Tonight probably wasn’t a night that Blues fans expected to end with their team first place in the Central Division. The Detroit Red Wings nearly came back to defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Blues were playing a team on a 9-1-0 streak and a pretty hefty winning record against the Blues.
The Blues at home have the best record, now 17-3-2, and proved why tonight with total domination over the Colorado Avalanche. The first period saw two goals, the second period saw two goals, and the third period? It saw hits like this from T.J. Oshie on Kyle Quincey:
And hits like this one on Stefan Elliott:
Oshie’s hits are indicative of how big of a difference this year’s team seems to be over last year’s. They have, to use a word that I hate to use, “swag.” They have a confidence – a certain expectation of themselves and how they’re going to play – that seems to be nearly unbeatable.
The Blues outshot the Avs 39-15, so credit has to go to Colorado goaltender Giguere for being the only player with his head in tonight’s game for them. Credit also has to go to St. Louis goaltender Brian Elliott, who is second in the league with five shutouts.
The Blues will spend tonight atop the Central Division, but will begin Monday back beneath either Detroit or Chicago, as both teams play tomorrow. But for one night, the standings show the hard work that the Blues’ve put in this season is paying off.