The Blues’ 7–2 loss in Nashville didn’t just drop them to 11-14-7. It highlighted a bigger issue: whenever St. Louis plays inside the Central Division, their weaknesses become impossible to ignore. Six divisional games this season have revealed problems that go beyond cold shooting or bad luck. They’ve shown a team that can’t keep up with how the Central plays.
The problems start with puck possession. In those six games, the Blues won the shot-attempt battle only once, the 3–1 win in Dallas. Every other time, they were outshot and out-pressured. Chicago generated 61 shot attempts at five-on-five. Minnesota had 57. Nashville had 51. When a team spends that much time defending, it’s hard to control any part of the game.