The Blues weren't terrible Monday night. But they weren't great either, so they remain stuck in a holding pattern.
"The chances were there, they just weren't going in, but I thought we played a pretty good game," forward Josh Leivo said after the 4-1 loss to Dallas.
"I thought we played a pretty smart first period," coach Craig Berube said. "Second period, I thought we were good, third period, not as good."
So it goes for the Blues, who are just sort of muddling through this season. Their record says it all: 11-11-0.
They did not suffer a total collapse after losing a club-record eight straight games in regulation time. Nor did they morph back into Stanley Cup-contending form after winning seven consecutive games.
They suffered ugly losses in Buffalo (6-2) and Tampa (5-2). They seemed doomed to a lopsided defeat in South Florida to the Panthers, too, after falling behind 4-1 in the second period.
They were running on fumes while playing their seventh game in 11 days. Then, miraculously, the Blues found their second wind and rallied for a 5-4 overtime victory.
That created another potential turning point in their streaky season, if the Blues could build off of that comeback with a strong performance against the Stars on Monday.
But they couldn't.
So they remain stuck back in the Western Conference pack, still in the playoff chase but making only intermittent progress.
Monday's uneven performance summed up the team's current state. They have the pieces needed to "build their game," as they like to say, but those pieces keep coming apart.
The Blues didn't have the puck much in the first period, but they survived by blocking 12 shots. They earned some good looks in the fast-paced second period, but they fell behind 1-0 because they failed to convert one of their rush opportunities and the Stars did.
The Blues tried to muster another comeback in the third period, but a mishap here and a missed shot there caused the game to slip away.
Small lapses and little mistakes can add up to big problems in hockey, which is why coaches are always stressing the "details" of the game.
The Blues struggled in the faceoff circle against the Stars without injured center Robert Thomas. Errant outlet passing kept their transition game stuck in neutral. They passed up some good shots and misfired on others.
So once again they must regroup, this time during the two-day break before they face the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night at Enterprise Center.
Defense was the foundation of the Blues' 2019 Cup run, with an imposing unit on the blue line and everybody's lockstep commitment at both ends of the ice. This team falls well short of that standard.
Bortuzzo's return from the injured list improved the team's toughness, shot-blocking ability and penalty killing.
Ah, but what is the best mix of this defensive corps? Berube is still wondering, so he dressed seven defensemen again Monday and mixed and matched the pieces.
Puck-moving skills are at a premium in the modern NHL, but teams still need heft on their blue line for the battles down low. Finding the right combinations and balance remains a challenge for the Blues.
Colton Parayko remains partnered with Nick Leddy, who broke into the league as an offensive-minded player in 2010 and stayed in that role until coming to St. Louis last season. Leddy's ability to advance the puck is a plus, but he is miscast as a matchup defender.
Justin Faulk successfully transitioned to a more defensive role, and recently, he took shifts with physical Niko Mikkola in 5-on-5 scenarios. This is a classic pairing of a puck-mover with a stay-at-home defender.
If Mikkola can hold up in this elevated role, this pairing could be stronger defensively than Faulk's pairing with Torey Krug. Berube showed confidence in Mikkola by playing him more than 20 minutes in five straight games during the team's eight-game winning streak.
The puck-moving Krug has slid down to spend time with Bortuzzo and create a more effective third pairing. Krug's skill should free up Bortuzzo to bang bodies and block shots. This also moves Krug into lower-leverage work while he is struggling defensively.
By using seven defensemen, the Blues can plug Calle Rosen in here and there to improve their puck movement. But the constant shuffling of pairs diminishes cohesion, which helps explain the team's struggles while transitioning from defense to offense.
As for the forwards, the Blues sorely missed Thomas' playmaking ability Monday and they hope to have him back from injury against Carolina. But this team still had enough skill and versatility up front to build a better attack.
Make direct plays. Get the puck in deep. Keep it in deep. Get to the inside. Screen the goaltender. Shoot the puck. Hit the net. Be there for the rebound. The players hear these same directives day after day, week after week but consistent results haven't followed.
"We have to keep harping on it and practice it in practice," Berube said after Tuesday's optional skate. "That's the only two things you really do."
So the game-building process continues with no end in sight.
