Heck yes...and this isn't the last 3 games talking. You have to take a step back and remember that this team is now 25-13-3. You can break down the season into minor stretches and either panic or celebrate because of it. In the aggregate, though, you will notice this is a very good team. Not just record wise but talent wise as well.
Ranksu posted the lines a few posts ago. Wow, what a difference.
Just think about it. We went into last year thinking Backes, Sobotka, Berglund was a good enough group of centers to lead us to a Cup. When I say we, I don't mean me. I had us losing to Chicago in the first round. Our weakness was so obvious all year long and it was never addressed. We opted for a 5% improvement(Army's words) in a position that wasn't truly hurting us.
Fast forward to now and our centers are Backes, Lehtera, Stastny. Yeah, that's a major difference. What was once our biggest weakness is now a strength. The beauty is that these guys have good chemistry with their lines. Lehtera works great with Tarasenko and Schwartz. Backes has always done pretty well with Steen and Oshie. I think Stastny can work well with any somewhat skilled forward(i.e. not Lindstrom, Reaves, Porter, etc).
The depth at forward is formidable. When you can roll out Paul Stastny in a hot streak on your third line, you're going to be a nightmare for defenses. We have seen that since Schwartz came back. Berglund-Stastny-Jaskin are facing third pairing d-men and they are exploiting that matchup.
My number one concern is always health. If we lose anyone from the top 9, our strength takes a hit. If we can go into the playoffs with that group one the ice, I think we can beat anyone. Of course who we lose to injury makes a difference. Losing Schwartz was a killer. We were 1-5-1 without him. Losing Berglund or Jaskin probably doesn't derail us.
I know some think the defense's physicality is a concern. Maybe. I'm more worried about the transition game controllig the puck and getting it up ice in a hurry. This has been a weak point this year but Gunnarsson, who was brought in to help the transition game, has missed half the year. Bouwmeester missed 7-8 games. Now that everyone is healthy on D, they are limiting chances by getting the puck out of the zone in a hurry.
I feel like ever since the Kings series in 2012, when LA completely overwhelmed us with their relentless forecheck, Hitch and Army have made it a point to never let it happen again. It's why they traded for JayBo and Gunn. There was significant improvement in this area from 2012 to 2013 with JayBo on the team and Petro healthy.
In net, I know Brian Elliott isn't sexy but I think he has a calming effect on the team. You know what he is going to give you and it is usually a good performance. Elliott still has to prove himself in the playoffs but he wasn't the problem in the 2013 series vs LA. This year's roster would beat LA with that quality of play in net.
Lastly, the power play is dangerous. This has been a huge problem in the playoffs the last two years. Right now, we have the top power play in hockey. When you watch them work, it's obvious. The puck movement is so ridiculously good.
In my opinion, this is easily the best team the Blues have had in the post-lockout era. I really think we can beat any healthy team in a 7 game series as long as we are somewhat close to healthy, too.
