When Blues coach Andy Murray listened to comments from Carolina coach Paul Maurice recently, he stopped and thought about the similarities in their teams' situations.
The Hurricanes, like the Blues, had a terrific second half in 2008-09 to qualify for the playoffs. That raised expectations in Raleigh, N.C., and St. Louis this summer, but after sluggish starts to the 2009-10 season fan bases in both cities have begun revising those expectations.
On Monday, Murray quoted Maurice as saying about the Hurricanes, "We're basically the same team as last year ? it's the same guys. It was a battle for us last year, and it's going to be a battle for us this year."
"It's the same thing for our guys," Murray said. "We've just got to keep battling ourselves. I don't think we can overreact."
The Blues are 4-4-1 heading into tonight's game against Carolina, which is 2-5-3. Neither club has been consistent, an area the Blues want to address against the Hurricanes.
The Blues are coming off Saturday's 4-1 loss to Dallas, a game in which they lost focus and allowed a 1-0 deficit to become a lopsided defeat after a hip check by the Stars' Steve Ott on defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo in the second period. The NHL suspended Ott for two games.
"We're a little wild right now," Blues President John Davidson said. "We weren't like that last year. I look at it like, 'Let's play Blues' hockey,' which is a game with rhythm to it ? where we have line changes, come on the ice and go, be physical, fore-check and be intelligent taking penalties ... and be good on the special teams."
The Blues were finding that flow early against Dallas, but they became undisciplined after the hit by Ott. Their power play, meanwhile, remains streaky. After going four for nine with the man-advantage in Sweden, the Blues went 0 for 10. They scored on back-to-back chances at Anaheim, but since then they are 0 for 16.
"Our power play has had some chances, but the guys are squeezing sticks and not finishing," Davidson said. "And those have come at opportune times, too, which has hurt us by not getting the goals."
Davidson didn't seem to be worried though, saying, "I don't think we have played nearly as good as we can. (But) we're still right there. So there's not panic there by any means."
Just as Davidson says that, however, the Blues are facing more injuries ? first, Barret Jackman (ankle) and Alex Steen (wrist), and now T.J. Oshie (appendix) and D.J. King (hand). Tonight will be the Blues' 10th game, and already the number of man games lost is at 32.
"The only thing I can think about is, 'What I did to upset the guy upstairs that we would have to do it again?'" Murray said, referring to the injury-filled 2008-09 season. "I thought this year would be completely different."
Jackman skated on Saturday for the first time since getting injured Oct. 8. After first calling it a normal ankle sprain, Jackman acknowledged that it's a high-ankle sprain, which could mean a longer absence.
"Lots of people take a month or two months to get back," Jackman said. "I'm still optimistic that it'll be sooner than that, but we'll take it day by day."
Steen was expected to have a cast change this week, but he's still looking at December before he returns. Oshie's timetable is at least another week, and the Blues said Monday that King would miss eight to 10 weeks.
It's beginning to look like last season, when the Blues recorded 465 man games lost.
"There was like a two-week period where every game it was somebody," Davidson said. "The doctors would come in after the game with X-rays in their hand and you'd just go, 'Oh my gosh, now what?'
"But other teams have injuries, so you just have to deal with them. We were one organization that proved you could. So we'll do it again."
The Blues learned two things about dealing with injuries last season.
No. 1, they don't talk about them.
"We can't be worrying about who goes down and when they'll be back," Blues winger Andy McDonald said. "It's got to be about our game and getting it to a level where we're consistent every night. We're nowhere near that right now, and that's got to be our focus."
No. 2, make sure to add depth. This happened over the summer.
"You have to because you just don't know what's going to happen," Davidson said. "It's exactly why we went out and signed Darryl Sydor, who's been very good for us. We had no idea when Eric Brewer was going to come back. So Darryl has helped us in that respect."
As if to prove that the news isn't all bad these days, there is optimism regarding Brewer. He must still be cleared by doctors, but the Blues say he could be available soon.
