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Last season, the Blues lost 6-4 to the Senators at the Scottrade Center. Last week, they rolled over the Sens 4-1. These are two very different Senators teams and two very similar Blues teams. The Sens this season have been more flat than not, and the Blues? Good luck trying to figure out what they’re going to do.
After an embarrassing 5-2 loss to the league-worst Arizona Coyotes, the Blues held difficult practices on Sunday and Monday. Blues GM Doug Armstrong is hopeful that something stuck around from those practices, because right now he’s laying blame at the feet of the players and their poor handling of success. As he told KMOX’s Mike Kelly:
“It has to come from the players in the locker room. There’s really nothing Mike can do,” Armstrong says. “He can put the lineup out there, he can prepare that, but the prep, the execution, and the desire has to come from what’s in. [Saturday] night that wasn’t there.”
Yeo has gotten blood out of the turnip that the Blues have turned into post-Schwartz injury. The Blues need to figure out some way to continue squeezing it and their opponents. The Coyotes were an opportunity for that on Saturday, and the team failed miserably. Another win against the Senators in what could be the last game before Jaden Schwartz returns (and then a win when he comes back) would be some nice momentum to carry them into the All-Star break.
Luckily for the Blues, the Senators played last night in Minnesota, and lost to the Wild 3-1. The Sens are also sans Mark Stone, who has a knee injury. Their leading scorer has 18 goals and 26 assists so far this season.