on what is happening with the injury-riddled Bluenote.  Ready?  Here you go.  It’s their vision.  Yes, that’s right.  Eyes.  You know, those two balls (not those, you morons) that God (or Mike Keenan) gave us to see incredible sights with such as Girls Gone Wild Part 12.  Allow me to explain, please.

Have you not noticed how many times the Blues shoot the biscuit wide?  Way wide?  I’m not talking about 40- foot shots either.  Shots from the slot, shots from the dots, shots with nobody in front of them to screen their vision!  Please tell me you have seen this ugly trend.  This disturbing, repetitive behavior finally caused me to do some research.  Or at least it forced me to tell my intern to do the work for me.  What, you really think I’m going to waste my time looking up numbers to educate you future felons?  Trust me, there are numerous advantages to having 19-year old interns.  Female interns.

Back to the matter at hand.  Actually not the hand, the eyes.  Here are some interesting numbers.  The Blues are 8th in the league at home with 225 missed shots.  By 8th in the league, I mean they are the 8th worst team.  For those of you who aren’t capable of mathematics, and I know that means most everybody reading this, that calculates to an average of 14 missed shots per home game this season.  Yikes!  They are 13th in the league with 405 total missed whacks.  That comes to an average of nearly 13 missed shots for every game played.  Eeesh! This my friends is not good accuracy.  It may be worse than Rick Ankiel trying to find home plate.

Alex Steen “leads” the team with 55 misses.  He has taken a total of 106 shots on goal.  David Backes follows with 38 misses with 77 total shots on goal.  Brad Boyes owns 34 misfires and 84 shots while Matt D’Agostini has 28 misses and 51 shots.  This glaring statistic even impacted T.J. Oshie (remember him?).  Before crushing his ankle, he had a total of 22 shots on goal and 14 misfires.  Now this is certainly not the most glaring issue at hand.  I must point out that Alex Ovechkin is first in the league with 67 misses and 155 shots.  Then again, you would probably take that in a heartbeat since it is Ovechkin right?

The Blues misfired 23 shots in a recent home shootout loss to Carolina.  In regulation.  23 times.  Holy Dwight Schofield!  This element to their game must be corrected.  It’s just that simple.  Now there is no doubt the Blues fans on message boards will read this and try to pick it apart.  They will mention how Alexander Semin shoots wide far too often.  They will state how talented teams such as the Flyers, Sharks and Red Wings all have misfired more than the Blues.  If they are smart, and that’s a huge if, they will argue how struggling teams such as the Oilers, Devils and Islanders are teams that have misfired the least.  But again, players like Ovechkin and Semin take a high volume of shots and effort an enormous amount of high quality scoring chances.  They also score 40-plus goals a season.  The high-skill teams that have misfired more than the Blues are clubs that also put the puck on net and finish successfully at a much higher rate.  And the lower skill teams that I previously mentioned who shoot the puck wide at a greater rate are all teams just struggling to get shots off. Like I stated earlier, this is not the biggest problem the team is facing.  But this is definitely an area the team can and should resolve sooner rather than later.  Get the puck on net.  Should they be looking for top shelf if it’s there?  Of course, but shooting wide an average of 13 times per game for a team that is just trying to scrape out some wins is unexplainable and inexcusable.

On top of this weakness, there is another element to the Blues game that is sorely lacking.  Faceoffs.  The Blues are 27th in the league with a 47.8% success rate, ahead of only the Oilers, Rangers and Hurricanes.  David Backes is winning just 46% of his draws.  Patrik Berglund is worse at 45%.  Jay McClement, the team’s best defensive centerman is still below the 50% mark with a 48% rate.  Win a faceoff, you then own possession of the puck.  Lose the draw, you then find yourself chasing the other team.  What situation would you rather be in?

There you have it.  I made good on my promise to lay off management when placing blame.  Get the puck on net, win more faceoffs, or it will soon be time to write another column on the true issue at hand.  I’ll give you a hint.  It’s a 10 letter word that starts with an “M”.

