A season-opening overtime win over Philadelphia and the 5-1 demolition of Anaheim fueled good promise for the 2010-11 season. Wins at home were a problem for the 2009-10 team and here they start 2-0 at Scottrade Center. Optimism abounded as they headed for a three-game road trip with stops in Nashville (division rival), Dallas and Chicago (division rival). However, the Predators, playing the second of a back-to-back set, were waiting. They jumped on the Blues early and held on for the win. Some of the Blues' players commented about how surprised there were by Nashville's energy to open the game. "They came out a little harder than we expected, with them playing last night," Blues forward T.J. Oshie said. "It kind of surprised us, which shouldn't happen." Hearing comments like that is not a good sign. The Blues battled back, but even though they lead the league in shots-per-game (38), they don't possess the offensive firepower to climb back into games. They then proceeded to blow 2-0 leads in Dallas and Chicago, eventually losing both games in a shootout and in overtime, respectively. They ran into a hot Kari Lehtonen (41 saves) in Dallas, and then succumbed to the enhanced pressure applied by the Blackhawks -- the type of pressure a good NHL team applies when they find themselves behind in the third period of a game. But if you're a team looking to return to the playoffs, you'll need to meet that pressure.
None of this should reflect poorly on Jaroslav Halak, who has played well. Like all goalies, Halak would like to replay some sequences, but he's been as advertised. Very poised, almost effortless. And the defense is clearing its zone pretty consistently. Alex Pietrangelo, at age 20 and just out of the juniors, looks like a cool professional already. He's hitting forwards in stride through the neutral zone. Pietrangelo is a plus-3 with three assists through five games and is coming off a season-high 18:16 of ice time against the champions.
So, winning at home is good. Blowing leads on the road is bad. Good transition game on the blue line is good. Inability to score is bad.
Much was made of this team turning over to the younger generation. Gone were Keith Tkachuk, Paul Kariya and the old coach, Andy Murray. These
younger guys -- guys like Oshie, Pietrangelo, Alex Steen, David Backes, Patrik Berglund, David Perron, and Erik Johnson -- need to bring the level of play that doesn't allow blown leads, or to give in to third-period pressure, or to be surprised by the opponents' level of energy on the road.
The Blues return to Scottrade for a rebuttal match against Chicago on Friday and host the Penguins on Saturday.
Notes: In the only shootout of the season, head coach Davis Payne sent T.J. Oshie out first. Oshie has shown great puck handling skills and leads the Blues in assists (4) and points (5)... Brad Boyes, who had a good preseason skating on the first line with David Backes and David Perron, has been dropped twice. He's now on the third line, with Oshie skating right wing on the first line... Matt D'Agostini is the team's leader with three goals. He was acquired from Montreal late last season. It was a head scratcher move at the time, with the Blues giving up forward prospect Aaron Palushaj and D'Agostini becoming a healthy scratch in 12 of the final 19 games in St. Louis. He's got a booming shot and shown the ability to absorb hits and continue the play. His good efforts have been rewarded and he's been promoted from the fourth line to the second line.