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At the beginning of the month of March, the concept of the St. Louis Blues making the NHL playoffs was simply laughable. The Blues were in the basement of the Western Conference, over a dozen points out of the eighth and final position to qualify to make a run for Lord Stanley's Cup.
What happened was on the verge of miraculous. Not only did the Blues stage an improbable comeback to make the playoffs, they didn't just squeak in as the eighth seed, but came in sixth in the West, to earn a first round showdown with the Northwest Division-winning Vancouver Canucks. Unfortunately for the Blues, their regular season momentum failed to carry over into the playoffs as they lost in four straight to the Canucks.
Two things stand out which Andy Murray and the Blues will focus on which proved fatal. The Blues demonstrated an inability to sufficiently get to the front of the net, resulting in Vancouver netminder Roberto Luongo getting too many good looks on Blues' shots. This compounded the second problem- the Blues' powerplay was so ineffective as to nearly render it completely useless- the Blues finished the series 1 for 23 with the man advantage.
Looking forward to next season, the Blues have significant promise. Goaltender Chris Mason was largely responsible for the team's revitalization, and the squad has a youthful cadre around which to build.
What happened was on the verge of miraculous. Not only did the Blues stage an improbable comeback to make the playoffs, they didn't just squeak in as the eighth seed, but came in sixth in the West, to earn a first round showdown with the Northwest Division-winning Vancouver Canucks. Unfortunately for the Blues, their regular season momentum failed to carry over into the playoffs as they lost in four straight to the Canucks.
Two things stand out which Andy Murray and the Blues will focus on which proved fatal. The Blues demonstrated an inability to sufficiently get to the front of the net, resulting in Vancouver netminder Roberto Luongo getting too many good looks on Blues' shots. This compounded the second problem- the Blues' powerplay was so ineffective as to nearly render it completely useless- the Blues finished the series 1 for 23 with the man advantage.
Looking forward to next season, the Blues have significant promise. Goaltender Chris Mason was largely responsible for the team's revitalization, and the squad has a youthful cadre around which to build.
