Blues big threat in playoffs?

The St. Louis Blues always seem to be a good team, just not one that makes much noise in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Despite being consistently in the hunt since their expansion season of 1967, the Blues have never won a championship and often are bounced out in the first round of the postseason.

In 2015-16, St. Louis is once again one of the best teams in hockey. The Blues are 43-22-9 and with 95 points, are only two points out of the Central Division lead, trailing the Dallas Stars with eight games to go. As it stands now, St. Louis would be playing the Chicago Blackhawks in the first round, the defending champs who would likely be favored to put the Blues on ice.

Since making it to the Stanley Cup Final in three of their first four seasons in the National Hockey League, the Blues have not been able to get back to that point. From 1979-80 through 2003-04, St. Louis made it to the playoffs each year and only reached the conference finals on two occasions, in 1986 and 2001.

In fact, it has been since 2001-02 that St. Louis has last won a game past the first round. This group, led by head coach Ken Hitchcock, is supremely talented and on paper, should be able to contend for a title. However, the demons of the past loom large. Perhaps the biggest opponent in the first round won’t be Chicago, but beating down the specter of so many past defeats.

Offensively, the Blues have some standouts but the team ranks 20th overall in goals per game. Defensively is where this team truly shines, ranking 7th in goals allowed per game. The special teams are also terrific, checking in sixth on the power play and third on the penalty kill.

Without question, forward Vladimir Tarasenko is the superstar of the group. Tarasenko leads the team in points (63) and goals (34) while trailing Alexander Steen by a single assist (30-29) for the lead. The 24-year-old Russian has silky hands and electric feet, making both one of the most exciting and underrated stars in the game. Think Alex Ovechkin, just without the wicked snapshot from the circle.

In net, the Blues are backstopped by the combination of Brian Elliott and Jake Allen. Elliott will get the nod come playoff time, sporting a .933 save percentage and a 19-7-6 mark with three shutouts. He’s one of the best in the business when healthy and at 30 years old, desperately needs to make his mark.

Come playoff time, the Blues are going to be looked upon with tepid optimism with the poor history draped over the city of St. Louis. In this case, the first round will be the hardest. Should the Blues finally emerge, watch for them to be a serious contender.