St. Louis The Biggest Threat In The West?

The St. Louis Blues have shocked the hockey world by rising to the top of the Western Conference

This season has been a shocking one for the Western Conference. The San Jose Sharks are fighting for a playoff spot, the Kings are fighting for their playoff lives despite the acquistions of Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, and the 7-11 seeds are mere single digit points away from each other in the standings, Dallas is sitting in playoff position threatening to overtake San Jose and the three seed, and the Blackhawks and Red Wings are in a heated race for the second spot in the Central Divison.. And to top it all off, the St. Louis Blues have overtaken the conference and currently sit in first place with 103 points, just two ahead of the Vancouver Canucks. The Blues' success stems from consistent effort night in and night out, contributions from young guns T.J. Oshie and Alex Pietrangelo, and depth throughout the lineup that includes solid point contributions from Valdimir Sobotka, David Perron, Patrik Berglund, Chris Stewart, and veterans such as Jason Arnott and Jamie Langenbrunner.

The Blues' top line of Perron - Backes - Oshie has been on fire this year, combining for a total of 143 points to lead the charge in St. Louis. The team's depth goes beyond that though, and despite the lack of a pure goal scorer (it is very likely no player on the Blues will reach the 30 goal plateau), the Blues have players that contribute both offensively and defensively night in and night out. Their third line of Alex Steen - Jason Arnott - Jamie Langenbrunner provides a good veteran presence with two players (Arnott, Langenbrunner) who have experience in deep playoff runs during their years with the New Jersey Devils as well as providing solid offensive contributions (combining for a total of 78 points to date) and playing well at both ends of the ice. Rookie Jaden Schwartz, the 14th overall pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, has played well in his four games played, scoring two goals and notching one assist for three points. While that may seem like nothing, three points in five games is very good for a player with no previous NHL experience, and he projects to be a solid contributor during the Blues' upcoming playoff run.

On the back end, young studs Alex Pietrangelo and Kevin Shattenkirk have stepped up big for St. Louis, contributing 49 and 41 points respectively, very good numbers for defensemen. Carlo Colaiacovo and Barret Jackan have provided shutdown qualities, contributing to the Blues' league leading goals against average, currently under 2.0 per game. They also have allowed the fewest shots per game in the league.

The Blues are very much like our Boston Bruins. They don't have a true superstar, but they are a team. They have a great amount of chemistry and are built from the goalie out. Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliot have both been stellar this year, their defense is high quality, and their offense has been playing extremely well. St. Louis is a team that is poised to make a very deep run into the playoffs, and don't be surprised if you see them make it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Assuming the Bruins can make it out of the East again, the Blues are most definitely the biggest threat to them repeating as champions, and they are also the biggest Western Conference threat and have a very good chance of taking home Lord Stanley this season.