Can the Blues make a second-half run?
THE WATERCOOLER
QUESTION: The Blues were picking up steam just prior to the All-Star break. As more players return from injury, what do you expect to see out of this team in the second half? Anything specific that fans should watch for?
JEREMY RUTHERFORD
The Blues won in Boston and Chicago before the All-Star break, but other than a little better goaltending, they didn’t play any better than they have the last month or two. I believe the second half of the season will be more of the same. You’re going to see the same effort, and on some nights it’s going to be enough to win.
I don’t think the Blues should count on any boost from the return of their injured players. Andy McDonald (ankle) still isn’t ready to play, Roman Polak (foot) is still weeks away and Eric Brewer (back) may not come back this season.
I’m interested in seeing what the second half has to bring, but to me it’s not about where the Blues finish in the standings. My interest is in the moves the Blues make to better themselves for next season, and which players on the roster show that they want to be back next season.
TOM TIMMERMANN
The Blues’ season will be decided between now and the trade deadline on March 4. The schedule works to their favor: 10 games at home, 7 on the road, and seven games against teams not in the playoffs as of now. (Plus one with Chicago, who the Blues have been beating up on.) So if the Blues stay healthy, they might do just well enough to get into the playoff picture and be buyers rather than sellers at the deadline, though even then they might send Keith Tkachuk to a contender for a Stanley Cup chance. But it’s also likely that in the next week or two, a loose tray table on the team plane will dislocate someone’s elbow. And if the Blues are in the picture, six of their final seven games are on the road, so they’ll need to have a comfortable edge going into the final weeks.
DAN O’NEILL
On one hand, the break came at a bad time. On the other hand, it gave a player like Andy McDonald an extra week to get healthy. The Blues played excellent hockey for at least two weeks leading up to the break, even in games they lost.
If they can continue to match that energy level and get McDonald back, I still think it is possible — not probable, with all the teams ahead of them in the standings, but possible — they could put together a streak and get back in the playoff picture. But that is entirely predicated on the club getting better than the average goaltending it got during the first half.
KEVIN WHEELER (Host of “Sports Open Line” on KMOX)
I expect the Blues to continue to elevate their game. Over the last month they’re 6-6 with 5 of the 6 losses coming by just a single goal and several of those losses coming against the NHL’s elite. They also notched wins against San Jose, Boston and Chicago. All of that is despite the fact that they’ve been missing key players.
The key to the Blues’ success the rest of the way will be the goaltending. Coming out of the All-Star break the Blues rank 26th in goals against and 27th in save percentage. Just imagine where this team could be in the standings if they were getting the kind of All-Star caliber play they got from Manny last year (2.41 GA, .911 SP).
The Blues have 12 one-goal losses this season, 8 in regulation, plus two other 2-goal losses that only got that way after empy netters from the opposing team. That’s 24 points left on the board in 1-goal games alone for a team that is 9 points out of the last playoff spot in the Western Conference. With better play between the pipes this is a playoff-caliber club. The question is whether or not they have enough games to dig themselves out even if they do get things going from here on out.
ANDY STRICKLAND (Hockeybuzz.com, Team 1380)
If you follow the Blues closely you are well aware of the fact that this is a team loaded with injuries, as well as a team you can count on to provide a solid effort on most nights. With that being said the Blues are no different than any other team in that they have virtually no chance unless they get better goaltending than what we’ve seen thus far this season. It will be very interesting to see if goaltender Chris Mason is given a chance to run with the No. 1 job down the stretch. The club is nearly at its wits end with Manny Legace, and Mason will be back next season with another year left on his contract. So far Mason has struggled to solidify himself as a goalie the Blues can count on to take on the load that comes with being a No. 1 NHL goaltender.
We all love the excitement the trade deadline brings and this March is expected to be no different than the last few seasons. Obviously Keith Tkachuk will draw the most attention even though his focus remains on trying to put the Blues in position to make the playoffs. A few other players could be moved as well, including Dan Hinote, Legace, and Andy McDonald if the Blues are unsuccessful in re-signing the shifty forward.
