The St. Louis Blues have struggled prior to now couple of weeks after a first rate begin to the 2024-25 season. Their offensive assault has been tough and it hasn’t been a lot better defensively.
Accidents have been a serious drawback, however they nonetheless have gamers like Pavel Buchnevich and Jordan Kyrou wholesome, so the offensive assault shouldn’t be as dangerous as it’s proper now. With out Robert Thomas and Philip Broberg, the crew seems to be lifeless in all three zones after an 8-1 loss to the Washington Capitals. Let’s get into a number of the offensive numbers and why it’s been such a wrestle.
Blues Can’t Rating Targets
The Blues’ goal-scoring inconsistency over the previous few seasons is not any secret. They rank thirtieth within the league in targets for by 15 video games. They’ve misplaced 5 of their final seven video games whereas scoring simply seven targets of their 5 losses. Of their seven wins this season, the membership has solely gained one sport whereas scoring fewer than three targets (1-0 win over the New York Islanders – Oct. 17). Scoring is a matter and it has been for consecutive seasons.
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The Blues had been an elite goal-scoring crew in 2021-22, they had been common in 2022-23, however the final two seasons have been a trainwreck on this division. There are many elements at play right here, however the membership’s finest gamers merely haven’t been adequate. Whether or not it’s Kyrou, Buchnevich, Brandon Saad, Thomas, or Jake Neighbours, every certainly one of them hasn’t scored sufficient this season. It’s arduous to justify the truth that no participant on the 2024-25 crew has greater than 5 targets by 15 video games. There hasn’t been an absence of stability both, however there’s not sufficient quantity.
I gained’t blame the top coach Drew Bannister and his employees as a lot as others both. In some unspecified time in the future, a crew like this has to determine it out. After all, the offensive system lacks creativity in plenty of methods, however they only have to put the puck within the web.
Blues Have No Offensive Enhance in Sight
Exterior of the highest gamers getting sizzling or the facility play discovering its approach, there isn’t any increase in sight. The one groups who’ve scored fewer targets than the Blues are the Islanders, Detroit Pink Wings, and Anaheim Geese. That group of 4 have all underperformed this season, so it’s not a shock to see them lumped in collectively.
The present formation of the lineup doesn’t have the offensive juice. They lack Thomas’ passing means, the sleek puck dealing with and talent of Broberg, and the general chemistry required to have offensive success. One other alarming statistic is that they’ve scored simply 4 power-play targets, which is six beneath the league common thus far.
There is no such thing as a offensive increase in sight for this crew. They’ve proven zero signal of getting their offensive assault going. The Blues have been crushed 8-1 twice prior to now couple of weeks, and that doesn’t occur to good groups.
Blues Gained’t Make Any Main Strikes
Don’t maintain out hope that normal supervisor Doug Armstrong will make any main strikes. There isn’t a purpose to if the expectation going into the season was extra of the identical as final season. The accidents have been an issue, however the offense wasn’t that nice earlier than this drawback. The underside line stays that the Blues have been caught in impartial for 3 straight seasons and I don’t see how they get themselves out of this. It simply looks like they don’t have any reply for any of the issues proper now.