Everybody who claims to be a hockey expert is expecting and demanding the bewildered Blues management group to make a trade, and make it happen soon.  One would think this would be an obvious way to go.  With the team missing their three top forwards in T.J. Oshie (broken ankle), David Perron and Andy McDonald (concussions), there is no question the Blues are hurting for offense.  But the Blues were hurting for offense with them in the lineup.  That my friends is the whole point of this upcoming brilliant article.

If you’ve had the pleasure of reading any of my previous stellar work, you know how I feel about Blues management.  My last piece of work titled “Blues Management Should Be Arrested”  may give you a small clue.  The time to improve the team’s offense was at the trade deadline last season and/or during this past offseason.  There were skilled players available who could have contributed offensively.  Management decided not to go this route.  Their choice.  But this irrational, uneducated and arrogant decision is simply now coming back to bite them in their respective wallets, which are undoubtedly fat thanks in large part to the loyal Blues fans packing the Scottrade Center, paying an absurd price to park their unregistered, uninsured vehicles, and of course shelling out plenty of benjamins these fans collect on unemployment for Budweiser products.  I won’t waste the muscles in my fingers pounding on the keyboard any longer in this column proving how Blues management failed their fans, the team and themselves.

What I will do is relay logic and intelligence to this dire situation.  I’m quite certain at least one of you obsessive stalkers out there who recently learned how to read will be kind enough to forward this to say, President John Davidson (Blues President, not the United States) or General Manager Doug Armstrong.  Here’s the message:  DO NOT MAKE A MAJOR TRADE.

What is the point?  The team will be forced to trade either a top prospect or a veteran defenseman who logs well over 20 minutes a night.  There are plenty of Eric Brewer and Barret Jackman haters reading this right now who do not and will never understand the importance of these two players.  So I will not spend my time in support of them.  I will say dealing either one of those two veterans in an attempt to stop the bleeding is a mistake.  You then have created more potential problems, this time on the blueline.   Yes, it looks as if Ian Cole is ready to take that next step and remain with the team.  But trading a veteran defenseman then forces the Ian Cole’s, Nikita Nikitin’s and Tyson Strachan’s of the world to suddenly undertake more responsibility than they are ready for and quite possibly currently qualified.

Yes, not having Oshie, Perron and McDonald in the lineup for an extended period of time will undoubtedly see the team slide in the competitive Western Conference race.  Maybe the team misses the playoffs as a result.  But why move an important piece of the team due to emergency conditions?  Management should have realized with the team’s lack of depth up front the danger they might face due to potential injuries.  Well, danger-time is upon us my friends.  Do NOT rent a forward to replace who is sidelined if you will lose this player at the end of the season just in hopes of possibly making the playoffs.  Do NOT trade for a forward who you don’t feel will be a big part of the Blues plans moving ahead if you have to give up a current impact player.  In other words, do NOT panic.

What is the worst case scenario here?  The team stays put, waits for the unhealthy to return and fails to make the playoffs for the second straight season?  So what.  Chalk it up to failure on management’s part.  Then let that same group of suits head into the offseason knowing they failed miserably and their careers are on the line.  Maybe, just maybe, the team can then land an impact free agent and come back stronger next season.  The core unit such as Oshie, Perron, Berglund, Johnson, Pietrangelo and Halak is in place and getting stronger.  Veterans such as Brewer and Jackman are needed as well.  The injured will eventually return, this season or next.

So there you have it.  Rational and logic all wrapped up nice and neat.  I am all for improving a team.  But chasing your tail is no way to run an organization.  Unless of course the owner is Ralston Purina.  Who knows, maybe this current group can somehow manage to rack up w’s with an abundance of skill out of the lineup.  Nashville seems to do it on a consistent basis.  Maybe management will do the smart thing, stop looking at their 401k’s, and take my advice.  For the love of the Bluenote, just think before you act.

