As they prepare for the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Blues can’t afford to look back and risk seeing the ghosts of postseasons past. They must ignore the whispered tales of The Curse of Scotty Bowman, and block the daunting flashbacks of goaltenders being blown up.
The 2011-2012 Blues are young and innocent and shouldn’t be covered with the blood of the many painful playoff crashes in franchise history. This precocious group had nothing to do with Bobby Orr’s flying goal at the old barn on Oakland Avenue, Steve Yzerman beating Jon Casey from the blue line to end Game 7 at Joe Louis Arena, or Marc Bergevin inexplicably throwing the puck into his own net at San Jose.
This is an exciting but anxious time for a franchise that hasn’t won a postseason series since the first round in 2002, or a playoff game since April 12, 2004.
What the ambitious 2011-2012 Blues have before them is a grand opportunity to change all of that by determinedly carving a new history. They must do it the hard way: one moment, one piece, one game, at a time.
If you don’t quite know what to expect from the boys, then put on that old Gino Cavillini sweater and stand in line. This upcoming adventure – beginning against San Jose on Thursday night at Scottrade Center – can take us in so many directions that it makes you dizzy to think about it.
From the day coach Ken Hitchcock took over on Nov. 8 through March 11, the Blues were the NHL’s best team, going 39-11-7 for a remarkable winning percentage of .746. But their tires lost air during a disappointing 4-4-4 stretch that ended the regular season.
We still aren’t sure what happened. Was it complacency after clinching first place in the Central Division? Was it a matter of fatigue setting in after an exhausting schedule that put them on the road for 13 of 16 of games? There may have been chemistry issues as injured regulars returned, prompting Hitchcock to tinker with lineup combinations. It could have been a case of opponents raising their games as the Blues leveled off.
Pick a reason, any reason. But the late-season slump was enough to cause alarm and create doubt. The stall also cost them the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, with Vancouver overtaking St. Louis in the final weeks. The Blues’ tenacity returned for Saturday’s 3-2 win at Dallas, and that seems to have calmed things down a bit.
The Blues’ special 109-point regular season wasn’t some fluke. It’s legitimate. The Blues had the character to overcome an unfair burden of injuries.
Headed into the postseason – the only season – the Blues’ most important elements are still in place.
Hitchcock has won a Stanley Cup and knows how to guide a team through the treacherous storms of April, May and June.
The Blues are physically whole for the first time in at least two years. The injuries have healed, giving this team fresh bodies, quality depth and maximum capability.
The Blues’ exceptional team defense and air-tight goaltending from Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott produced one of the stingiest performances in NHL history. That isn’t an opinion; it’s a fact. The Blues allowed 1.89 goals per game this season, the lowest goals-against average by an NHL team since the Original Six expanded in 1967-68.
The special teams improved significantly under Hitchcock; the Blues ranked third in penalty-kill rate (89 percent) and ninth in power-play success (18.3 percent) since Nov. 8.
The Blues set a franchise record for home winning percentage (.793) and no NHL team lost fewer games (6) at home this season. And the Blues, at minimum, have home-ice advantage for the first two rounds.
Obviously, there are concerns.
The Blues are young, and this will be their first postseason journey together. And they will be challenged to generate enough offense to take advantage of their strong goaltending and defense. David Backes led the Blues with 24 goals this season, which tied him for 60th in the NHL. That reflects well on the Blues’ balance and total-team ethic, but they ranked only 21st in goals per game (2.51) this season.
The Blues will also have to live with the pressure of increased expectations. After rebuilding and scuffling through so many down seasons, the Blues have raised hope. Another early postseason elimination would be emotionally devastating.
Citing his team’s 0-4 record against the Blues this season, San Jose coach Todd McLellan is already playing the underdog card.
“Well, we are that, whether we want it or not, we are that,” said McLellan, speaking to reporters in San Jose late Saturday night. “There’s no doubt about it, we didn’t have any success against them during the regular season and they were a number of points ahead of us. They’ve had our number. They’re a very good team. And we’ll be going in as the underdog and we’re going to have to relish that role. We’re going to have to go get ‘em.”
This is humorous. McLellan’s basic premise can’t be disputed; in theory a No. 2 seed (Blues) should defeat a No. 7 seed (Sharks.) But this isn’t exactly the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team, OK?
San Jose has had 100 or more points in five of the last six seasons. Since 2004, only Detroit (61) has more postseason victories than San Jose (47.) The Sharks have won plenty of playoff games, but none in June.
San Jose has been unable to clear the Western Conference finals, and that puts a ton of pressure on a veteran nucleus that includes Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Dan Boyle, Ryan Clowe, Joe Pavelski and Marc-Edouard Vlasic. The window could be closing; how many more chances will this group have?
For different reasons, both teams are dealing with intense pressure heading into the playoffs. But then again, that’s true of all 16 teams competing in this tournament.
The Stanley Cup playoffs are excruciating and exhilarating, so hold on tight.
It’s good to see the Blues back in the chase.
