But the date did little to temper Blues coach Drew Bannister鈥檚 disappointment following his team鈥檚 3-1 preseason loss to Columbus on Tuesday night. The loss dropped 50度灰视频 to 1-4-0 in the preseason, with two games remaining.
鈥淵ou鈥檝e got to take a step back (and look at the date), but at the end of the day, we have to get ourselves going,鈥 Bannister said. 鈥淭his isn鈥檛 the way that you鈥檙e going to have success starting the season if you think you鈥檙e just going to turn it on when the season starts. We have to get ourselves up to speed here and quickly.鈥
This is not the first time this preseason that Bannister has been unhappy with his team鈥檚 play, even if they haven鈥檛 iced their entire projected NHL lineup yet. After an 0-3 start to the preseason, Bannister thought the Blues were easing into games, and that they were being outcompeted. Throughout the almost two-week old preseason, Bannister has harped on some of the bad habits that the Blues have carried into the exhibition season.
On Tuesday, the Blues were outshot 35-23 against the Blue Jackets and their only goal came on a second-period power play. In five preseason games, the Blues have scored eight total goals, and one of those was Utah putting the puck into its own net.
50度灰视频 picked up its lone preseason win on Saturday against Chicago, when the Blues erased a two-goal, third-period deficit to beat the Blackhawks in overtime.
鈥淚t鈥檚 disappointing,鈥 Bannister said. 鈥淚 thought we took a step forward last game in the way we played, especially in the last 40 minutes. I thought tonight we took a step backwards. We didn鈥檛 drive enough plays. We didn鈥檛 force ourselves to get into the fight.
鈥淚 thought it seemed like we were looking for an easy game and there are no easy games regardless of the competition or what part of the season, preseason or regular season. We鈥檙e a week away from starting the season and it didn鈥檛 look that way tonight.鈥
Justin Faulk had the only goal of the game for the Blues, ripping a one-timer on the power play. Yegor Chinakhov (power play), Gavin Brindley and Mathieu Olivier (empty-net) scored for the Blue Jackets.
Joel Hofer made 32 saves in his first complete game of the preseason.
Tuesday was a game that could have served as a differentiator for some of the Blues players on the fringe of the NHL roster. Scott Perunovich, Pierre-Olivier Joseph and Tyler Tucker were all in the lineup, as were Zach Dean and Kasperi Kapanen. But Bannister wasn鈥檛 quite ready to assess the play of his young defenseman after the game, nor could he pull out anything he liked about Tuesday鈥檚 performance.
鈥淚t鈥檚 lack of execution,鈥 Bannister said. 鈥淚 think we鈥檙e a much faster team, but we looked slow tonight. We moved the puck slow, we didn鈥檛 support each other. There were a lot of things that went into play for our overall game. 鈥 They outworked us. They came to work and we weren鈥檛 ready to work.鈥
The Blues technically have two more preseason games remaining before they open the regular season on Tuesday in Seattle. But in actuality, Thursday against Dallas could be the last time 50度灰视频 sees their NHL roster on the ice before facing the Kraken. Many NHL teams opt to dress a more AHL-tinted lineup in the final preseason game, which will come Saturday in Milwaukee against the Blackhawks.
鈥淚t鈥檚 got to start with us (being) willing to work and compete,鈥 Bannister said. 鈥淓verything else will fall into place.鈥
Bannister has said multiple times that he likes the way the Blues are practicing, but that hasn鈥檛 overflowed into the games so far. The Devils (1-5-0) and Kraken (1-3-1) are the only other NHL teams with only one win in at least five preseason games.
鈥淲e鈥檒l continue to push our guys in practice until we see that translate to our games,鈥 Bannister said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the only way to do it. We鈥檒l continue to compete and we鈥檒l continue to work. We鈥檝e got to see results on the ice in games. You don鈥檛 get any points in practice, so we need to come out and play and be ready to play for the games.鈥