That’s right, I said it.  I am hereby calling for the arrest of the Blues management team.  It is time to name names.  Here are the defendants.  Let’s begin at the top.  Dave W. Checketts.  The “W” certainly does not stand for “wallet”.  Michael McCarthy, Vice Chairman and CEO.  Kenneth Munoz, Alternate Governor.  Carl Vogel, Partner.  Steven Potter, Partner.  Tom Stillman, Minority Owner.  John Davidson, President of Hockey Operations.  The official charge, impersonating a hockey managerial corporation.  The sentence, having to watch their own product in solitary confinement 23 out of 24 hours.  Videos will be shown of Brad Boyes trying to backcheck.  David Backes attempting to win a draw.  Patrik Berglund searching for his heart.  And Eric Brewer taking a pass from Jaroslav Halak.  Their one hour of free time must be spent reviewing the countless missed opportunities to improve the team.  Conjugal visits with Chris Pronger will be allowed only on Sunday mornings .  That way they can review the disaster that most likely occurred just 12 hours earlier while Pronger administers crosschecks to the throat.  Kerry Fraser will be the guard but no penalty will be called.  The defendants will all have cellmates that resemble Tony Twist and Marty McSorley in their prime.  The prosecuting attorney will be Scotty Bowman.  The judge will be Mike Keenan.  The guilty verdict will be faster than an Al MacInnis slapshot.

This collective group of criminals can easily be charged with a second count of burglary and fraud.  If the Blues continue on their current slide, dare I say a murder charge might be in their future?  The previous front office knuckleheads have never been held accountable.  I’m referring to the geniuses who over the many gut-wrenching years made decisions such as these:  Drafting Jocelyn Lemieux 10th overall in 1986.  The delusional group later admitted the mistake, saying they thought Jocelyn was a clone of Mario.  How about just two years later when the outfit in charge traded Doug Gilmour, Mark Hunter, Steve Bozek and Michael Dark to Calgary for Mike Bullard, Craig Coxe and the unforgettable Tim Corkery.  Doug Gilmour for crying out loud!!!  Then four years later the highly intelligent suits thought dealing Adam Oates for Craig Janney would be a bright idea.  Yep, Brett Hull and Adam Oates made a horrible duo.  Of course, who could have expected teammate Brendan Shanahan to steal Janney’s wife away.  Hey, there’s no crime in that so relax.  And speaking of Hull, how about not re-signing him just because he wanted a no-trade clause.  How dare The Golden Brett wanting to end his career in St. Louis. But oh how I digress.  Let’s please get back to our current cast of blue collar criminals.

The team had an anemic offense last season.  Take away Keith Tkachuk and Paul Kariya.  Add not much else in the way of scoring and what do you have?  Even a concussed David Perron knows the answer to this.  Yes, an even weaker offense!  Then take into consideration injuries at some point will surely happen.  A team thin on depth to begin with will then begin to cave and crumble.  Sound familiar?

Go ahead and try to defend these dunderheads.  There is simply no defense.  Johnny Cochrane (RIP) wouldn’t even take this case on.  The only question that truly remains is how do we rehabilitate these creeps?  That is if you believe criminals deserve a second chance.  I call on this embarrassing group to take responsibility for their actions, or lack thereof.  Communicate with the fans that spend an enormous amount of money.  Prove to your players that help at some point will be on the way.  Why would an attractive free agent want to play in St. Louis if management does not show they are completely committed to winning?  The time is now for these convicts to right their wrongs.  Ask for forgiveness and dedicate yourselves to being the very best you can be.  Send in your resignation immediately if you don’t possess the belief to achieve greatness.  Blues fans have been sentenced to mediocrity and failure for too many years.  Prisoners Checketts, McCarthy, Munoz, Vogel, Potter, Stillman and Davidson, your judgement day is right around the corner!

Why must the media always look for somebody to blame?  The answer is simple.  It’s an essential ingredient as to how we live our daily lives.  We blame our girlfriends, boyfriends, husband, wives, politicians, managers, financial advisors, doctors, teachers, the chick at the bar who gave you crabs…sorry to go there!   But you get the message.

