from Jeff Gordon of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch,

Hitchcock must find solutions or face the consequences. Core players on this roster must elevate their play or face the consequences.

This team entered the playoffs with great expectations. Tom Stillman’s ownership group spent to the salary cap on this roster.

General manager Doug Armstrong assembled a Hall of Fame braintrust to run the hockey operation. With input from his many aides, he made several moves to beef up the front lines and the back lines.

Clearly the Blues have enough talent to win a Stanley Cup. But actually winning the Cup takes tremendous focus, poise and effort.

The Blues have been lacking on those fronts too often in this series, which is why they sit in such a precarious position.

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