How a reloaded defense enabled the Blues to get back in the playoff hunt

A weak unit became a strength this season, powering the team to new heights.

Thanks for the savvy veteran, Anaheim Ducks. Cam Fowler is just one of the defensemen who joined the St. Louis Blues, and gave their unit a brand new look. After scoring nine goals in the regular season, he has put up nine points in the playoff series against the Winnipeg Jets. Fowler played in his 1,000th game over the regular season, but seems to be losing little steam with St. Louis.

General Manager Doug Armstrong didn’t mess around when it came to restoring some dignity to the blue line group for the Blues. Along with the Edmonton heist that brought in Philip Broberg, he signed Ryan Suter to a one-year contract. Every defense needs an absolute horse like that to always be out there for when other players go down with an injury, such as Colton Parayko.

Big 55 wasn’t outdone this year, though. With a healthy back and renewed balance, Parayko scored the most goals in a single season of his career. He’s a different animal when he’s completely healthy, especially in the offensive zone. The puck comes near him, and he winds up to fire it like Al MacInnis. It’s a few mph lower than Big Al’s slapper, but the effect still keeps the goalie honest. Sooner or later, one of those blasts will get through like it did in Game 3 against the Jets. It’s like running a tailback into a defensive line for three quarters. Eventually, something’s going to give.

The Broberg, Fowler, and Suter acquisition boost was given a shot of young adrenaline by Tyler Tucker. Taking over Ryan Reaves’s number, Tucker needed to play the game with some edge and that’s exactly what he does out there. Imagine a very young Barret Jackman before his shoulder injury, and you have Tucker on the ice flying around throwing his weight around. The Blues will miss him tonight in Game 5, but the rest of the defensive corps will pick up the slack.

Unlike his city counterpart, John Mozeliak, Armstrong went above and beyond in restoring the backbone of his defense. Without that strong final line of defense, winning any playoff games would be rather difficult. Unless you have two or three Jordan Kyrous to exhaust the other team, there needs to be a brick wall waiting for the Jets heading back the other way. Look at most goals that get past Jordan Binnington, and they will result from the defense failing to clear or the forwards not forechecking properly.

When done right, the Jets have run into serious trouble passing mid-ice, and that starts and stops with a defensive unit that doesn’t back down or give in. Justin Faulk shouldn’t be left out of the list. He didn’t exactly step into the blue note and light the city on fire, but he’s gotten better each season. Head coach Jim Montgomery has gotten the most out of veterans like Faulk, utilizing the big shot and adding some grit at the other end of the ice.

As Pat Maroon told 101.1 ESPN on Tuesday, Montgomery is a players coach and knows how to extract the right effort without being overbearing. He hasn’t skated any minutes in a game, but deserves a ton of credit for turning this entire team around. It may sound corny, but the entire roster plays for each other. Kelly Chase mentioned on the Cam and Strick Podcast last year that most of the Blues roster couldn’t tell if they were playing in Columbus or St. Louis, because there was a disbanded effort in each game.

That’s gone. Every line brings it, and the defense finishes the job. When you have defenders like Fowler putting up big points, that’s a genuine elevation to the odds in winning a game. Keeping the other team in check is one thing; adding some firepower of their own is huge.

Will it result in another win tonight? We shall see. The Jets are a different animal in Winnipeg, and the Blues weren’t scoring as often as they were at The Enterprise Center. St. Louis does have those boys rattled, though, so that should play into the Blues favor. It’s anyone’s series now, and knocking off the best team in the league would be a nice step towards a deep playoff run.

Once again, thanks Anaheim. Oh, thanks Edmonton, too. Your contributions to the success here is appreciated.