Blues Looking To Get Things Going On Road

Just how good is this current Blues team? Or better yet, the real question is, just truly how good can this current Blues team end up being? While it's still in early December, with an awful lot of hockey still to be played, righting the ship on the road could be the determining factor to that very question.

Following a home-stand that saw the Blues finish out with a 4-0-1 record, earning nine out of a possible 10 points and improving their home-record at the Scottrade Center to an impressive 12-1-3 overall through 16 games, the team is currently sitting in second-place in both the Central division and the entire Western Conference -- and behind who? Only the Chicago Blackhawks, who have 37 points total compared to 34 for the Blues.

When the boys hit the ice on Thursday night for a battle with the Islanders in New York, it will be the first game of their four-game road trip that will have them playing in New York, New Jersey, Minnesota and Nashville. As the road-trip begins, the team is currently sitting at 3-6-1 away from home and will be looking to turn that trend around, which would go a long way for both the division race, as well as the confidence for this team in the long haul -- especially considering that, as we all know very well, winning a Cup is almost an impossible task unless you can play great hockey away from your home ice.

Despite all of the early season challenges this team has had to face such as the injuries to key players, all of the new faces, the new roles and the adjustment period overall, this team has shown that they can overcome adversity like it's nothing, which is exactly what they've done for the past two full seasons'. With the return of Alexander Steen and Joel Edmundson and the continued success of Vladimir Tarasenko and Jaden Schwartz, the style and adjustment has been getting better with time, just as it is with David Perron in his new role as well, even if his isn't showing up in the boxscore every night like the others.

Although this upcoming road-trip that begins tonight isn't a season-defining stretch, with the way that the team has been putting it all together and playing, it certainly could go a long ways for Hitch, Yeo and the boys in blue. Coming in to the season, I think most, including myself, thought this transition (without key guys such as David Backes, Troy Brouwer, Brian Elliott) would take a lot more time than it has, it's an encouraging and exciting sign. Having said that though, if this team really wants to take it to the next level and put even more of a notice to the rest of the league, winning on the road starting tonight would do just that.