The St. Louis Blues have surged under new coach Mike Yeo. Can they keep that new-found play up heading into the playoffs? Let's take a look at the newest confirmed member of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
On the very last day of March, the St. Louis Blues punched their ticket to the Stanley Cup playoffs. They will be at least a wild card in this year's tournament. That is in part due to a significant increase in the play of Jake Allen, the Blues' young goaltender. It is also due to Vladimir Tarasenko re-emerging as a prominent threat.
Expectations: Questions Abounded
Mar 21, 2017; Denver, CO, USA; St. Louis Blues left-wing Magnus Paajarvi (56) celebrates his goal ahead goal with center Ivan Barbashev (49) in the third period against the Colorado Avalanche at the Pepsi Center. The Blues defeated the Avalanche 4-2. (Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports)
That's a lot better than their division rivals. The Blackhawks have three players over 35, the Wild have Jason Pominville, who is 34. Nashville, who looks to be the last team in for the Central, have 3 players over 35, as well as Pekka Rinne, who is 34. St. Louis is firmly the youngest team in the Central bracket.
And that may be a great thing. Youthful players are often more energetic, more willing to play hard, and with a large portion of the Blues' roster having gone to the WCF, they already have playoff experience. But not enough – the Blues haven't gone back to the Cup since their first three years in the league.
Just two of the ten leading scorers are over 30. Yet, of the Blues players who have played more than half the season, only two were not on the Blues' roster when they went to the Western Conference Finals – Nail Yakupov and David Perron. That means that all that youth is already playoff experienced.
And they're gonna be ready, they know what's ahead of them. And unlike a lot of their opponents, they might have the energy to overcome the long playoff grind.
Biggest Question Mark: Health
The Blues currently have five players, all of whom were a part of their playoff run last year, stuck on IR. That list includes Robby Fabbri, Carl Gunnarsson, Dmitrij Jaskin, Jori Lehtera, and Paul Stastny. That's also 3 of their ten leading scorers this season.
The Blues question, then, heading into the playoffs is if they can get healthy. Can they get these players back, who were a vital part of the Blues making the Western Conference Finals. And if not,
Mar 16, 2017; San Jose, CA, USA; St. Louis Blues center Paul Stastny (26) settles the puck in the San Jose Sharks zone in the second period at SAP Center at San Jose. The Blues won 4-1. (Andrew Villa-USA TODAY Sports)
like in the case of Fabbri, who is out for the season, can their depth compensate?
Each of these players has contributed significantly to the Blues' season. Fabbri is a leading scorer for the Blues, with 29 points in 51 games. Jaskin has posted 10 in 47. Lehtera and Stastny were the Blues' top six centers for the vast majority of the season. They've all been replaced by younger, less experienced players.
And that might prove to be a problem. The Blues were a seller at the deadline, and they might have brought in-depth players like the Blackhawks and Wild did. That, again, might prove to be a problem.
Why the Blues Can Win the Cup: Jake Allen Is Hot
This is the toughest one for me. The Blues have a harder road than they did last year. Nashville is back in the Central's side of the Western bracket, and the Blues will have to face the winner of them versus a better, rested Chicago Blackhawks. I don't like that for the Blues. Jake Allen is still a question mark, and he's currently at league average, statistically.
Mar 25, 2017; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues goalie Jake Allen (34) blocks a shot during the first period against the Calgary Flames at Scottrade Center. (Billy Hurst-USA TODAY Sports)
On the other hand, the Blues almost went last year. And while they were bigger, grittier, and played more physical hockey last year, this year's version of the Blues might be as good or better than last years.
Last year in the playoffs, the Blues won because they were able to tire out their opponents. This year, they could win because of their speed up front, with Magnus Paajarvi, Vladimir Tarasenko, Jaden Schwartz, Alex Steen, and Patrik Berglund.
But Allen has gotten hot recently. In the last month, he's gone below a .900 save percentage just once. He's had two shutouts in that time. A hot goaltender has gotten teams to the Western Conference Finals before. Allen is looking so much better under Yeo that could be possible. With their offense in front of him, the Blues could hit a hot streak where they're near unbeatable.
And that's how they win the Stanley Cup: Jake Allen hits a hot streak. The Blues offense stays productive in front of him, with Tarasenko having fourteen of his 36 goals under Mike Yeo's two-month tenure. And the Blues ride their youthful energy to tough wins.
St. Louis's Projected Playoff Depth Chart
LW – C – RW
Jaden Schwartz – Alex Steen – Vladimir Tarasenko
Magnus Paajarvi – Paul Stastny – David Perron
Ivan Barbashev – Jori Lehtera – Patrik Berglund
Scottie Upshall – Kyle Brodziak – Ryan Reaves
D
Jay Bouwmeester – Alex Pietrangelo
Joel Edmundson – Colton Parayko
Carl Gunnarsson – Robert Bortuzzo
G
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