Why the Blues are ready for a Stanley Cup run

With the win last night, the Blues now have the best record in the National Hockey League and look primed to make a deep run in the playoffs.  While the Blues have had good records in prior years, this is the team that is finally going to break through and give St. Louis hockey fans hope when it comes to watching hockey late in to the spring calendar.  Here are a few reasons why I believe this

The Blues finally have a goalie that is ready to carry them.  The team showed their willingness to win now by acquiring goalie Ryan Miller from the Buffalo Sabres.  While they gave up quite a lot in the trade, management is showing how much they believe in this team.  Since the trade, Miller has gone 4-0 and he seems to have brought new life to the team.  He has only allowed one third period goal and has made the necessary saves that Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliot would struggle with at times.  Miller brings a swagger to this team.  He almost single handily carried the US hockey team to gold in 2010 and has a career GAA of 2.60.  With the Blues amazing defense, that number should only decrease.

Another aspect of the Blues I like is the Olympic experience that they gained in Sochi.  Eight Blues played in the Winter Games this year (Vladimir Sobotka would have before his injury) and it seems to have elevated their game in recent weeks.  Alex Pietrangelo and Jay Bouwmeester captured gold for team Canada while Alex Steen and Patrik Berglund settled for the silver with team Sweden.  All these players though played at a very high level during the Olympics and have brought that back to the States.  It should also be mentioned that even though the USA did not capture a medal, all the Blues players for them played exceptional and were one of the reasons that they finished 3-0 in pool play.  Playing under the bright lights only increased their play which should help them during the inevitable playoff run.

One last aspect of this team that I really like is the fact that they are hungry and determined to be different than the teams before them.  The Blues have lost the last two years in the playoffs to a team that was seeded lower than them (Los Angeles Kings).  This team is tired of hearing about how they cannot win the big game and they have played with that chip on their shoulder all year long.  The Blues do not have one superstar that is going to shine above the rest but they as a cohesive unit have to come have the best record in hockey.  They are ready to show the NHL that Lord Stanley's Cup belongs in St. Louis.  They have brought their game to a new level which shows in their complete dominance of their division (18-0-1).  I am not going to label them the cup favorites yet (even though Vegas does currently) but this team is going to be a tough out during the 2014 Stanley Cup playoffs.