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SPORTS Thursday 26 sepTember 2019
Blues’ last to Stanley Cup run shows value of regular season

By STEPHEN WHYNO
AP Hockey Writer
When the Tampa Bay Light-
ning woke up on Jan. 3
atop the NHL standings, the
St. Louis Blues were dead
last.
Tampa had won 31 of its
first 39 games, while St.
Louis had won just 15 of its
first 37. The Lightning staked
themselves to 30-point lead
on the Blues before the
season’s halfway mark.
The rest is league history:
The Lightning got swept out
of the playoffs in the first
round, and the Blues went
from the basement to lifting
the Stanley Cup in triumph.
That the Blues struggled for
so long and didn’t hit their
stride until January could
make much of the mara-
thon regular season seem
pointless, though players
suggest it actually shows
the importance of ups,
downs and adversity dur-
ing the 82-game grind as a
way to prepare to win play-
off games.
“You’ve got to under-
stand in the bigger picture In this June 12, 2019, file photo, St. Louis Blues head coach Craig Berube carries the Stanley Cup after the Blues defeated the Boston
if you’re going to have a Bruins in Game 7 of the NHL Stanley Cup Final, in Boston. The NHL 2019-20 regular season begins Oct. 2.
four, five, six-game losing Associated Press
streak at some point, it’s times things will change, cause of that.” until mid-January. They got tions had begun.
no reason to hit the panic you’ll get a bounce and The Lightning tied the NHL a boost from rookie goalie Rallying points are impos-
button,” said Jonathan things will start to go your record with 62 victories and Jordan Binnington, tied a sible to predict, and there’s
Toews, who won the Cup way,” Blues playoff MVP finished 21 points ahead of franchise record with 11 no way to control when
as Chicago Blackhawks Ryan O’Reilly said. “It was the next-closest team. They consecutive victories and and how a group comes
captain in 2010, 2013 and very awful at the start. We also became the 10th Presi- became the poster boys together. Still, general man-
2015. “You almost have to couldn’t seem to string wins dents’ Trophy winners in 11 for coming together at the agers, coaches and play-
go through that so when together. But guys kept tries to fall short of winning right time. ers are always searching for
playoffs do come around, working. Guys didn’t shut the Stanley Cup. “It’s just something to rally that recipe of how to peak
you’re ready to turn that down. They kept working All of which supports the behind,” Dallas Stars goal- at the right time.
switch and you’ve got that for each other and the next believe that standings and tender Ben Bishop said. “You want to keep climb-
energy and you’ve got thing you know, things start- seeding matters little in the “Usually that’s kind of what ing,” said goaltender Tu-
that confidence that if you ed to change. Once that playoffs, where matchups it comes down to. Some- ukka Rask, whose Boston
work, you’re going to get belief happened, it kind of take precedence. It also thing happens, and usually Bruins pushed St. Louis to
the results for it.” steamrolled.” apparently doesn’t mat- a team rallies behind it.” Game 7 of the Cup Final.
Players who watched all Tampa Bay wound up on ter where a team is at by For Vegas in 2017-18, it “I don’t think you want to
four division champions the flip side having not lost Thanksgiving or New Year’s was the hometown shoot- peak early and then slowly
bow out in the first round more than two games in a Day, which used to be im- ing that killed 58 people decline from there. That’s
and the Blues grind to the row all season and lacking portant markers about who and bonded an expansion what everybody’s looking
first title in franchise history the struggles to draw from will make the postseason. hockey team with its com- for. But you’re just trying to
came away with some im- when things went poorly in “We started well and we munity. The Golden Knights make the playoffs, always.
portant lessons on how to the playoffs. They went four ended bad,” said Jack shocked the league by You’re just trying to make
approach the regular sea- and out against Columbus. Eichel, whose Sabres went winning eight of their first the playoffs on a good note
son. St. Louis showed a mid- “We were good in the reg- on a 10-game winning nine games of existence and not feeling like, ‘Oh,
season coaching change ular season and probably streak, were first in the and reached the Cup Final we dodged a bullet here.
can work, a goalie can thought we’ll be all right in league at Thanksgiving before losing to Washing- We barely made it.’ And
come out of nowhere and the playoffs because we and missed the playoffs. ton. For St. Louis, Laura Bra- then you’re kind of starting
have success, and mo- were good in the regular “You look at St. Louis and nigan’s “Gloria” became the playoffs not knowing
mentum can snowball in a season,” Vezina Trophy they did the complete op- a popular rallying cry and what your game’s going
positive direction. winning Lightning goal- posite. It’s a long season, young fan Laila Anderson to look like. You want to be
“It was good at under- tender Andrei Vasilevskiy and a lot goes into it. battling a rare auto-im- feeling great as a team en-
standing that it’s a roller said. “The regular season Consistency is one of the mune disease was a heart- tering the playoffs.”
coaster, and the more you was great. We were on a most important things in this warming touchstone for Toews pointed out a hot
can stay even keel and good run. In the playoffs, I league.” the players as they made start never hurts. Points
keep staying with things think our tank was empty Is it, though? The Blues their run under Craig Ber- banked in October, No-
and keep pushing each because of that and we didn’t put together a win- ube, who was an interim vember and December
other to think that some- just went straight down be- ning streak longer than two coach until the celebra- count just the same.q