St. Louis Blues: 5 Keys to Reach the Playoffs

After being everyone's favorite NHL "Team On the Rise" the past couple years, the St. Louis Blues finally played up to those expectations early last year by charging out of the gate with a 9-1-2 record.  In the process, they beat eventual playoff teams Boston, Chicago, Nashville, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Anaheim. 

And yet, it wasn't enough.  

Not when 97 points secures you the last playoff spot in the Western Conference.  The defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks grabbed the last spot this past spring with that total, which was a full 10 points better than the Blues could muster.

What went wrong?  How about, what went wrong in one week? 

On November 4th in St. Louis, the Blues lost David Perron to a concussion on a blindside hit by a much larger Joe Thornton as he was leaving the penalty box.

Six days later, the Blues' seven-game win streak was utterly destroyed in Columbus as the Blues were pasted by the Blue Jackets, 8-1, and in the process, lost up-and-coming forward T.J. Oshie to a broken ankle in a meaningless scrum near the end of the contest. 

After losing two of their brightest young stars, the Blues predictably fell apart, losing nine of their next 12.  

This year, however, there appears to be even more reason to hope.  A coaching change, the return of Perron and other developments have the Blues solidly in the middle of the playoff standings.

First-year captain David Backes and the rest of the Blues seem ready to makes some sweet music and maybe even some noise in the playoffs.  Here are five keys to their season.

The Halak-Ness Monster Must Terrorize Opponents

The St. Louis Blues still feel they have addressed a long-term need in goal in acquiring Jaroslav Halak last offseason, and while the team defense (as well as his own play) was inconsistent at times, he finished with seven shutouts and showed glimmers of dominance. 

He will need to improve on his .910 save percentage, which was noticeably lower than his career mark (.916), however.

For a team scraping the bottom of the salary cap floor, the Blues made a huge investment in Halak, who no doubt felt the pressure to carry the team, much as he had the Montreal Canadiens in the playoffs. 

He should be more comfortable in his second season in St. Louis, and the Blues' young defense will continue to mature in front him, defensively. 

Backup Brian Elliot has been the biggest surprise of the first half, leading the league in goals against average and save percentage nearly the entire season so far. 

Young Blues Must Learn from New Veterans

Doug Armstrong made some bold (read "hopeful") free-agent acquisitions in adding former Cup heroes Jamie Langenbruner and Jason Arnott.  While no one expects these players to suddenly revert to circa-2002 versions of themselves, the young Blues can learn a ton from the grizzled vets on what a winning culture is all about.  

Arnott has not only been a mentor, he's been contributing regularly with 20 points in 35 games.  

The Blues' young veterans like David Backes and Patrik Berglund will be smart to absorb as much wisdom from these ex-Cup champions as possible.

The Kids Must Grow Up...Finally

If the Blues' marketing tagline in the past has been "We're not kids anymore," what should it be this year?  "Our parents finally kicked us out, and it's time to work for a living?" 

GM Doug Armstrong seems to think so when he told Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch recently, "We're as close to a finished product as we've been in a number of years. It's time for us to get it done on the ice." 

He is obviously talking about young veteran forwards David Backes, Patrik Berglund, T.J. Oshie, Chris Stewart and defensemen Roman Polak and Alex Pietrangelo, who seem collectively poised to be difference-makers.

Berglund, in particular, was huge for Team Sweden in the world hockey championship earlier this year and seemed poised to take his game to the next level.

More importantly, David Perron has returned from his long bout with post-concussion syndrome and has registered 10 points in 11 games.  He is truly the Blues' most gifted offensive player.

Ken "Hitch" Hitchcock Creating Defensive Horrors for Opposing Teams

New coach Ken Hitchcock's hiring looks like one of the masterstrokes of the first half of the NHL season.  Despite a 3-2 setback in Detroit last night, the Blues are just a point behind the Red Wings in the standings, and the team is 15-4-4 since "Hitch" took the helm.  

The Blues are among the very best teams in the league in allowing the fewest shots on goal and are getting just enough offense to earn points regularly.  

They definitely need to improve the league's worst power play unit, but it can be argued the Blues haven't even played their best hockey yet.

Blues Must Continue to Play Their System

In the Blues' seventh year of rebuilding (Or fifth?  Ninth?  Whatever...), the Blues finally have all the pieces together to be a solid playoff team, which in the highly competitive Western Conference, is no easy task.

The Blues are now getting used to being competitive, and in most cases, winning tough contests.  But when they get away from their system, they pay dearly.  

Even clicking on all cylinders, the Blues have a fairly thin margin of error, since they have a pedestrian offense at best.  

The past two games have given the players some food for thought, as they turned a 4-1 lead against Dallas into a harrowing 4-3 game late (which they eventually won, 5-3).  They had no such luck against Detroit, as they couldn't make a 2-0 lead or a one-goal, third-period lead stand up.  

But as these young Blues learn to win and compete on a nightly basis, no one will be shocked when they cause some damage in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.