St. Louis Blues

The St. Louis Blues are currently 2nd in the NHL’s central division with a record of 38-18, nine points behind the division’s 1st place leader, the Nashville Predators.

The Blues were one of six expansion teams added to the NHL in 1967. As a result of the playoff format in place at the time, the Blues made it to three straight Stanley Cup Finals appearances from 1968-1970, although their opponents in each of these series swept them. Hockey greats Brett Hull and Brendan Shanahan played for St. Louis in the 1980s and ‘90s and from 1980-2004 the Blues continued to maintained a playoff presence. In 2005-2006, the team finished with their worst season record in more than 26 years. The next playoff appearance for the Blues came in 2009, where they faced off against Vancouver Canucks, but did not advance to the 2nd round. In 2013-2014, the team reached the 100-point mark for the 6th time in franchise history and also obtained 52 wins, a franchise record.

On Thursday of this week, the Blues announced their acquisition of Adam Cracknell, a forward from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for future considerations. Cracknell actually spent his 1st four years in the NHL with the Blues from 2010-2014 and with this trade, will initially report to the Chicago Wolves, the Blues’ AHL affiliate team.

The Blues have lost three of their last four games and will play 11 of their next 14 games on the road. With that said, the team is 16-10-2 on the road, currently making them the 6th best team on the road in the NHL. The Blues face off against the Winnipeg Jets Thursday, February 26th. The Blues have won their last five games against the Jets. To extend that streak to six, the Blues will need to get back to their strong style of play that led them to success earlier in the season. This is something the team has been struggling with recently and the players must continue to stay healthy and free of injuries as the playoffs are approaching in the near future.