The St. Louis Blues might be experiencing a Stanley Cup hangover to start the new season.
The defending champions are 3-2-3 but have lost four straight games after another defeat to the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday. Don Cherry thinks the issue lies with their physical play, which should be saved for the playoffs.
“They cannot play a regular season like they play the playoffs,” said Cherry during the Coach’s Corner segment on Hockey Night in Canada. “The game is not the same and they are trying to play the game like they do in the playoffs; tough, honest, good hockey.”
Penalties, in particular, are hurting the Blues, according to Cherry. They have spent approximately 39 minutes on the penalty kill, per NHL.com, which ranks 16th in the league.
“The penalties are killing them. They were killing them in the games before and they are playing the rough, tough hockey. … Wait until the playoffs and do that.”
St. Louis has a chance to return to winning ways on Monday against the Colorado Avalanche.
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