So let’s try and figure out who exactly is to blame for the mess that is currently the St. Louis Blues.  After getting off to a franchise-best 9-1-2 start, the team has gone 0-4-1.  You can just feel their season slipping away, and it’s only November.  It is certainly no coincidence the losses began to pile up when the injuries hit.  Down goes Roman Polak.  Down goes Barret Jackman.  Down goes David Perron.  Down goes T. J. Oshie.  The Blues don’t have much depth to begin with.  Take those players out of the lineup, and it shouldn’t be any surprise what the impact will be.

So what can be done about this?  It is painfully obvious the team can not compete with their current lineup in place.  The offense has been weakened, the defense has been torn and as a result, the goaltending has been shaken.  We can look back and complain as to how management did not add much to the lineup in the offseason.  This is a legitimate claim.  The organization decided to keep the money in their wallet and go with this current roster.  Nobody could have anticipated these types of major injuries, but it is your job as a manager to understand anything is possible.  Well, the “anything is possible” scenario is upon us and the Blues managers now must take responsibility for their decisions, or lack thereof, in the offseason.

But why look back?  Nothing good can come of that right?  It’s like looking back at that gorgeous blonde you could have had in college, but were too drunk to do the right thing.  Or was that just me?  Seriously, what’s done is done.  The Blues management failed to act, they failed the team, the fans, they failed themselves.  So let’s look forward.

Can Blues General Manager Doug Armstrong pull off a trade to help alleviate some pressure?  Probably not.  Think about it, who can he trade to help turn this around?  On top of that, it’s too early to start moving players.  The team has preached patience to the fans, now they must absorb their own lectures.  Patience!  Eventually, Jackman and Polak will return and the defense will stabilize.  Maybe now Blues fans will realize how valuable Jackman truly is.  At some point, Perron’s concussion-related symptoms will be gone and he will return.  That should immediately help the offense.  ”Should” being the key word there.  In the meantime, is there anything that Head Coach Davis Payne can do?  I would like to see one piece of strategy he is using change.  Let’s break up the Nikita Nikitin, Tyson Strachan pairing on defense.  You have two very inexperienced blueliners paired together.  Will this correct everything?  Nope, but maybe it can help the defense become a bit tighter and give Jaroslav Halak a fighting chance.  Speaking of Halak, he has definitely looked like an average goalie the past several games.  But it is tough to judge performances when the team is missing key personnel.

So the bottom line here is to remain patient.  I hate to sound like a “suit”, but there really is no other option.  The walking wounded will return.  Let’s just hope when they do, the Blues will still be in the hunt and able to make a run for the postseason.  Until then, a message to Erik Johnson and the rest of the boys, stay away from golf carts.

The St. Louis Blues took care of some business on Friday, signing forward David Backes to a 5-year contract extension.  The deal will pay him $22.5 million over the length of the contract.  For you future number crunchers, that’s an annual average of $4.5 million.  Now the big question, is he worth it?

Backes turns 27 years old on May 1.  He was the Blues second round pick in the 2003 NHL draft.  The power forward has shown signs he can score goals in the past, but Backes has not proven he can score consistently like a top 6 forward should.  He currently has two goals in 14 games.  Is a 20-goal scorer worth $4.5 million?  Probably not, but contracts are inflated all over the league.  What was there a lockout for again?

The Blues did the right thing in signing Backes.  He should be an important part of the organization’s plans moving forward.  He was set to hit the market as an unrestricted free agent July 1, and you can bet your 401K (for those few of you smart enough to have a job) that plenty of teams would have gone into a bidding war for his services.  Now with T.J. Oshie out of the lineup for at least three months, and with David Perron still on the shelf with concussion-related symptoms, it is imperative that Backes elevates his play.  20 goals is not acceptable this season, whether he makes $4.5 million or not.  He needs to be a physical presence on every shift, play with a passion that made him a 40-goal scorer several seasons ago, and establish himself as a true first line player.  Let’s hope now that the contract situation is solved, Backes can concentrate on his game and help carry the Blues offense to greater heights.

Nobody could have possibly expected the Blues to be facing a crucial test this early in the season.  A test that will potentially decide their fate.  Now, time will tell if this team can overcome the adversity staring them straight in the Bluenote.