"I'm not getting ahead of myself, but he's getting closer," Davidson said.
The Hurricanes, like the Blues, had a terrific second half in 2008-09 to qualify for the playoffs. That raised expectations in Raleigh, N.C., and St. Louis this summer, but after sluggish starts to the 2009-10 season fan bases in both cities have begun revising those expectations.
On Monday, Murray quoted Maurice as saying about the Hurricanes, "We're basically the same team as last year ? it's the same guys. It was a battle for us last year, and it's going to be a battle for us this year."
"It's the same thing for our guys," Murray said. "We've just got to keep battling ourselves. I don't think we can overreact."
The Blues are 4-4-1 heading into tonight's game against Carolina, which is 2-5-3. Neither club has been consistent, an area the Blues want to address against the Hurricanes.
The Blues are coming off Saturday's 4-1 loss to Dallas, a game in which they lost focus and allowed a 1-0 deficit to become a lopsided defeat after a hip check by the Stars' Steve Ott on defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo in the second period. The NHL suspended Ott for two games.
"We're a little wild right now," Blues President John Davidson said. "We weren't like that last year. I look at it like, 'Let's play Blues' hockey,' which is a game with rhythm to it ? where we have line changes, come on the ice and go, be physical, fore-check and be intelligent taking penalties ... and be good on the special teams."
The Blues were finding that flow early against Dallas, but they became undisciplined after the hit by Ott. Their power play, meanwhile, remains streaky. After going four for nine with the man-advantage in Sweden, the Blues went 0 for 10. They scored on back-to-back chances at Anaheim, but since then they are 0 for 16.
"Our power play has had some chances, but the guys are squeezing sticks and not finishing," Davidson said. "And those have come at opportune times, too, which has hurt us by not getting the goals."
Davidson didn't seem to be worried though, saying, "I don't think we have played nearly as good as we can. (But) we're still right there. So there's not panic there by any means."
Just as Davidson says that, however, the Blues are facing more injuries ? first, Barret Jackman (ankle) and Alex Steen (wrist), and now T.J. Oshie (appendix) and D.J. King (hand). Tonight will be the Blues' 10th game, and already the number of man games lost is at 32.
"The only thing I can think about is, 'What I did to upset the guy upstairs that we would have to do it again?'" Murray said, referring to the injury-filled 2008-09 season. "I thought this year would be completely different."
Jackman skated on Saturday for the first time since getting injured Oct. 8. After first calling it a normal ankle sprain, Jackman acknowledged that it's a high-ankle sprain, which could mean a longer absence.
"Lots of people take a month or two months to get back," Jackman said. "I'm still optimistic that it'll be sooner than that, but we'll take it day by day."
Steen was expected to have a cast change this week, but he's still looking at December before he returns. Oshie's timetable is at least another week, and the Blues said Monday that King would miss eight to 10 weeks.
It's beginning to look like last season, when the Blues recorded 465 man games lost.
"There was like a two-week period where every game it was somebody," Davidson said. "The doctors would come in after the game with X-rays in their hand and you'd just go, 'Oh my gosh, now what?'
"But other teams have injuries, so you just have to deal with them. We were one organization that proved you could. So we'll do it again."
The Blues learned two things about dealing with injuries last season.
No. 1, they don't talk about them.
"We can't be worrying about who goes down and when they'll be back," Blues winger Andy McDonald said. "It's got to be about our game and getting it to a level where we're consistent every night. We're nowhere near that right now, and that's got to be our focus."
No. 2, make sure to add depth. This happened over the summer.
"You have to because you just don't know what's going to happen," Davidson said. "It's exactly why we went out and signed Darryl Sydor, who's been very good for us. We had no idea when Eric Brewer was going to come back. So Darryl has helped us in that respect."
As if to prove that the news isn't all bad these days, there is optimism regarding Brewer. He must still be cleared by doctors, but the Blues say he could be available soon.
"I'm not getting ahead of myself, but he's getting closer," Davidson said.
