Jackman has been the best defenseman on this team the entire season and it isn't even close!!! The whole team sucked last night and I blame Tkachuck, Jackman, McKee, Hinote and any "veteran" player that didn't lead the charge. The only veteran I saw working at full speed last night was Andy McDonald. To single out Jackman is just dead wrong.

Jackman is a defensive-minded defenseman. He has never been a prolific scorer or offensive-minded player. That's not why they have him and that's not his role. Quite frankly, the two guys who are supposed to be filling that role are sitting in the press box with injuries (Brewer and Johnson). Jackman has been thrown into a #1 role and he's handled it as well as his talents will allow him to handle it. The dude isn't Chris Pronger or Nicklas Lidstrom.

I'm not trying to pump the guy up, just giving a little perspective. He's never going to be a Norris Trophy winner. He's being asked to lead a defense with rookies and limited God-given talent. He's playing far more minutes that he has ever played and he's put on the ice for nearly every critical situation and against every team's top lines...

The reality is that this team was flat last night and should have lost 6-0. Chicago had just been handed two losses and had something to prove to themselves and the their fans. They did just that.

Also, keep in mind, this Blues team is fun to watch and rarely gets outworked by any team. But make no mistake, they have some glaring holes in their game and teams that are ahead of them in development and talent level will frequently expose those weaknesses. You may see worse tonight if Detroit brings their A game...