Volume 9, Issue 27 Feb. 1, 2014 Four Dollars of Good Luck It’s Almost Always Never Easy Established in 2005 By Average Joe Polak was seen as a lock before the season started, but something’s been off — something that the Czech Olympic team Boy the Blues sure were gone awhile. That one-game road trip noticed. I don’t know if he’s playing hurt, but he hasn’t been great. sure made a ton of sense. Also, a loss to Carolina? Really? He’s probably the fifth d-man by virtue of being a right-handed Yes, friends, the Blues are back in action and back at home shot, but I’m not sure he’s a lock. He plays tough competition, after a quick jaunt to the Carolinas. The Blues will be home for a doesn’t get favorable zone starts, but he just hasn’t been as short time as the season winds down to the Olympic break. With effective this year. the stoppage in the schedule coming up, it seems like now would When Polak got injured, Ian Cole stepped in and stepped up. be a good time to take a look at the Blues’ eight Neither Polak or Cole provides much in terms of offense, defensemen since, you know, three of them will be in but they both have that steady thing going for them. Sochi and a fourth was a surprising omission. Cole looks like an NHLer, but there’s something The Blues are one of the best defensive teams missing. He’s leagues away from the top-4. in the NHL and a big reason is the blueline is He’s been OK possession wise, despite not stacked. Jay Bouwmeester, Alex Pietrangelo playing the toughest competition. He is still and Kevin Shattenkirk are all top-pairing young and has gotten dramatically better with guys for all 30 teams. Each has at least 30 playing time, but you have to wonder if he points, destroys tough competition and gets makes the most sense right now as the sixth the Blues going in the right direction. man. Barret Jackman, the last part of the top-4, The other option is the recently back from is criminally underrated. Granted I’ve mostly injury Jordan Leopold. I’ll be honest, I’ve avoided forums with braindead fans, but it’s never understood him. He seemed to be the been a while since I’ve heard the Jackman move the Blues made when they thought they bashers. Jackman’s worst seasons were when the weren’t going to get Bouwmeester. The Blues were Blues were bad and he had to play the power play desperate for a left-handed shot, got Leopold as the and when he was a walking injury report. He’s healthy, TM fill in and then, a few days later, landed the big he’s solid. He doesn’t do too much, helps Kevin Shattenkirk fish. Since then he’s just been kind of there. be Kevin Shattenkirk and gives the Jackman face on a regular Shattenkirk and Jackman were a great pair basis. He’s good. that was broken up in favor of Shattenkirk and Leopold. It never The other four are fighting for two spots and it’s a weird race. seemed to really work. Frankly, I was pretty surprised the Blues re Carlo Colaiacovo doesn’t really count because, well, the Blues -upped him last summer for two years. have counted him out. He’s been pretty invisible since the panic Leopold isn’t really an offensive guy, he has only five assists this signing — the Blues probably would’ve been better off calling year, but he’s fine defensively. I think he should, in theory, pair somebody, anybody, up from the AHL. He’s fine, but he’s not in well with Polak. The problem is, I don’t know if both are healthy. the Blues’ plans. Thank god. The other three, that’s where things get interesting. Roman (Continued on page 22) Today’s Records, Injuries & News Today’s Team Records: Today’s Injuries: Today’s News & Notes: Blues: Predators While the Blues are completely 36-12-5 (77 pts) 25-23-8 (58 pts) Blues: No injuries to report. I’m sure healthy, all of our regular vendors and 2nd in Central 5th in Central there’s an usher out with flu-like our main fill-in are all out either with 3rd Western 10th in Western symptoms. illness or plans. Like selling this thing in Last 10 Games: Predators: Pekka Rinne (hip surgery freezing rain isn’t better than any other Blues: Predators after a bacterial thing which sounds really plans out there. 