St. Louis Blues: Chris Stewart and 5 Players Who Need To Step Up Their Game

After finishing the 2010-11 season ranked 10th in the league in goals per game, nobody could predict that the St. Louis Blues would be struggling to find the back of the net this year, especially since most of their top tier scorers have been healthy.

But they have been struggling, and in order to become serious Stanley Cup contenders, this problem must be corrected.

The Blues have been near the bottom of the NHL in goal scoring for the entire season. Although this has not been a problem for the club thus far, superhuman goaltending cannot continue to support the lack of scoring through 82 games.

It seemed that the Blues could win every game 1-0 or 2-1 after a long stretch of low scoring victories in November, but the team got a major eye-opener after a 5-2 shellacking at the hands of the Chicago Blackhawks on December 3, which proved that their defensive approach to games will not always be effective against high scoring teams.

The Blues possess the talent to pot 300 goals a year, as their roster includes three former 30-plus goal scorers, six former 20-plus goal scorers and a few other players who could potentially hit the 20-goal mark as well. The problem is that the majority of these players are not producing at the rate expected of them, and have been blemishes on an otherwise spectacular Blues squad.

The team scored a season high six goals in their win against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday, and currently sits 20th in the NHL in goals per game, which is the highest they’ve been in a while. If they can manage around three goals per game on a regular basis and keep their goals against average around two, they should have no problem reaching the playoffs and contending for the Cup while there.

These six players can be the difference between another season of mediocrity and a season in which the Stanley Cup finally makes its home in the City of Blues.

Season Stats: 32GP, 2G, 10A, 12PTS

It’s hard to believe that just three years ago, Jamie Langenbrunner scored 29 goals and 69 points for the New Jersey Devils, and just two years ago, he was named captain of the U.S. Olympic team, scoring four points in six games in the tournament.

It’s more difficult to believe that he is only on pace to score 5 goals and 30 points this season.

Langenbrunner has been a top-six forward for more than a decade, and although he is 36 years of age and playing third line minutes, I find it hard to believe that two goals is all he can contribute to the team.

For a player who recorded his career high in goals and points a mere three years ago, his production so far this season is disappointing, and he has been demoted to the fourth line a few times because of it.

Langenbrunner is a high-calibre player who has had a long and successful career, he possesses outstanding leadership qualities and has always been a locker room motivator. He is not a 25-goal or 60-point player anymore, but is still talented in all aspects of the game.

Scoring 15 goals and 40 points this season should not be out of the question for Langenbrunner, and that third line production is much needed for the Blues.

Season Stats: 17GP, 6W, 7L, 4OT, 1SO, 2.37GAA, .903SV Percentage

Just because Jaroslav Halak has been hot of late does not mean he has stepped his game up to another level.

Halak was extremely streaky and inconsistent in his first year with the Blues; half the time he played outstanding and the other half he played miserably.

You never knew which Halak was starting the game and its been the same story so far this season.

He still needs to prove his worth to the Blues organization, especially considering how well former backup Brian Elliott has performed. Until he can be an above average goalie on a nightly basis, St. Louis players, staff and fans alike will continue to be nervous every time he is between the pipes.

Halak’s play is crucial to the team’s success, especially if Elliott falters (which I hope is not the case).

Season Stats: 32GP, 6G, 6A, 12PTS

Coming off a breakout season, where he scored 21 goals and 46 points in his first full year with the Blues, Matt D’Agostini was expected to have a similar if not better performance this year.

He is currently on pace to score 15 goals and 30 points this season.

D’Agostini, who possesses great speed and an unbelievable shot, is relied upon for offensive production and has disappointed thus far.

Lets hope he can get back into rhythm and provide St. Louis with much needed scoring.

Season Stats: 31GP, 5G, 5A, 10PTS

Defenseman Alex Pietrangelo has been brilliant in his own end this season; he leads the team in time on ice, leads defensemen in plus/minus and is a force on the penalty kill.

If Pietrangelo was not an offensive defenseman and was not relied upon for scoring as well as defensive support, he wouldn’t be on this list, but that isn’t the case.

Coming off a 43-point rookie season, Pietrangelo was predicted to have an unbelievable offensive year and be one of the highest scoring defensemen at season’s end, even The Hockey News predicted he would score 51 points this season.

He is on pace to score 26 points.

Pietrangelo scored a goal in Sunday’s victory against Columbus, which snapped a career worst eight-game pointless streak. But he still has not snapped a 16-game streak in which he has not recorded an assist, also a career worst.

I desperately hope that he can break out of this scoring drought soon and get back on track towards an impressive all-around sophomore season, for St. Louis’ sake.

Season Stats: 32GP, 8G, 5A, 13PTS

The talented forward recorded career highs in both goals (22) and points (52) last season, which ranked second on the Blues. And although he has a history of inconsistent play, it was thought that Patrik Berglund had finally come into his own as a player and would continue to be an offensive threat for the team.

He is on pace to score 20 goals and 33 points this season.

Beglund is simply not reaching his potential as a player, and it is hurting the Blues. He has the talent to be 30-goal and 60-point player, but appears lazy and not confident at times, and does not seem to play the game with vigor and determination.

He is struggling defensively as well, as his minus-3 is tied for the worst plus/minus rating on the team.

Berglund, who centers the second line, can provide the team with a huge offensive boost, if only he could reach his potential.

Season Stats: 29GP, 4G, 7A, 11PTS

As one of the biggest disappointments of the 2011-12 season so far, Chris Stewart cannot seem to put the puck in the net.

Stewart had a 28-goal, 64-point season two years ago, and a 28-goal, 53-point season last year in only 62 games, split between Colorado and St. Louis.

He was St. Louis’ most prized acquisition last year, scoring 15 goals and 23 points for the club in only 26 games after leaving the Colorado Avalanche. He also almost single-handedly improved their power play, which went from near the bottom of the league to 10th-place during his tenure with the team (he scored seven power play goals).

Blues fans could not wait to see what Stewart would bring to the table in his first full season with the team, and many people believed that he would reach the 40-goal plateau.

He is on pace to score 11 goals and 30 points.

The only way I can explain his struggles is that he just doesn’t seem to have the confidence and determination he did last year, similar to what Patrik Berglund is going through. He is the biggest letdown for the Blues and possibly the entire NHL at this point.

His scoring proficiency may decide how successful the Blues are this season, so I very much hope he can shake off this slump and return to form.