Blues Rant After a Laid Egg in Chicago

I just a few notes on the Blues before previewing the baseball season a bit. First, their effort last night in Chicago was pathetic. If the game had gone exactly the same way, but was played in mid-December, I'd let it slide. But with six games left (now five) and the club is right in the playoff hunt in April for the first time since before the lockout, that's all that this team had? A 3-0 loss? I'm aware that Jeff Woywitka scored with two seconds left, but that's a shutout everywhere but on the stat sheet. The goal didn't change the way the team should look at that game and it certainly didn't change the standings. It should have been 6-0 or 7-0 with the way that the Blues played. That's what they deserved.

Chicago was coming off a 4-1 loss in Montreal the night before. They had to fly all the way home to the Windy City whereas the Blues were coming off two days of rest and wouldn't have enough time on the flight to listen to all of Blood Sex Sugar Magik (fairly long album, but still just a single album). The Blues should have ran the Blackhawks into the ground in the first period. Chicago is playing for seeding and home ice in the first round, but the Blues are playing just to get in. They should be a much more desperate team. They also should have the confidence with a 4-0-1 record (and the 1 came off of a horrible disallowed goal call) against Chicago for the season to come out hard. When a team knows they own another team, playing against them is just easier. In college, my club never lost to Mizzou in ultimate frisbee while I was in school. We had some close games from time to time. But we always came through, partially because we expected to win those games. Unlike the Blues however, we got after it against Mizzou. We'd lay out on defense to force turnovers and chase down discs that were 50-50. Chicago won nearly every 50-50 puck last night, so it's not a big surprise that they won in dominating fashion. 

One last comment on the Chicago game I would like to make is that I'm also aware the Blues were coming off of back-to-back games before getting the two days of rest. I understand being tired and feeling like you don't have enough gas. But when your goaltender is able to play to the highest level (Chris Mason's a big reason why last night's game wasn't 6 or 7-0), the skaters should be able to get after it and show some hustle. Goalies very rarely make as many consecutive starts as Mason has been giving the Blues, and it's even rarer that they can be solid every night. Mason's 17-7-4 since Manny Legace was waived. So even if the fans don't deserve a better effort from the skaters (and we do), they at least owe it to Mason to not lay an egg like that.

As for tonight's game, Detroit has been down a bit lately with losing three of their last four. However, the Blues are 0-4-1 against them this year. The Blues deserved better in the overtime loss when Legace had his final meltdown and in the first home loss of the year when a broken stick turnover at their own blue line cost them the eventual game-winner. However, the other three losses have been ugly. They have to get over the hump tonight since they chose not to work on Wednesday. I expect them to do it, but I'd be satisfied with an overtime loss against a team that's had our number all year. 

Speaking of having someone's number, I thoroughly enjoyed T.J. Oshie laying out Columbus' captain Rick Nash last Saturday. I liked it even better when he did it again the next night. If we called hockey players that seem to have it all 5-tool guys like we do in baseball, Oshie would be it.  Thanks to Matt Dunn for posting the link to both hits in his facebook status. Let's Go Blues!