Ugly Offense

Happy New Year to all you Blues fans out there. Let's hope that 2008 will be even better than 2007 was. Of course for that to happen the Blues will have to start scoring goals at some point. Please forgive the negativity to start the year. I have to vent.

It's no secret that they are bad on offense but I think that just how bad they have been is being overlooked somewhat by the fact that they are playing very well on defense. This formula has kept the Blues' playoff hopes a reality so far but I just want to remind people that this is not feasible long term. I think probably when the Blues go through a losing streak people will begin to complain about how bad the offense is. I am not going to wait that long because for the first time in a long time my beloved Blues are boring to watch and that really really bothers me.

For perspective let's consider last season. Last year the Vancouver Canucks scored the least amount of goals of the eight playoff qualifiers in the Western Conference. They scored 222. That's an average of 2.7 goals per game. So far the Blues are scoring 2.5 goals per game (97 goals, 39 games) for a projected total of 204.

It doesn't really take much math to figure out that the Blues have to score more goals to make the playoffs. Right now they have scored 97 and given up 99. That is not a playoff team as hard as it is to admit.

So what is the problem? It's easy to say the power play is terrible but I have watched basically every game and this is not a systematic issue. The boys just don't have the goods. Let's call a few players out, shall we?

Mike Johnson:

He is barely on the team and wasn't ever expected to be relied upon to score but 2 goals and 3 assists in 21 games is pathetic and he does not deserve to wear the note. How close is he to the waiver wire? Hopefully very.

David Backes:

He is turning into a bust before our eyes. Has anyone noticed how Stempniak has scored more since he has been separated from Backes? He has 4 goals and 4 assists in 29 games. I'm hoping that he is sent to Peoria soon and has to earn his way back. I have not seen anything from him that leads me to believe he is second line NHL talent. The third line may be a stretch too because I'm not impressed by the way he digs in the corners either. My advice to him is to learn to kill penalties very well.

Jay McClement:

Basically the same story as Backes but less tragic because nobody ever expected him to be a regular offensive contributor. Nevertheless, 4 goals and 5 assists in 39 games is terrible.

It is tough to watch but remember, Blues fans, we are still building. It is looking more and more like Mike Johnson and Jay McClement are just keeping the bench warm for TJ Oshie and Patrick Berglund. Berglund was one of the best players in the recently completed World Junior Championships and won a silver medal for Sweden.

Notice I didn't call out Hinote or RJ but those guys are penalty killing specialists. RJ in particular is a beast in this regard and is having a great season. I was never excited about him before but his speed and work ethic have made me happy that he is wearing the note. He is a lock for next year.

We have talked about how there is no help at Peoria right now but at some point you have to give Lemtyugov a chance to win Backes' spot. That will probably not happen this year since the Blues management is convinced that Lemtyugov needs a lot more time to figure out the North American game.

It's going to be tough watching the Blues struggle on offense for another 40 games but remember. Next year is going to be a lot better.