Kings At Blues Recap: Blues Fail To Buy-In, Lollygag To 4-2 Loss

So, you have Vladimir Tarasenko scoring his first two goals in nine games, and then you have the rest of the team skating around with their thumbs up their collective asses for the rest of the game. You have David Perron taking his 14th (!) offensive zone penalty of the year, and yet Berglund gets demoted to the fourth line. You have Hitchcock trying any line possible to get the team to wake up.

When do they decide to wake up? The last seconds of the game after Justin Williams' empty netter. Ooh, yes, scrum it up! Act like you care the last minute and a half of the game! That's exactly what was meant by buying in to the team concept and playing hard for each other.

There's obviously not a bit of interest in playing hard for each other any more. This is a team with ability, but without the will. They've lost three games in a row, four out of five, and are slipping out of playoff position as the pack opens up. They have no one but themselves to blame for it, but maybe a stern talking to and a line mix-up isn't what's in order here. Maybe benching players who underperform or play selfishly might get some attention. Maybe a "hey, we're fucking serious here!" trade? These guys obviously don't think that what they do have consequences, but for every action there's an equal and opposite reaction. For example, you quit on a play, the other team scores.

Regardless, if the Blues couldn't buy-in tonight, neither can I. It's almost 11:00 my time on a work night, and I'm tired on so many levels. Stop gooning it up like frustrated children at the end of games and start playing like you give a damn the other 58 and a half minutes. I know that's a complicated concept, but give it a try some damn time.