Blues ready to find first-round playoff success? This might finally be the year

I hear you loud and clear, long-suffering fans of the St. Louis Blues.

You cringe a little bit even at the mention of the word “playoffs,” especially given this team’s recent history exiting the postseason almost as quickly as it entered.

Three straight first-round playoff losses will do that.

There have been several painful trends,. The Blues won the first two playoffs games in 2013 against the Los Angeles Kings and did it again in 2014 against the Chicago, only to be swept out of the playoffs both times with four consecutive losses.

The Blues’ first-round series against the Minnesota Wild last season was tied 2-2 before the Wild moved on with back-to-back wins.

Under coach Ken Hitchcock, the Blues are 10-17 in the playoffs with one series victory, beating San Jose in the first round in 2012.

Add the Blues’ lengthy list of injuries to most of their top players at various times this season and it could be easy to put a negative spin on the 2016 playoffs even before they begin.

However, I’ve got a different feeling about this bunch. Here are five reasons the Blues could advance beyond the first round of the playoffs this season:

1. Overcoming Adversity

This team has survived countless injuries to some of its best players — captain David Backes and goalie Jake Allen are still out now along with Steve Ott — and that long list includes nearly every top player on the roster. Instead of fading away under the pressure of replacing so many fallen bodies from the everyday lineup, the Blues instead sucked it up and delivered another 100-point season. They locked up home-ice advantage in the opening round of the playoffs and nearing an opportunity to play with a fully healthy squad. That says a lot about the character of the players and their mindset of not making excuses when injuries piled up all around them.

2. Goaltending

The Blues have two of the top goaltenders in the NHL in Brian Elliott and Allen. Before Saturday, Elliott (23-7-6) led the NHL in goals-against average (2.00) and save percentage (.932). The six shutouts by Allen (26-15-3) are tied for second in the league and he and Elliott have combined for 11 shutouts. Allen’s injury made Elliott the playoff starter by default, but Elliott’s run of 11 straight winning decisions before Saturday made it a moot point. The Blues’ combined 2.40 goals-against average ranks fourth in the league and Elliott has a chance to prove himself as a playoff netminder. He is more than motivated for success.

3. Better Scoring from Defensemen

Before Saturday the Blues had gotten a combined 39 goals this season from their defenseman, led by Kevin Shattenkirk’s 14. Parayko has nine, Alex Pietrangelo had seven and Jay Bouwmeester and Carl Gunnarsson have three each. Successful playoff teams need goals and points from defensemen in the tighter postseason defensive schemes, especially on the power play, as recent Cup winners Chicago and Los Angeles have shown. This is an area the Blues could exploit to their advantage.

4. Roster Changes

Don’t lump this team in with the last three playoff underachievers. While the Blues still have a core nucleus in place, they traded popular T.J. Oshie for playoff-savvy veteran Troy Brouwer, picked up a handy fourth-line center in Kyle Brodziak and added several impressive rookies. The emergence of rookie forward Robby Fabbri and rookie defensemen Colton Parayko and Joel Edmundson has injected a little more life and talent into the club. Fabbri (18 goals, 37 points) is a legitimate scoring threat and Parayko’s nine goals and 33 points were in no way being counted on this season. Both have upgraded the Blues in valuable areas while Edmundson has proven to be a solid force on the backline.

5. It’s Time — and Vladimir Tarasenko is a Beast

In 13 career playoff games, Tarasenko has 10 goals and 11 points. He contributed a whopping six goals in six postseason games last season and four goals in six games the year before that. Watching him burn the Blackhawks for the tying and winning goals Thursday was more proof of his ability to put this team on his shoulders. This veteran-laden Blues roster has been heavily criticized for its inability to turn regular-season success into playoff victories. Winning Central Division titles and posting 100-point seasons has gotten this team nothing in the Stanley Cup tournament. For veteran players like Backes, scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent July 1, Alexander Steen, Jaden Schwartz, Shattenkirk, Bouwmeester and others who have felt the disappointment and anguish of early playoff exits, the upcoming playoff grind represents a golden opportunity. Not only to prove that they have what it takes to make a potentially long playoff run, but to show all those painful lessons of playoff seasons past have not been lost.

(Norm Sanders has been the Blues beat writer for the Belleville News-Democrat since 1995).

This story was originally published April 9, 2016 at 3:04 PM with the headline "Blues ready to find first-round playoff success? This might finally be the year."