T.J. Oshie, most likely the Blues all-around best forward, is gone for at least three months, and possibly will miss the rest of this season.  The 23-year old broke his left ankle during a scrum against Columbus Wednesday night when he fell awkwardly and pinned his ankle underneath his body.  This happened in a game where the Blues lost 8-1 and looked like a team that was completely uninterested in playing a sport they get paid millions to compete.  Maybe these forgettable nights will happen from time to time, but the injury will go down as a moment to remember.

So where do the Blues go from here?  Will they fold as their energizer bunny is on the shelf and out of the mix?  Or will they fight through this and rise to the occasion?  In order to overcome the loss of Oshie, several elements must happen.  Let’s be honest, this is a team that is very thin on offense.  Players such as David Backes (2 goals in 14 games), Andy Mcdonald (2 goals in 14 games), Brad Boyes (1 goal in 14 games) and Patrik Berglund (4 goals in 14 games) must elevate their performance.  If they are unable to do this, the Blues will be in trouble.  Big trouble.  Also, they need to get more offense from their blueline.  Erik Johnson (1 goal in 14 games) and Alex Pietrangelo (0 goals in 14 games) must show why they were such high draft picks.

It will take more than just an offensive contribution to help offset the loss of Oshie.  He brings energy, tenacity and passion to the lineup on a consistent basis.  Who can replicate that role?  Hello, David Backes, are you available?  Good teams find ways to overcome and conquer.  Colorado won a Stanley Cup without Peter Forsberg.  No, I am not comparing these Blues to that Avalanche team.  The point is, every player must decide if they want it bad enough.  Are they willing to make a difference?  Can they find an inner strength and take their game to another level?  These are questions that are soon to be answered.  The Blues lost their first game without Oshie in a shootout to Nashville.  Oshie was a star in shootouts.  They clearly missed him.  Boyes, Mcdonald and Berglund were not able to solve Pekka Rinne in the shootout.  The team had a chance in overtime as well on the power play, but failed to convert.  Will this be a sign of things to come?  Or will the boys in blue figure out a way to win games?  Stay tuned.

One night after skating into Boston and defeating a very good Bruins team, the Blues waltzed in to Madison Square Garden and shut down the New York Rangers 2-0.  Back to back road wins, and this shutout came with Jaroslav Halak enjoying the sights from the bench.

Ty Conklin made 27 saves in just his 2nd game of the season.  The Blues once again played a spectacular team game and as a result, won their 7th straight contest and now lead the NHL with 20 points (9-1-2).  Let me say that again only a bit louder, THE BLUES LEAD THE LEAGUE WITH 20 POINTS!

Now let’s focus on some key BLUEnotes:

*Alex Steen:  He led all skaters with 7 shots on goal and netted two in 18:07 total time on the ice.  Steen is becoming a complete package.  Defensively responsible, gifted offensively, effective penalty killer and a power play target.

*David Backes:  A notorious slow starter, Backes is showing signs of coming alive.  He was a physical force against Boston the previous night and backed it up again with another physically dominating performance.  Backes registered 6 hits, 3 shots on goal, and won 11 out of 12 faceoffs in 20:24 time on the ice.  Speaking of faceoffs, the Blues are improving dramatically in this area.  They won 38 out of 54 draws against the Rangers.  Head Coach Davis Payne preaches puck possession.  Winning faceoffs is the first step in order for that philosophy to be successful.

*Nikita Nikitin:  Wow.  Just another very solid job by Nikitin.  He logged 17:41 worth of ice time and once again showed great poise.  He makes the game look easy and employs confident decision-making skills.  The Blues have a nice problem on their hands with the depth among defensemen.  Nikitin will be difficult to send back to Peoria once the injured defensemen are cleared to play.  It is also worth noting, Tyson Strachan, Nathan Oystrick and Ian Cole have also done a marvelous job with their ice time.

It’s now off to Columbus for Wednesday night’s matchup.  20 points in the first 12 games is clearly a better start than anybody could have imagined.  As a result, please kiss your Bluenote before you go to sleep.