Central Issue

The Blues must improve their play against their division rivals if they are going to maintain a top spot in the West.

Their recent relapse against the worst team in the league, the Columbus Blue Jackets, is showing a concerning trend with the Blues: they have a horrible record against their Central Division rivals.


That record is 5-7-2, and it is trending downward quickly. In the last seven games against the division their record is 1-5-2. Although the Blues play against the rest of the league overshadows this flaw, it is quite troublesome.


To start, half of the teams in the Western Conference playoff bracket will more than likely be from the Central Division: Chicago, Detroit, Nashville, and St. Louis. If the Blues do not win the division, they will more than likely face one of these rivals in the first round.


Of course, that is assuming the Blues make the playoffs. They have ten games remaining against the Central, four on the road and six at home. The fact that a majority of these games are at home gives some hope to a better record. Those twenty points are crucial to the Blues position in the playoffs. Obviously it has become apparent that home ice advantage would be a huge advantage for the note, and a goal they will strive for as they charge towards the playoffs.

The Blues were 12-8-4 against the Central last season, including 5-5-2 on the road. They are 1-4-1 on the road this season. That lone win was a 2-1 tilt against the Blue Jackets. The Note is 0-3 in Detroit and 0-1-1 in Nashville. They have three games left in Chicago. The club needs to perform better in their division and on the road.


"We've got to play 60 minutes on the road," Jamie Langenbrunner said. "For whatever reason, we haven't been doing that. We've had breaks in our game where we've allowed the team to take control. We can't do that."