St Louis Blues (16-23-3, 35 pts): Nothing has gone right for the Blues this season, as they have been bitten hard by the injury bug, and struggled to a sub-.500 midseason record. Not that the Blues were expected to be anywhere near the top of the league with the squad they had put together, but one has to wonder how they would have done without the losses they suffered to injuries.
Prominent among those the Blues have lost to injury is star center Andy McDonald, who was lost midway through November and shows no signs of returning until at least after the All-Star break. Paul Kariya has played only 11 games, while young prospect TJ Oshie missed 24 games in November after spraining his ankle. Veterans Keith Tkachuk and Brad Boyes have both played admirably, and the powerplay has been one of the better units in the league this season, but it has not been enough to keep the Blues’ head above water.
Part of the problem is the fact that the Blues are giving up 3.31 goals a game, 2nd worst in the Western Conference. Starter Manny Legace has won only 12 of 25 starts, while posting a miserable .887 save percentage. Backup Chris Mason hasn’t been much better, losing his last ten starts in a row, after posting 3 straight wins at the end of November. With limited offense and not much help on defense, the Blues could be shopping Tkachuk around as a playoff rental before the trade deadline rolls around.
Current League Rankings:
Goals - 17th Goals Against - 26th Powerplay Goals - T-6th Powerplay Percentage - 7th Shorthanded Goals - T-16th Penalty kill percentage - 22nd
