:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/48531029/usa-today-8901095.0.jpg)
As it's been said before, the Blues never, ever, do nothing "nice and easy". If there's a way to make the job even more difficult, they'll find it. The Blues were already on a tough road trip, and the trials just won't end.
Road Trips can be hard. It's a fact of life for all pro sports.
It's worse when you cross time zones, or two even.
It's worse yet when you're playing back-to-backs on the road.
Back to backs are even more troublesome when you take the first game into OT and the shootout.
Then, factor in the injuries that shortened the bench. Everyone else on the team had to eat up the minutes that Jay Bouwmeester and Paul Stastny weren't playing the rest of the night. And now, they'll have to plug in Robert Bortuzzo and Scottie Upshall in their places if either can't go tonight.
Reeling with the feeling don't stop continue
Now, there are a multitude of ways to look at this. They could be just excuses, obscuring the real problem - a serious deficiency in the team's competitiveness. Or, they could all be substantial factors that have to be considered in judging the results of an individual game. Grading on the curve, so to speak.
I can't tell if I'm a kingpin or a pauper
The accumulation of all of those combine into some considerable adversity, and then you look at the opponent for the evening, the LA Kings.
So the Kings are doing OK right now. After a rough start at the beginning of the season, they found their legs and started charging up the standings. Currently, they sit in 1st place in the Pacific, with a comfortable 10-point lead over the 2nd-place Coyotes. They are led by the usual suspects; Tyler Toffoli leads in points with 31 (19G, 12A) and the defensive stalwart Drew Doughty (24 points and a +17, despite averaging 27:54 ice time a night - third most in the league). They've also made some additions to the team. In the offseason they traded for Milan Lucic, and this has already yielded results; he has 23 points (5th on the Kings) and has the most Hits (139) and 2nd-most PIMs (42) on the team. In one way or the other, he's making his presence felt. Earlier this week, the Kings completed a trade with the Flyers, sending Jordan Weal and a 3rd-round pick to Philly in exchange for Luke Schenn and Vincent Lecavalie. Vinnie already has his first point as a King, recording an assist in his first game. On top of that, Jeff Carter just returned from injury, and scored a goal in that same game - a 2-1 win against the Leafs.
So, on top of the Blues difficulties, they are facing a team that is humming along and getting a bump from returning players and new faces in new places. Swell.
Keep your more to receive your less
Unimpressed by material excess
Love is free love me say hell yes
There's plenty of positives with the Blues, if you look for them. Lost in the blown leads are the fact that the Blues had leads to begin with. That's something that the team can work with. If the boys can continue scoring, and even pad that a little, it'll go a long way in giving the team a chance to maintain a playoff spot in the Central Division. Like one of my favorite Chicago beat writers said last night:
So the Blues are on a five-game losing streak. And a three-game point streak. Hockey's dumb.
— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) January 9, 2016
So, keep at it boys. Play smart, play within yourselves, and don't give up on the gameplan or yourselves. Stay out of the box, for crying out loud. Six of the first twelve minutes of last night's third period was spent a man short. You can't hold a lead by giving the other team power play after power play.
No time for the piggies or the hoosegow
Get smart get down with the pow wow
Never been a better time than right now
And please please please ... if you get up by a goal or two, keep going and get another. Hold that lead!
Give it away give it away give it away now
Give it away give it away give it away now
Give it away give it away give it away now
::sigh::
UPDATE: Just before publishing, this news broke:
Blues announce they have called up goalie Jordan Binnington from the Wolves.
— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) January 9, 2016
Further Reading:
Blues vs Kings coverage
GameDay Twitter Feed
Tweets from https://twitter.com/CrossCheckRaise/lists/gameday
Final Verse: Once again, a late start. The puck drops at 9:30 PM St Louis time, and the GameDay Thread should drop shortly before that. Please drop by, it's sort of like group therapy, but with gifs and alcohol. Both are helpful. The TV broadcast is on Fox Sports MW, and the radio call will be on KMOX 1120 AM. Here's a live performance of today's tune.
LGB!!!