3 Things The Blues Must Do To Win Game 5

The St. Louis Blues are skating in dangerous territory after dropping 2 straight to the Los Angeles Kings in L.A., but I feel they still hold a strong advantage on the series if they can do 3 key things in game 5.

Put Pucks On The Net

The Blues did a great job in game 4 of not only putting pucks on the net, but capitalizing on opportunities that resulted in goals. Anybody who has been following the series since game 1 has probably been pulling their hair out at the missed shots the Blues have had. If the Blues can feed off the trend they set in game 4, and carry it in to game 5 at Scottrade, then they have a high chance of coming out of game 5 with the series lead and a confident offense. 

Energy

The Blues opened up the series up with a huge push of energy in game 1, and it really paid off. If it weren't for missed shots, the Blues would have shown complete domination against the Kings. If they can come out with a high level of energy, which is going to be tough not to do with the Scottrade crowd being pumped for the bounce back game, then they can really pressure the Kings. The important thing is that the energy is disciplined, because it can lead to not only the opposition playing on their heels, but an onslaught of scoring chances. It can also wear the Kings down, and hinder their play in the final period. The Blues have shown they can come out hitting, and flying up and down the ice, they just have to do it in a smart way. As fun as it would be to see a huge hit on a player, it has to be smart, and not something that will result in the Kings earning a powerplay. 

Play A 60 Minute Game

The Blues have been notorious for coming out and playing an exceptional period, only to have their efforts show nothing when they let off the gas in the third period. It happened in game 4, and it essentially cost them the game. If the Blues can play a sound and fundamental game for 3 periods, then there is no doubt they'll come out over the Kings. With Elliott's superb play, and the team starting to find the net, they just need to maintain pressure throughout the whole game. The Blues need to be careful with the amount of odd man rushes they are giving up, and balance out when the D-men step up in the play, and when they should fall back and defend. The Blues have one of the best defensive lineups in the league, and those guys know what they're doing, but there have been far too many times where Elliot is hung out to dry on  2 on 1 or even 3 on 1 breaks. All it takes is a single period to lose a game, and game 4 showed how important it is to be competitive for a full 60 minutes. 

Ultimately I still feel the Blues are the better team not only in this series, but in the playoffs in general, but they have shown where they're vulnerable. It's important the Blues maintain the style of play that resulted in such a phenomenol April. The pressure is still on the Kings to come in to Scottrade and take a series lead, the Blues just have to play their game, and feed off of the crowd. 

Game 5 is tonight at 8PM and can be seen on Fox Sports Midwest. I will be live tweeting during the game via @BluesLineChangehare your thoughts with me during the game. Let's cheer on the Blues to a game 5 victory and a 3-2 lead in the series.