Just 13 games into the new season, the St. Louis Blues have been walloped by adversity. There are the injuries to center Robert Thomas, their best player -- and defenseman Philip Broberg, their best newcomer. And in Tuesday's 3-2 win over visiting Tampa Bay, the Blues were shaken by an injury to young center Dylan Holloway, who had to be wheeled off the ice on a stretcher and taken to the hospital after being struck on the neck by a deflected shot. Despite falling behind 1-0 after Holloway's harrowing scare, the Blues buckled in and won this game. They answered another challenge, responding in a way that we hope to see from them. The Blues record (7-6-0) may not look all that handsome, but their 14 points are more than Colorado and Edmonton and the same as Dallas. No one should complain about that 7-6-0; the record actually reflects well on the Blues and their competitive character.

The Blues have found themselves down on the scoreboard in too many games. In fact, the Blues have trailed an average of 29 minutes per game this season, the second-highest total in the NHL. But they fight back. They comeback. Their five come-from-behind wins so far are tied for the second-most winning rallies in the league. And though the Blues have held the lead for an average of only 13 minutes and 50 seconds per game this season, they've done an exceptional job of protecting those leads and winning a lot of close games. This can change, of course. But up until now, the Blues deserve respect for hanging tough when it would have been easy to fold and do a lot worse.