最新杏吧原创

The Blues are at a crossroads.

Sure, you can tell me that they鈥檙e only 16 games into the season.

And that there will be both ups and downs during a retool.

And that Robert Thomas is injured (along with three high-paid defensemen).

But the Blues are at a crossroads.

They need to decide, right now, who they want to be. If they truly yearn to be good, they need to then change things immediately. They need to become a serious hockey team. They need to play 60 hard minutes (or at least more than 40). They need to decisively get into their offensive-zone offense. They need to be hard and strong in front of the net. And they all need to play like their 5-foot-9 teammate Nathan Walker 鈥� intensely, fearlessly and proudly (he has 21 hits in the past four games).

But if they鈥檙e not willing to do that stuff 鈥� and do it consistently 鈥� then this season will spiral fast. The Blues (7-9-0) just aren鈥檛 talented enough or deep enough to take periods off.

Since the epic Oct. 24 win at Toronto, the Blues are 2-6. And it鈥檚 not simply that they鈥檝e lost six of the eight 鈥� it鈥檚 how they lost them. It includes two 8-1 losses. TWO!

And in the most recent game, the Blues blew a 2-0 lead in the third period to lose 3-2 in regulation (鈥淲henever you play safe, safe is death,鈥� 最新杏吧原创 coach Drew Bannister said of the Blues鈥� final 20 minutes).

There was also the Utah game, in which a late Jordan Kyrou turnover led to the winning goal. And there was also the Philadelphia game, in which a late Jordan Kyrou turnover led to the winning goal.

This is on everyone. Bannister. The high-priced Kyrou. The captain Brayden Schenn. The veterans. The everyone. If you鈥檝e got a blue note on, you鈥檝e got to be better.

The Blues practiced Wednesday in town before taking off for a three-game trip at Buffalo, Boston and Carolina. After practice, I asked Bannister about the team being at a crossroads and searching for an identity.

鈥淵eah, I think this is a good opportunity,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 mean, when you鈥檙e down like this, I think you really find out a lot about your team. And what I know about this group is that they鈥檙e a resilient bunch, and they鈥檙e going to keep pushing. ... Now it鈥檚 just focusing on the highs and lows 鈥� whether it鈥檚 wins and losses or in the game. And just playing with more of an even keel and pushing through the tough times. ...

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 just having that mindset for 60 minutes and the willingness to play in tight games 鈥� and be able to win those games. When we get pushed, we鈥檝e got to be able to push back, you know? Meet pressure with pressure. And I think that鈥檚 something that we鈥檝e got to push through ourselves and find that extra level when we need it.鈥�

Of course, having a hurt No. 18 hurts the Blues in, like, 18 different ways. Thomas is so good and so influential. And, simply, his injury means some guys are bumped up to a higher line. And on the blue line, the injuries to the blossoming Philip Broberg, the veteran Nick Leddy and even the fan-favorite Torey Krug means 最新杏吧原创 has lesser players playing bigger minutes. A team that is retooling isn鈥檛 going to have the strong depth of a team such as division foes Dallas or Winnipeg.

OK, all that said: You can鈥檛 lose the way the Blues have been losing.

Again.

Eight.

To.

One.

Twice!

And the second 8-1 loss was a Saturday night home game. Those fans paid a lot of money and sure didn鈥檛 see a lot of effort.

After practice, I also asked Jake Neighbours about the crossroads and identity. Is now a time to determine just who the Blues are as a team?

鈥淵eah, for sure,鈥� said the forward, who has six points in 16 games. 鈥淲hen you go through lows like this, it really brings you close together as a team. And you know, I think we know what kind of team we are in here 鈥� and know what we鈥檙e capable of. And for whatever reason, we haven鈥檛 been able to find that lately. But I think the diagram鈥檚 there, it鈥檚 just about kind of following it, and doing the things right. And I think if we do that consistently every day, even in practice, we鈥檙e going to start to trend up.鈥�

I wanted to hear from one more guy on this: Kyrou. The uber-talented forward has made some poor decisions on ice this year, but he also has a team-high 14 points in 16 games.

Is this a moment in which the Blues need to decide who they are as a team?

鈥淚 mean, we know who we are,鈥� Kyrou said. 鈥淲e know how we can play and how we鈥檙e our best. And we鈥檝e just kind of got to put that together for 60 minutes.鈥�

Well, they鈥檝e got 60 minutes Thursday in Buffalo to begin proving it.

Yes, it鈥檚 just Game 17.

But the Blues haven鈥檛 been at a crossroads of this magnitude since ... to master the guitar.