from Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch,

As Hitchcock said: the Blues are good, but there’s more to do. “There’s times when guys say ‘Is he ever happy? Is he ever pleased?’ It’s not that,” Hitchcock said. “It has nothing to do with that. It has everything to do with moving the process forward. Playing and marching. Playing and marching. And keeping the team focused.”

Nearing the NHL All-Star break, the Blues are in an interesting spot. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen a Blues lineup with this dosage of firepower.

But the Blues have been dragged down by a few negatives including their indifference (until recently) in the sweaty task of killing penalties.

The Blues also have a tendency to get frustrated when opponents apply tenacious checking. And when they feel pressured, the Blues resort to going for “home runs” — to use Hitchcock’s term — instead of leaning on a foundation of hard labor and discipline.

That’s a big reason behind their mediocre record against the NHL’s better squads. The firepower is a tremendous asset. But it’s often nullified by the desperation born out of frustration, with players getting careless with the puck and turning it over in an impatient thrust to make magic.

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