Other things to look for include whether or not Captain Eric Brewer will return — some inside the organization say he’s out for the year while John Davidson says that determination hasn’t been made. Can Brad Boyes get hot and reach 40 goals for the second straight season? Can Patrik Berglund make a real run at the Calder trophy, which goes to the NHL’s rookie of the year? Will the Blues sign Notre Dame D-man Ian Cole and give him an NHL game or two before the season expires? I could go on and on, but these are a few things to chew on.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Special thanks to Kevin Wheeler and Andy Strickland for offering up their insights. I thought it might be fun to occasionally bring in some voices from outside the paper. Kevin and Andy answered the call to arms. Hopefully I’ll be able to snag a few others from time to time … and bring Kevin and Andy back, too, of course.
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MIDDAY NEWS AND THOUGHTS
PUCK TALK, PART DEUX: The fun and games of all-star weekend are over and team’s get back to work on the second half of the season tonight. There’s playoff spots to be won for some, rebuilding to be done for others. Oh, and there’s a very important date looming: March 4. The trade deadline always shakes things up around the league. I thought I’d link you to a nice piece on NHL.com about the season’s midway point. They also point out six teams you’ll want to watch in the second half. (Sorry, they didn’t include the Blues.)
SUPER BOWL, INDEED: Super Bowl history is littered with players behaving badly during the week leading up to the big game. It’s no secret that some multi-million dollar players like to get out and have a little fun. Well, Tampa may just be the place. According to the Arizona Republic, there are 43 strip clubs in the Tampa metropolitan area, including a place called Mons Venus, listed amond the world’s best strip blubs by a Web site called The Ultimate Strip Club List. In fact, the clubs are so popular among Super Bowl visitors, The Tampa Tribune put a link to its Web site listing the 43 strip clubs and providing information on each to help visitors decide how they might want to spend an evening.
I wonder if there are Vegas odds on which player(s) gets in trouble this week at one of these fine establishments?
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THINGS TO PONDER
PETTITTE BACK TO YANKEES: On one hand, it’s a yawner. Yankees sign another player. On the other hand, it’s another example that some good pitchers can be had on the cheap in this year’s free agent market. Pettitte becomes the third former All-Star (this one a lefty, no less) who has signed a one-year deal in the $5 to $6 million range with lots of incentives based on performance — the others being John Smoltz and Brad Penny.
Please tell me what risk the Cardinals run by inking any of these guys to such a deal. If they are just average based on their careers, you’ve got a steal. If they are below-average, they likely still win you 12 games or so for a relatively cheap price. And either way, you can walk away from the deal in one year with no strings attached.
But what do I know … I didn’t go to GM school.
DID I SAY THAT? If you read this blog yesterday, you saw my thoughts on the insanity of Chargers general manager A.J. Smith making comments that would indicate he’s ready to run All-Pro RB LaDainian Tomlinson out of town. Well, apparently, Smith has had a change of heart.
“I just answered a question and unfortunately my response was inappropriate,” Smith told the San Diego Union-Tribune. “After reading my response to the question, I can see why it was interpreted the way it was. I absolutely meant no disrespect toward LT — none. I have the utmost respect for him on two fronts — as a player and as a person.”
Not sure why the sudden change of heart. Was it because, as the Union-Tribune reported, that team president Dean Spanos was “very upset” about the public statements? Was it because star players such as linebacker Shawne Merriman expressed anger over the comments? Or was it because Smith is a faithful reader of Round Two?
We’ll just never know.
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SUPER BOWL PREDICTION
28-17 — That’s my final score for this Sunday’s Super Bowl. The winner? Pittsburgh. Oddsmakers are still giving the Cardinals 7 points, but I wouldn’t touch that spread. My heart is warmed by the Kurt Warner story just like anyone else, but I doubt the Steelers defense feels the same. Pittsburgh will manhandle Arizona WRs Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin in a way they haven’t seen all season, and Warner may spend more time on his back this weekend than Marc Bulger did all season. There you have it.