5-5-0 6-3-1 gross) is out. Shea Weber (girl’s name), Hey seriously, thanks for buying the Matt Cullen (yeast infection) and Viktor paper tonight in less than ideal Season Series: All-Time Series: Stalberg (lack of talent) are all conditions. And be careful out there 2-0-0 41-29-4-13 questionable. after the game. CAUTION: St. Louis Game Time contains extreme sarcasm and less-than-gentle language. But it is a hockey paper, so you should just fucking get over it. Volume 9, Issue 27 Feb. 1, 2014 What a mess. And I’m not just talking about game a lot more in the Blues’ favor. Hate St. Louis Game Time the roads tonight. Hopefully the ice doesn’t get playing that guy. Established: Nov. 6, 2005 too bad. You will not see Ryan Miller’s name in this St Louis, Missouri In case you didn’t read the bottom right of column. Well, you won’t see it again. the front page (almost always witty and nearly Jaroslav Halak got a shutout against the www.twitter.com/StLouisGameTime useful stuff), we had some issues with vendors. Devils on Tuesday. It was his 20th for the Clarence has been under the weather lately. So Blues, extending his own team record. If you Godfather I it was a smart move for him to not become a were listening on Friday afternoon when I Jeffio human popsicle tonight. Hope he’s back appeared on The People’s Show on CBS Sports Godfather II sometime next week. Amy had a prior Radio 920, you might have heard me talking engagement. Gallagher had something to do. about the record and putting it in perspective. Gallagher Probably with one of his 12 kids. Irish Sure, 20 is nice. This is only his fourth season, Catholics, go figure. And Bud who fills in was so an average of more than five a year is pretty Publisher, Editor, Sausage Maker sick. So hopefully we convinced some people to good. But with a record so low, it hints at how Brad Lee, [email protected] stand in the cold and probably freezing drizzle mediocre Blues goaltending has been. For @gtbradlee on Twitter to sell you this stuff we call literature. decades. Probably since Jacques Plante and And then the Blues had to go and drop a Glenn Hall retired, save for a few moments of deuce in Carolina last night. I always say that Mike Liut, Curtis Joseph and Grant Fuhr. Distribution writing about a good team is harder than You can probably guess that Martin Gallagher, Amy Benoist, writing about a bad one. There’s all Brodeur has the team record for Clarence Walker, TBD sorts of frustrations you can vent shutouts with the Devils. Could you when the Blues are out of the guess that he has 124 of them? Featured Columnists playoffs. Don’t get me wrong, I want And that 20 shutouts for the Blues, our job in this paper to be hard that’s just the margin Brodeur has Chris Gift, Rick Ackerman, Average Joe , Nate the Great, Brian Weidler, because they’re so fucking good over second place on the all-time there’s no question about the outcome. shutout list. Brodeur has more than And I thought that was the situation last any other goaltender. Terry Sawchuck Contributors night. The Hurricanes are on their third has 104. Great googly moogly. Jeffio, Ann, Childhood Trauma, Tim Wiemers, So. City Hooligan, Andy Portico, goaltender (kind of like the Predators tonight, Including tonight, there are just four games B26 Photography, Artie Clark, Gallagher except they’ve played five). Carolina is average left before the Olympic break starts a week Kent Dragonfinger, Answer Man, The Duke, defensively and are 20th in the league in goals from tomorrow. That will leave 25 games on Dan Doke, Jeff Jones for. Should have been a cake walk. the schedule before the playoffs start. That’s a As fat slob Chris Berman on ESPN says (I’m nice kind of round number in an 82-game Clarence guessing he still says it. Haven’t watched him schedule. In my opinion, all the games until Patrick Shaw for a while, but it’s not like he comes up with this break has been like the preliminary new bits.), and that’s why they play the games. rounds of the regular season. Ken Hitchcock Our Friend And while one of the three goals for Carolina has caused some gnashing of teeth as he John Nicolay was in the empty net, did it ever feel like the alternates who is in his doghouse and who is Blues were playing their style of hockey and playing on which line. I think it was more of a Mission: imposing their will on the game? Did it feel feeling out process on his part.