Good morning Blues fans. Well, another game is down and another lead was blown. The St. Louis Blues dropped the ball 5-2 against Tampa Bay.
The St. Louis Blues have made quite the habit of coming out of the gates either hot or at least reasonably well. Sadly, they have also made a habit of turning the switch completely off and not flipping back on.
The Blues opened up the first period against the Tampa Bay Lightning pretty well. They got their first goal of the game about 15 minutes in.
David Perron made the most of a steal in the offensive zone. He faked the Lightning goaltender out of his jock and put it in.
32 seconds later came another first. In his first NHL game, Wade Megan scored his first NHL goal on his first NHL shot.
It was quite the debut. What made it even more important, besides doubling the Blues’ lead, was the fact Megan will likely be with the Blues for a bit since Paul Stastny has been placed on IR.
There is always the possibility that Megan could be sent back down in favor of another center or simply because Stastny might be ready by the next game. However, if the Blues intended to use another center you would think they would have recalled that player to begin with.
Like Brad Hunt, Megan has made the most out of his brief showing with the Blues. Combine that with his solid AHL stats this season and he deserves to see a bit of a run.
Unfortunately, the team couldn’t get Megan a win in his debut. They wasted their solid start by going into their customary shell and refusing to play an entire game.
It is getting to sickening proportions the way the Blues can jump out to these leads and then just watch, like bystanders, as they evaporate.
In St. Louis’ last four losses they had the lead. Either they scored first and watched it dissipate from there or they even had a lead into the third period and blew it.
People want to blame it on coaching. They better hope that is not the case because the future head coach of the team is on that bench too. You can say he might not want to contradict Ken Hitchcock, but a good coach would not sit idly by and watch the team give up lead after lead either, so the entire staff is the problem in those scenarios.
I won’t even go into the ridiculous nature of those that blame the goaltending. I had an entire speech worked up, but I don’t like calling people names and the constant labeling of Jake Allen is ludicrous.
More from Bleedin' Blue
Allen stops shots that he can see. Maybe if his own defenders were not acting like they had been paid off by the opponents with the amount of screens they put on Allen.
I fully admit to being a goaltender apologist, but the lengths people go with the hate is just odd. Brian Elliott would not have won any more games with the way this team is defending right now and I would put large sums of money on that.
The Blues just can’t put it together. Blame whoever helps you sleep at night. For me, the players themselves are to blame because they are the ones on the ice performing or not.
They aren’t lifeless drones at the beck and call of some mastermind on the bench. They are individuals and are playing like that right now.
Here are your St. Louis Blues Morning Links to get your day stared off right.
Prior to the game, there were lots of glowing words about Wade Megan by both the coaching staff and a member of the Blues that actually played with him before. Also, word was positive about the likelihood of Paul Stastny coming back by the next game. (STLToday)
Injuries seem to be the name of the day after the announcement of Paul Stastny. For those wondering why Landon Ferraro was not called up in favor of Megan, there is a very good reason. Ferraro is done for the rest of the season after injuring his knee. (Arch Authority)
In the postgame autopsy of the Blues against the Lightning, there seemed to be a theme from the coaches and the players. The Blues lost the battle, both on the boards and in front of the net. That allowed the Lightning to win the war. (Post-Dispatch)
The St. Louis Blues and NHL are making every effort to make the most of the Winter Classic, not just as a game, but as an event. It doesn’t end with the game itself as there are things going on for another week. The week culminates with more outdoor games, including one more chance to see Brett Hull and Bernie Federko. (Blues)
Want your voice heard? Join the Bleedin' Blue team!
Those that remember, we posted a story about the player from the Tuscon Roadrunners who collapsed during an AHL game. Well, he is doing fine even if his playing days are behind him. (ESPN)
Over the course of time, things have changed for Jaromir Jagr. His hair is chief among those changes, but he has also changed teams and teammates. The only thing that has remained the same is his ability to score. (NHL)
Have a great day Blues fans!
