We have all been here before.
It was precisely at this time of year in 2011 when things went south for the Blues. They rode into January carrying a five-game winning surge and a 20-12-5 overall record, sitting fifth in the Western Conference. By the time the month was over, they were 22-20-7 and in 13th place, headed down a dead-end road. The 2-8-2 month, which included six home games, was their point of no return.
That was then, this is now. The current Blues started January with a record nearly identical — 21-12-5, good for fifth in the conference — to that of last year's club. This January is particularly promising, one that features nine of 11 games at home. Home is where the heart of the Blues' success has been.
They are 15-3-2 at the Scottrade Center and as of Wednesday, the Blues led the NHL in home points with 32. They were tied with Detroit for most home wins. In that context, January is a chance to make some hay. When the month is over, the Blues will conduct 20 of their remaining 31 games away from home, including sobering road trips of six and seven games in March.
January was a horror story in 2010-11. It needs to be "Chicken Soup for the Playoffs" this time.
"We sort of faltered last year in the month of January," defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo said. "For whatever reason, we've got a lot of home games this month and it's a real good opportunity for us to really stabilize where we're going to be this year, where we're going to finish in the standings."
The Blues started January 2011 with a loss and a five-game winless skid. This time they started January by snapping a winless slide, defeating the Phoenix Coyotes 4-1 on Tuesday at Scottrade. So far, so good. They continue gentle January with a 7 o'clock start tonight, playing host to Edmonton.
"We've had meetings about it," forward Scott Nichol said. "You want to bank as many points as you can before the All-Star break and in January. We're on the road for a lot of March, so we really want to separate ourselves from some of the teams that are below us. Because it's a long year and it gets harder and harder to win going down the stretch, especially on the road."
Nichol added that creating some standings breathing room as the season progresses can be an important factor once the postseason arrives. If the Blues keep their foot on the gas this month, it could translate into better mileage come April.
"I've been on teams where we're one or two points out of the playoffs and we're chasing it all year long," said Nichol, who is with his sixth NHL team. "And I've been on teams where we've been at the top looking down at everybody else fighting it out. From my experience, going into the playoffs (with a cushion) you have a lot more energy. You're focused on the big picture, focused on winning the Stanley Cup, focused on winning the first round.
"When you're chasing it, you're focused on getting that eighth spot and, I'm not saying you purposely let up, but when you get that eighth spot, you got your goal. And you're burned out for the first round. We've really harped on that. We want to be on top looking down at other teams beating each other up."
To accomplish that mission, the Blues would do well to focus on how they're playing more than where they're playing. Two losses at Detroit and an overtime-shootout loss to Nashville last week exposed a few cracks in the foundation. The win over Phoenix provided some caulk.
"To start off with a win at home, to start off the month and a new year that way, especially after two hard losses at Detroit, it's huge," Colaiacovo said. "It's a huge confidence booster. You can see guys are starting to feel better about themselves on the ice.
"It's a common winning formula in the NHL — be great at home and be .500 on the road, and you should be a good team. I can tell you, speaking on behalf of a lot of guys on the team, we absolutely love playing at home. Our fans are great and for some reason, we just play with a little extra edge."
If the Blues continue to cook at home, it will heighten anticipation for what lies ahead. But coach Ken Hitchcock emphasized a team needs to hold its own at home and away if it is going anywhere special. The odd thing is, while the Blues are 7-9-3 on the road, they have played some of their best hockey away from Scottrade.
They outshot the Predators 40-20 in an overtime-shootout loss at Nashville on Dec. 17. They outshot the Avalanche 39-22 in a 3-2 loss at Colorado on Dec. 21, and they outplayed the Red Wings during most of a 3-2 loss at Detroit on Dec. 27.
"It's two things," Hitchcock said when asked about the home-ice stretch. "You've got to keep building on it, but you can't win them all at home. I've said this before, but you've got to be able to win the majority of your games at home, and you also have to be over .500 on the road if you expect to make the playoffs.
"Yeah, we're playing well. We're on the right edge of most things and you hope that keeps up. But you're putting a lot of pressure on yourself if you don't win road games. So you've got to take care of business right now and then when you get on the road you have to play better."
