The Blues flubbed an opportunity to assert themselves early in their best-of-seven series with the Minnesota Wild, inexplicably checking out and failing to compete in the pivotal second period of their 4-2 loss Thursday in Game 1.
The home team drained the energy of the turned-up crowd at Scottrade Center and immediately stirred bad memories of past postseason failures. The team’s lack of urgency was as surprising as it was embarrassing.
It wasn’t that the Blues lost; Minnesota has the NHL’s best record since Jan. 15 and is a formidable opponent.
What’s maddening is how the Blues lost.