Three Second-Half Improvements the Blues Must Make to Be Successful

The St. Louis Blues will resume the second half of their season on Feb. 3 at home against the Los Angeles Kings. They currently sit not only two points out of the Central Division lead, but also two points out of the top spot in the entire National Hockey League.

The Blues have played some tremendous hockey, with much of their success coming at home. But there are some things the Blues will need to do in order to remain in contention for the Stanely Cup playoffs.

Here are three second-half improvements I think must be made in order for the Note to remain in contention:

1. The Power play Must Step Up

Right now, the Blues sit near the bottom of the barrel in the NHL when it comes to their power play percentage. At 13.4 percent, only the Phoenix Coyotes and Montreal Canadians fare worse in the NHL at scoring with the man advantage. Power play goals are almost free goals when done right. You have the man advantage and scoring when given the opportunity can win you a lot of games. On the flip side of that, not capitalizing on your power play chances can cost you a point or two, which may be the make or break reason as to why an NHL team does not make it in to the playoffs. 

The Blues are missing two key components to their power play in Andy McDonald and Alex Steen, but good teams find ways to succeed and the Blues must do that. Chris Stewart and T.J. Oshie combined only have four of the Blues' 23 power play goals. Having those two really start getting into the crease and causing a ruckus will open up their opportunities at putting pucks in the net and improving the Blues power play success. Look for head coach Ken Hitchcock to make the Blues' power play an even bigger priority come the start of the second half of the season.

2. They Must Win More Shootouts

Let's start with a positive: the Blues are not the Carolina Hurricanes, who have yet to win a shootout this season. Now the negative: the Blues have lost six of seven shootouts and have only scored four goals out of the 26 shots they have taken in shootouts.

The team, as a whole, is to blame for this low shooting percentage. They need to find ways to start scoring more in shootouts. They are fully capable of doing so. T.J. Oshie alone had goalies fooled all the time last year by going five hole. It's hard to tell if it's just poor shot choice or great goalie reads. But either way, both sides of the puck need to step up.

And it's not just the goal scorers struggling. The goalies can take some of the blame, too, even though there have been a few games where only one goal is allowed and the Blues just can't answer back. 

If the Blues just win two of these shootouts, then they are sitting right at the top of the NHL in points. It has to improve, because they've lost enough points as it is.

3. More Success On the Road

It's not that the Blues can't win on the road—a majority of the Blues' wins have come at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis. The Blues just need to get more goal production on the road. At home, the Blues have played 28 games. At Scottrade, they have scored 81 goals and given up 48.

It's no lie that it is nicer to play in front of your home crowd, but on the road the Blues have only scored 42 goals and given up 48 goals. That's quite a difference between the two, with only six games separating the two statistics.

If the Blues can step up their play on the road, and get the goal production they get when in St. Louis, then they will really become a powerhouse in the NHL.

If the Blues can play consistent hockey on the road, they'll find that balance that they will have to have if they make it to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It's great to win at home, and getting home ice in the playoffs helps, but momentum can play a huge factor in the playoffs and losing a few games on the road could cost you a series down the line.

The Blues are not a sure-shot to win the Stanley Cup this year and they have some improvements they need to make. With that said, the Blues have a team that has come a long way in just a couple of years.

The players are finally starting to fulfill their potential, and the "kids" are becoming veterans. Players like David Backes and Alex Pietrangelo are showing how bright of a future St. Louis has in front of it. They are maturing into players who aren't just hoping to make the playoffs, but into players looking to reach the holy grail of the NHL, the Stanley Cup.

If the Blues are able to improve on a few of these areas, there is no doubt they will be able to skate with the Detroits and Chicagos in the West.

St. Louis Blues fans now just have to wait and watch, as the second half of the season gets under way Feb. 4 at the Scottrade Center against the Los Angeles Kings.

What's your prediction for the Blues' second half? Playoffs? Stanley Cup? Neither? Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment!