In The Slot

Hitchcock leans on fellow coaches to help Blues

2012-02-01T19:49:00.006-06:00

Veteran coach sought help from seven

friends in ranks to digest good, bad of his team

By LOUIE KORAC
HAZELWOOD, Mo. -- Instead of using the all-star break to dissect his team on his own, Blues coach Ken Hitchcock sought opinions from outside sources.

Whether they're in high places or low places in Hitchcock's fraternity of friends will remain anonymous, as the veteran coach chose not to disclose names, but they must be high on the totem pole since Hitchcock said he sought out coaches he views as friends to give their take on how the 29-13-7 Blues can elevate their game.

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Even with 556 wins and 1,077 games coached in the NHL, Blues coach

Ken Hitchcock doesn't mind seeking opinions from friends in the

coaching ranks.

"I asked seven coaches to look at our team -- seven friends -- to look at our team, not in the NHL," Hitchcock said. "I asked them to take a look at certain aspects of our team and report to me what they might see. I talked to seven guys and gave five different aspects of our game for guys to look at and then brought the information here to look at afterwards. And then we kind of dug in on a daily basis to deal with the issues that needed to get better."

It's not that Hitchcock is concerned with where the Blues are at through 49 games, but in order to remain consistently at the top of their game and go toe-to-toe with the rest of the big boys of the league, there's certain aspects where another voice maybe catches something Hitchcock might not find himself.

"I asked guys that are in the coaching fraternity to take a look at some of the games and they did," Hitchcock said. "I asked guys to look at offensive zone play, defensive zone play, special teams, rush attacks, all kinds of aspects of our game. I asked if they could give me a one- or two-page report from what they saw and that they liked and didn't like and things we needed to get better. And then I had the same coaches study a few teams in the Eastern Conference and what they do effectively that we could help ourselves with."

And the consensus conclusion was?

"A couple guys on certain aspects -- I don't want to get into what the aspects were -- of our game, the reports came similar with both good and things we needed to work on," Hitchcock said. "When we came back here (Monday), rather than just practicing, I wanted to come back here and practice with purpose. I wanted to practice where we had a strong feel and identity for things we wanted to work on rather than just the same-old, same-old.

"(Monday), we put four of the elements in place and (Tuesday), we put three of them and then we'll review them quickly on Thursday and get ready to play (Friday). There's no major structure stuff at all, but there are definite focuses and we've seen in the two practices that we've worked on these things, there's a big difference if you do it right ... and it can help us a lot."

The Blues will be the last team to resume their post all-star schedule, when they host the Los Angeles Kings on Friday. Look for them to add a few new wrinkles into the game plan. Hitchcock believes a few new twists might be good for his team, since his circle of friends didn't hold back in their findings.

"I'm a big believer in getting information and then digesting it," Hitchcock said. "I asked these guys to help me out. I got the video, they got themselves video and I really appreciated what they did. Some of it was real candid."

Improved power play one area Blues feel will produce more wins

2012-02-01T00:26:00.000-06:00

Team looking to get back to basics with man advantage, which is 28th in NHL

By LOUIE KORAC
HAZELWOOD, Mo. -- As woeful as the Blues' power play was for much of the first half of the season, there was a seven-game stretch where they were able to -- as coach Ken Hitchcock likes to term -- dial it up.

Starting with a Dec. 26 game against Dallas, the Blues were able to go 9-for-26, lifting them from the bottom of the pack in the NHL and raising them to as high as 24th. Not a bad lift for a team that had been floundering in 30th for much of the season.

But as the Blues headed for the all-star break, the man advantage had become a thorn again. They were 2-for-26 over the last seven games leading into the break and they slipped back down to 28th at 13.4 percent.

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The Blues' David Perron (57) has the ability to make a difference on the

power play.

So what ails the Blues, who are 23-for-172 on the season with the man advantage, when they get the opportunity to make a difference on special teams, particularly with the power play?

Hitchcock, who proclaimed when he was hired that all it would take would be one practice to fix the power play, said it's been a combination of things: they don't shoot enough, making one too many passes, trying to get too cute with the puck, losing important face-offs in the offensive zone, and one that really sticks out is gaining clean entries into the offensive zone.

"Timing is important," Hitchcock said after Tuesday's practice at St. Louis Mills. "I think it's everything that allows you to have the puck more. We went really good for a month and the reason we went good was our point shots were effective, which started everything. But we had the puck more. We won more face-offs, we came in cleaner ... I think it's everything.

"I think the entries are a part of it, but I think it's also how many puck battles we won, how many face-offs we won, how many clean entries we got. So in a two-minute power play, we were a minute and thirty in the zone. Now we're back to a minute in the zone. You're kind of one-and-done. Every effective power play is a minute and thirty in the zone. Whatever way it is ... entries, face-offs, loose puck races, shots on goal that you get back, all that stuff is encompassing to make an effective power play. When you're only a minute in the zone and half the power play's dead on the water, you don't have a good power play. You're chasing the puck too much."

It seems like the Blues tend to do too much of that in recent weeks, and instead of gaining instant entry into the offensive zone, they spend too much time chasing and by the time they get the five-man unit set up, there's little if any time to generate much.

"When we have success on a nightly basis, it's getting in the zone and not having to work on our breakout too long," winger David Perron said. "If you get 1:40 in the zone instead of a minute, then you have a lot more time to try and score a goal. Once we're in the zone, we're fine. We're creating traffic to the net and we're getting a lot of shots from the point, from the center of the ice. That's the simplest way to describe it."

The Blues, who put in plenty of work on both sides of special teams in practice sessions, were at it again Tuesday, searching for ways to rectify an area that could become the difference between winning and losing games in the home stretch.

And when the Blues were scoring nearly half of their season total in that seven-game stretch, it was all about making simple plays and getting pucks from their point players towards the net.

"If you put yourself in a penalty killers position, you have to ask yourself what are the hardest plays to stop," defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo said. "The hardest place to try and kill penalties is when shots are going to the net because you're always turning and looking for rebounds. You're making the penalty killers move and we stay stationary. I believe that's a huge part of the success.

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Maybe Kris Russell (left) can step into a power play role and make a

difference for the Blues.

"When you look at the Detroit Red Wings, who year after year have a good power play, they generate a lot of their goals and chances from their point shots. When we get away from that, we try and get pretty and fancy and that's when everything starts to go in the opposite direction. We practice it a lot, we talk about it a lot, but I think our focus just has to be to stick with it and to do what works. Sometimes there's going to be a play there where you can make a pretty play, but those come after you generate momentum and after you generate shots. You get the penalty killers moving and turning. Power plays look great when you can just stand on the outside and make plays. If you're not generating anything towards the net, the penalty killers are doing their job."

So the Blues, instead of trying to get too tactical with who plays on what unit, who's a right-handed shot and who's a left-handed shot, are going to go with the ones that get the job done. No righty-lefty or vice versa, just go with the hot hand.

"We're kind of worried about distributing players and having two units ... screw that," Hitchcock said. "We've got our best two defensemen on the front-end unit loaded, let's see what they do. You put the two guys that have done the best job for us offensively, put them out there and let's see what they do. Don't worry about righty-righty, lefty-lefty, all that other crap. Just put your best players on the ice and make them work.

"It's more than just simplifying the message, too. Everything we have done offensively has come from a point shot. The attitude for us is more traffic, more point shots. We went over a lot of stuff here during the break to get better. We put some of it in place at practice, we'll put more of it in place. I think part of it is put your best players on the ice and make them work."

That means getting Alex Pietrangelo and Kevin Shattenkirk, both right-handed defensemen on one unit together.

"We can all play both sides," Pietrangelo said. "We can all play in any situation with the other guys. That's what we're known for.

"The power play replicates our 5-on-5 game. I think when we're simplifying our game, putting pucks to the net, using our size and our strength in front of the net, as a d-core, getting pucks to the net, that's a big thing for us. Not getting the blocks and getting it by that first guy. There's still creativity there. We're still going to make plays, but it's as simple as getting pucks in, chasing after it, winning battles and putting pucks to the net."

Defenseman Kris Russell, who has not been a part of the rotation was on one unit Tuesday. He hopes to make a difference.

"I've played it the last four years in Columbus," Russell said. "I felt comfortable playing it. I'm doing my best to make plays, get pucks to the net and to our forwards and make sharp, accurate plays on the power play. Execution is a big thing. We've got to get pucks to the net so we've got guys jamming them in.

"There's guys coming off injury (Andy McDonald and Alex Steen) that might jump in my spot or whatever, but I really do feel like I'm a guy when things aren't going well, I can step up and help the guys out."

Tuesday's units saw Pietrangelo and Shattenkirk on one unit with Perron, David Backes and T.J. Oshie down low, and Colaiacovo and Russell on another unit with Jason Arnott, Patrik Berglund and Chris Stewart.

If the Blues can get their power play headed in the direction that their 5-on-5 game is, racking up points won't be an issue over these final 33 games.

"Our power play right now, the percentage isn't where we want it to be, but sometimes you're not always going to score goals when you get out there," Colaiacovo said. "Sometimes you've got to use it to turn momentum your way and create 5-on-5 chances.

"We've been a great 5-on-5 team, but obviously if we can get our power play going, it'll make us that much better."

Blues get back to work, ready to tackle stretch run

2012-01-31T00:53:00.000-06:00

Team doesn't play until Friday, will have 10 days between games to prepare

By LOUIE KORAC
HAZELWOOD, Mo. -- As it turns out, a little rest and relaxation is just what the doctor ordered for the Blues.

After playing 49 games in which the Blues (29-13-7) have positioned themselves well in the heated Western Conference, getting five days off -- if the Blues can steal the slogan from the milk commercials -- does a body good.

"We had that great stretch there, but it definitely wears down on you," defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk said after Monday's 90-minute practice at St. Louis Mills. "If we didn't have the break, it's something you can battle through, but the fact that we had it and everyone was either able to get away or rest or see the family was very nice."

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Blues players (from l to r) Carlo Colaiacovo, Jason Arnott, Jamie

Langenbrunner and Vladimir Sobotka hope to celebrate some more

victories over the final 33 games of the season.

What helps the Blues is they get four days to prep themselves up before their first game back from break. They'll be the last team to get back at it post all-star break when they face the Los Angeles Kings Friday at Scottrade Center, which has been the Blues go 21-3-4 there thus far.

Of the 30 NHL teams, 26 of them will get back on the ice tonight, so that means they practiced Monday and then get back into the swing of things tonight. And 13 of those teams practiced Monday and hopped on a plane to travel to their destination, or travel, then practice when they arrive at their destination.

"There's two ways of looking at playing on Friday: it's great because you get to ease yourself into it, but it's also you're catching up to teams because they've played one or two games," defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo said. "We've really got to take these next couple days and build up and get ourselves back into game speed and game contention and really rev ourselves up for what is going to be a critical part of the season."

Once the Blues get back into game action, they'll play 20 of their final 33 games on the road, and those games will be compressed into 64 days, so there will be little or no time in between to get extended practices into the schedule.

Which is precisely why coach Ken Hitchcock put the players through a tough, hard-working practice Monday. They'll work out again this morning, take Wednesday off and practice again Thursday before tackling the final stretch of games.

"I really liked our attitude today," Hitchcock said after practice Monday. "I thought our attitude towards work ... this was a hard, demanding practice and our guys really answered the bell. I really liked our attitude coming back today.

"I was really impressed with the disposition of the players. But we talked about that: the singular focus, before you can even talk about what you're doing at the dance, you better get to the dance. Our whole focus now is to get to the dance, play as well as we can every day. If it's good or bad, leave it and let's get ready for the next one."

The Blues currently sit in fourth place in the conference but teams are so compressed that your positioning can change from one game to another. They're two points behind conference-leading Detroit, who have 67 points, but they're also just a point ahead of Central Division rivals Nashville and Chicago, which currently sit in fifth and sixth place, respectively.

"The visual when we start on Friday, we need to understand the visual won't look good," Hitchcock cautioned. "We'll have played the fewest games in the league and without playing hockey, teams are gonna go ahead of us, and we've got to deal with that.

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Blues players Kevin Shattenkirk (left) and Matt D'Agostini will play key

roles down the stretch.

"The visual won't look great, but then it's business as usual. The one thing that we talk to the players about, which I think is really important, is that you don't carry any baggage the next day. Whether it's a good thing or bad thing, when you're playing that second day and playing as much as we're going to play, lots of back-to-backs, lots of games on the road, there's going to be games where you're going to play really well and not win because the home team is going to have an advantage somewhere."

The players were fully aware of what was at stake coming in Monday, and they realize what the finish will be like when the first week of April rolls around.

"The one feeling you saw when you came in this morning with all the guys that you haven't seen in a couple days is the relaxed feeling," Colaiacovo said. "I think a lot of guys took advantage of the opportunity of these days off. Obviously today was a longer work day, but we all know we needed it.

"A lot of guys will tell you they didn't feel great out there today. When you take five days off, it's tough to get right back into it. I've been in the league a long time and I've never had a break this long. I really relish the moment of having those days off knowing that (Sunday), I really didn't have to prepare myself harder for getting ready for a game."

If Monday was any indication, the Blues will be ready going forward.

"Once we went out on the ice, I feel really good right now," Hitchcock said. "... I told them today that the details get turned up a little bit because we need to do that stuff.

"This is a good start to the schedule coming back. If we can get two more practices like this, this will really put us in good standing moving forward."

(1-31-12) BLUES NOTEBOOK

2012-01-30T22:43:00.001-06:00

McDonald cleared for contact; Steen still day-to-day; Huskins improving

By LOUIE KORAC
HAZELWOOD, Mo. -- For the first time since he took the ice prior to Christmas, Andy McDonald has dyed his jersey color.

Obviously ridding himself of the red was a priority, since this is the one that the players wear for no-contact purposes. So as the Blues returned to begin preparations for their post all-star stretch, McDonald was on the ice Monday afternoon wearing a yellow jersey.

What does all this mean? It means the veteran has been cleared for contact, and it's the next step in the process from returning from another concussion, an ailment that has plagued the 34-year-old Strathroy, Ontario native throughout his career.

"It's nice to be able to compete for real and get some contact out there," McDonald said after practice at the St. Louis Mills Ice Zone. "With the red jersey, I think guys are a little bit holding back on you and not going to check you. It's certainly nice to compete for real in the drills."

McDonald, who has missed all but three of the Blues' 49 games this season, has been one of the Blues' most productive players during practices, according to coach Ken Hitchcock, who said he wasn't going to address McDonald again until he shed the red jersey.

Now come the questions of when does McDonald return. Concussions vary according to each player, but winger David Perron -- who missed 13 months with a concussion -- returned 15 days after getting cleared for contact in November.

"Until the team makes the decision that he's ready to go, the red to gold means contact," Hitchcock said of McDonald, who has 35 points in his last 36 games dating back to last season. "It means more contact, it means he's a player that's up to the next level where there aren't any other reservations from either side on seeing where the next level goes to.

"He's not a player yet. I'm sure we'll have a better evaluation towards the end of the week whether he's close or far away. It's nice to see that he's cleared for some type of contact. He's just like another player on the ice."

McDonald has stated in the past that he won't play a game until he's 100 percent, which basically means until he's symptom-free.

"I'm close, I'll just leave it at that," McDonald said when asked if he was symptom-free. "I'm starting to put together days without anything. It's a big difference from a month ago where it would be tough to get through the day without a symptom. Now I'm starting to put days together with nothing. Hopefully that will continue."

Any guesses on a return date? McDonald wouldn't go there.

"No timetable," McDonald said. "... There's not really any plan. I think it's kind of wait and see. I've been real close for a long time and like I've said before, I want to be 100 percent. I don't want to go out there and hold back and feel like there's something still going on or feeling some type of symptom. I want to be able to go out and play my game and not have any worries out there.

"From some standpoints, I feel like I'm ready to play. But I've just got to be patient with it and make sure you're 100 percent before you get back out there in the game."

* Steen status quo -- Alex Steen, who has also seen lingering effects of concussion symptoms, is still listed as day-to-day after another hard practice with the team Monday.

Steen, who has missed 13 games and has not played since Dec. 27 in Detroit, was not forthcoming as to when he feels he can return.

"There's nothing really to say about it," he said. "You get off the ice and right now, you just wait and see how you feel. ... I'm not going to diagnose myself every minute of practice or every minute of the day. If I'm doing that, I'm not ready to go. When I'm ready to go, I won't be thinking about it. I'm just going to let it take it's time."

Steen returned to his hometown of Winnipeg to visit family and friends during the all-star break and said it was good therapy.

"It's good to give the body a rest, especially the last little while, I was kind of stressing myself to get back (into the lineup)," Steen said. "There's no games going on, so it was a little easier to relax and give my head a break."

* Huskins closer to return -- Lost in all the injury hubbub recently for the Blues has been the ankle injury of defenseman Kent Huskins, who has missed 39 games after breaking a bone blocking a shot on Oct. 28 in Calgary.

Huskins, signed to a one-year contract over the summer to give the Blues veteran stability on their blue line, also participated in Monday's hard workout and was feeling good about it afterwards.

"I'm glad to be back practicing," Huskins said. "I feel like I'm getting up to speed finally. I'm just expecting (the ankle) to get better every day and see where it goes.

"Today was the first day I wasn't really thinking about it. That's a good thing. You don't want to be distracted at all thinking about that and being tentative."

Huskins said there's no reason to try and even pinpoint a return date. Working the ankle in a game would be the ultimate test but it's not known when that will happen.

"It's tough to say not being in a game," Huskins said. "Practices are one thing. We have a high tempo out there, but it's not a game. Until I get in that situation, it's tough to know. But it's feeling a lot better."

* Halak/Elliott to split games -- Hitchcock would not name a starting goalie for Friday's home game against the Los Angeles Kings, but the veteran coach did say that both would get plenty of work. He just hasn't made up his mind yet.

The Blues will play Friday at home and then an important Central Division game Saturday night in Nashville. They will begin Friday a stretch of 10 games in 17 days.

"I want to see where Elliott's at and where Halak's at," Hitchcock said. "I would say in the next four games, they're both probably going to play some hockey here."

Elliott, the Blues' lone all-star, was excused from Monday's practice but will be back on the ice Tuesday.

* Nichol update -- Veteran center Scott Nichol abruptly left the ice about midway through Monday's skate. He departed the rink area with trainer Ray Barile and an injury of some sort was speculated.

But the 37-year-old was whisked away because of a family emergency, according to Hitchcock, who did not elaborate.

Elliott turns two-way contract into all-star selection

2012-01-27T23:20:00.001-06:00

Netminder parlays stellar season into
being selected to play among league's best

By LOUIE KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- Brian Elliott suited up as the backup to Jaroslav Halak on Oct. 1, the Blues' final preseason game. He had no idea if it would be his final time pulling on the same jersey again.

Elliott was in competition with Ben Bishop as to who would be the choice to be Halak's backup a week later for the season-opener.

But when the Blues lost 4-0 to the Dallas Stars on that final day of the preseason and Halak had another rough outing, the Blues quickly made the choice of going with Elliott.

The team was quietly concerned with Halak's camp and preseason performance, so they opted with the more experienced Elliott in case Halak's play carried into the regular season even though Elliott and Bishop were basically coming down the stretch dead even.

Halak did struggle early, and Elliott was there as the perfect backbone, but what has transpired over nearly fourth months, nobody could have predicted. Elliott, 26, not only has been the perfect backup, but he has also been the perfect No. 1, or in the Blues' case, the perfect 1b.

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Brian Elliott went to fighting for a backup job to earning an all-star bid.

Elliott has put up sparkling numbers, going 15-5-2 with a 1.69 goals-against average and .938 save percentage with five shutouts. He was the NHL leader for a good portion of the season in GAA, save percentage and was on equal footing in shutouts.

The Blues are having a resurgence of their own, and Elliott is the team's lone representative after being selected to play in the All-Star Game this weekend in Ottawa, the team that originally drafted him in 2003.

"It's definitely something you don't picture," Elliott said. "It's an honor to be selected. It's not something you put as a goal, but when it happens, it's pretty cool. You can't really put too much thought into it. ... When it comes time to the break, then that's the time to soak it in and enjoy it."

What makes this even more remarkable is that Elliott, coming off his worst season statistic-wise when he was 15-27-9 for the Senators and then Colorado after being traded for Craig Anderson, didn't even know where or when he'd land on his feet with another contract this past summer.

He was given a chance with the Blues, who signed Elliott to a one-year, two-way contract worth what now is a bargain price of $600,000 that he's since parlayed into a two-year, $3.6-million extension signed last week.

"It's kind of a feel-good story to be honest with you," said Blues coach Ken Hitchcock. "... He's still on a two-way contract, he's made the best of a situation where there wasn't a lot of guarantees in training camp. I just think if you're a young hockey fan or young hockey player, this just gives you real good confidence that if you stay with it and you keep battling and you keep focusing and you're willing to look your weaknesses and your strengths right in the eye, good things can happen. Brian was a talented guy that kind of got off the rails and put himself back on the rails. Anybody in hockey's proud of it; probably anybody in sports is proud to have a guy come from that far back. We're all proud for him."

It'll be Elliott's first All-Star appearance and one he savors going back to Ottawa, particularly seeing former teammates, friends and fellow All-Stars Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza, Erik Karlsson and Milan Michalek.

"It's definitely weird. It's gonna be cold up there. I know that for sure," Elliott said with a smile last week. "I've got a lot of friends there and obviously they got four guys being selected there. It'll be good to hang out with them again. I'm looking forward to that."

Teammate David Backes, the Blues' lone All-Star a season ago, agreed that the experience will be something worth cherishing.

"Ells is very deserving and he'll have a great time in a place that he's played before," Backes said.

Elliott, who won a career-high 29 games for the Senators his second season in 2009-10, dropped to 15 wins a season ago and his GAA jumped up to 3.34 after it was 2.57. Many goalies would have a tough time finding their way back to excellence, but the Newmarket, Ontario native Elliott said it's all about living in the present and future.

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Brian Elliott is 15-5-2 with a 1.69 goals-against average and .938 save

percentage in his first season with the Blues.

"Right at the end of the season, I think you just have to put last year's experience in your back pocket and learn from it and know you've got a place in your career for a reason," Elliott said. "You just have to try to get back to that place and gain from it.

"... Just trying to stay relaxed and stay focused and not let any outside things bother me. Sometimes you start thinking too much and that's when things go wrong. You just kind of have to keep it simple out there, let the game come to you and obviously the guys playing in front of me and scoring big goals, that helps a lot, too."

Hitchcock, who's coached a few All-Star type goalies in his tenure, including one of Elliott's idols growing up (Ed Belfour), said simplifying things is what's gotten Elliott back on top of the platform.

"He's a perfect example of looking and by overworking, he created holes in his game and pucks were going through him and around him because he was trying to scramble to a position rather than be in position," Hitchcock said. "He's a great example of using his size to his advantage. He's a 6-foot-3 guy, he's a big guy and he just lessens his movement and made himself more compact so he's in position to make the save rather than scrambling over there trying to make an acrobatic save.

"It's just another one of those good examples about learning to play the position. A more conservative approach ended up using his size to his advantage."

Elliott, not expecting the All-Star nod, was planning on spending the time off at his home in Wisconsin relaxing with wife Amanda. Those plans have been obviously altered, and he doesn't mind.

"I wasn't going on a beach vacation or anything like that," Elliott joked. "I was going to some cold weather anyway. Why not make it a little colder?"

Instead of relaxation, he'll have to settle for taking part in the game Sunday and Saturday's Skills Competition.

"I don't know. I'm definitely not the fastest skater that's for sure," Elliott said laughing. "I think they'll throw me in there somewhere. All goalies get thrown in. Some of the guys have crazy moves. Maybe you have to throw out a crazy save selection to top them.

"I'm happy to represent the Blues there, and I think it will be an awesome experience and I'm gonna soak it in as much as I can."

Elliott may very well be the favorite for Comeback Player of the Year, but according to his coach, this pace is no fluke.

"He was able to find his game," Hitchcock said. "He looked at things, he came back with a new focus and changed some of the things that needed to get changed and he's been good since.

"I think it's another example of when a guy wins ... he won in college, he won in the American (Hockey) League. There's a reason a guy wins. It isn't an accident."

Strong first half has Blues positioned well

2012-01-26T16:23:00.001-06:00

Team has room to grow, 20 of final 33 games away from home

By LOUIE KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- After the Blues drained everything they had physically, emotionally and mentally into a 3-2 shootout loss to Pittsburgh Tuesday night, players, coaches and even management were all looking forward to some rest and relaxation.

A number of them scattered around the country, some even left the country to recharge and refresh the batteries and some chose to remain in St. Louis to allow the mind and body to heal because the Blues, who are 29-13-7 and just two points behind NHL-leader Detroit for No. 1 overall, will have a daunting task of trying to keep pace with the impressive numbers they've put up so far.

"We're going to have some real battles, and if we want to be a good team, we're going to have to grow from our last two games because we're there, but if we want to beat these teams and we want to be a top team, we've got to grow," said Blues coach Ken Hitchcock, who's 23-6-7 since taking over for Davis Payne on Nov. 6.

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Goalie Brian Elliott helped the Blues get off to their blazing start with

stellar play in goal, which led to an all-star berth.

The Blues will have huge challenges when they reconvene from break, playing 20 of their final 33 games away from the friendly confines of Scottrade Center, where they've compiled the most wins in the NHL at 21-3-4. Many of those battles will come against the teams they will have to jockey with for Western Conference supremacy.

Which prompted Hitchcock to proclaim, "... We're as good or better than 22 teams in the league, but there's eight out there, they're big-time teams ... big-time teams, and we get 'em, and we get lots of them and we get them in their building."

But looking back, it's hard not to notice how the Blues positioned themselves to not only be among the West's top eight and be a playoff team but be a legitimate playoff contender. Goaltending has been at the forefront for most, if not all, of the 49 games this season, with all-star Brian Elliott (15-5-2, 1.69 goals-against average and .938 save percentage) coming out of nowhere after signing a one-year, two-way contract. No. 1 goalie Jaroslav Halak got off to a horrendous start at 1-6 with a 3.53 GAA and .835 save percentage but has since gone 13-2-5. He's 14-8-5 on the season with a 2.04 GAA and .918 save percentage. The duo has combined for an NHL-best nine shutouts (Elliott has five of them).

The Blues have been stout on defense as well, contributing to their conference-low 102 goals allowed through 49 games, which is tied with Boston for second-fewest behind the New York Rangers' 96 (with the Rangers playing two fewer games).

"We've proved it game-to-game, week-to-week all season long," captain David Backes said. "We're in a spot where we'd like to end the season. We just need to make sure that we don't have any drop-offs. Teams like Pittsburgh, teams like Detroit, like Chicago -- teams that are in the playoffs consistently -- after the All-Star break, they ramp it up. We need to not just match that but ramp it up ourselves and push ourselves to separate from the teams below us and hunt some of those teams above us."

When the Blues broke camp at the start of the season, many of them had visions of where they could be at this point. Now that it's here, do they take it with open arms?

"Absolutely," Backes said. "There's nothing to be ashamed of where we're at. We've put together a lot of hard work and a lot of work in practice and a lot of character in games to get to where we're at. We're proud of it.

(Getty Images)

David Backes (42) has been one of the Blues' top

players this season.

"It would be great to have Steener (Alex Steen) and Andy Mac (Andy McDonald) back to give us more punch on the offensive side from the forwards. I think with those guys back, we've got three pretty daunting scoring lines and a fourth line that no one wants to play against. It would be great to have those guys back but if they're not, we still need guys to step up and fill holes. We've been getting by with some of these guys we've either called up or filling in roles that would be maybe watching some games."

The play of Backes, T.J. Oshie, Alex Pietrangelo, Kevin Shattenkirk, David Perron to name a few have elevated the expectations that make the Blues a conference contender. Veterans Jason Arnott and Jamie Langenbrunner have played the experienced roles to perfection. However, there are areas that will need some attention. Namely special teams play and the record away from home (8-10-3).

"I think for us looking back at things, the one thing we've got to fix is the power play," said Hitchcock, whose team is 28th in the NHL at 13.4 percent. "... Our power play could have won both of these games (against Detroit and Pittsburgh) for us. We were in a perfect position to do it. We've got to fix it.

"Coming back from the break, we've got to decide which way we're going to go because the personnel we've got on the power play, the design that we're playing, we've got one unit kind of working. If that unit gets shut down, then we've got nothing else coming. So we've got to fix that. We've got to do a few things cleaning up penalty killing (19th in the league at 81.7 percent) and keep pushing forward 5-on-5."

What makes the Blues' first 49 games pretty remarkable is that they've been able to produce victories with only one all-star (Elliott). And coming from a coach that has 500-plus wins and a Stanley Cup to his resume, Hitchcock foresees a promising future.

"... I think our team has as much or more potential to grow from within than any team in the West," Hitchcock said. "We're young, we've got young players playing prime minutes, chance to get better, but boy we're going to really have to amp it up here when we get back. That's what we told the players: take a good break but man, when we come back, we're going to really have the temperature turned up to get better. We're going to really be hunting to get to another level here because there's a whole other level. You watch these veteran teams that have been through this war before, they're going to go to a whole other level here, and we're going to have to find a way to climb into that level."

In the meantime, players will rest up, freshen up, enjoy some fun in the sun and come back ready to tackle the stretch run.

"I think we've had a really good push so far," center Patrik Berglund said. "We're in a good place in the league. It's going to be really nice to relax for a couple days and come away from the hockey a little bit. It's going to be good for us."

Added Oshie: "I think the break's well-needed. Some guys are a little banged up. The rest is going to be huge, especially with our schedule coming up and how many road games we have, going coast-to-coast, I think we've got a 16-day road trip.

"The break's going to be good, but we're definitely excited to get back where we're at right now at this point in the season. We'll definitely take it. We want to be better, but we'll take it and we'll be ready to go after the break."

Blues battle back, fall in shootout to Penguins

2012-01-24T23:42:00.001-06:00

Berglund's two goals gain at least a point;

St. Louis heads into All-Star break in good shape

By LOUIE KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- When the Blues fell behind by two goals Tuesday night, would the response be a thud like Monday night in Detroit or would they respond only like Ken Hitchcock's teams have done throughout this first half of the season?

Even though the Blues weren't able to grab that second point it arguably deserved in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins Tuesday night at Scottrade Center, they were able to keep from going into a prolonged break with two bad losses to linger.

Chris Kunitz scored in the fourth round after the Blues' Alex Pietrangelo did not convert for the Blues as the Penguins took a victory against one of the NHL's hottest teams on its home ice.

(Getty Images)

Blues winger Scott Nichol gets a shot off on Penguins goalie Marc-Andre

Fleury Tuesday night.

The Blues (29-13-7) fell behind 2-0 midway through the game against a quality team in Pittsburgh (28-17-4) that has now won seven in a row after dropping six straight. But they got their game going on two Patrik Berglund goals, including a shorthanded penalty shot goal that tied the game 2-all and brought life into the 18,471 in the building.

"What we can take away from this is the way that we raised our level as the game went on," winger T.J. Oshie said. "(Monday) night against Detroit, that's where we fell down. That's where we struggled. They kicked it up in the second period and third period and we didn't respond. I think tonight, we were that team. We were the team that was kicking it in."

The Blues did kick it in. They got some close-range chances, especially late in the third period and in the overtime, but Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury literally stole a point from the Blues and hoisted it on his back.

Fleury, playing in his 22nd straight game (20 of them as a starter), stoned Berglund, David Backes and Vladmir Sobotka from in tight on redirections that would have ended the game.

"It was a great pass by Perry," Backes said of David Perron. "I'm backdoor and I get a lot of wood on it. (Fleury's) just go-go gadget leg all the way to that post ... another good save.

"I wish I could have got it right under the bar, but those bang-bang plays are tough. We had a few other chances in overtime that don't go our way."

The game went to a shootout and Kunitz lifted a backhand shot high over the glove of Brian Elliott, who made 37 saves, as the Penguins won the shootout by a 2-1 margin.

"Its something I used to do a little bit and I kind of got away from it," Kunitz said of the shootout. "(Elliott) is a goalie who is trying to challenge quite a bit and I tried to make a move."

Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said in his postgame interview that Fleury "made five 10-Bell saves to keep the game (tied). Otherwise, we've got it salted away.

"We had a little bit of a soft spot there when they went up 2-0," Hitchcock said. "We weren't very good, but then we started to really ramp it up."

Evgeni Malkin scored for the Penguins in the shootout, but Oshie evened things up for the Blues in Round 3 before Kunitz -- who is now 11-for-29 lifetime in the shootout -- won it for Pittsburgh.

"It's something I thought about and it worked out," Kunitz said. "It feels nice and hopefully there's more of them to come."

The Blues were coming off a 3-1 loss Monday to the Red Wings, a game that saw the Western Conference's top spot up for grabs. The Wings took it, and the Blues had to turn it around and play their fourth game in six nights. But even after falling behind, the Blues were able to take the game over and evening it out before nearly pulling it off if not for the theatrics of Fleury, who stopped 32 shots.

"It wasn't too technical but they didn't go in and I'm happy with it," Fleury said. "It feels good definitely because just before that, we had a tough stretch with six losses in a row. To be able to battle through that and come back and with these seven wins, they're huge. It gives us a better position in the standings also and we can relax a little more, a little better."

Berglund scored twice for the Blues, the fourth two-goal game of his career. Elliott was strong in his first game since Jan. 12 as the Blues earned a point in 16 straight home games, going 13-0-3. They're not 21-3-4 on home ice and 9-0-2 against the Eastern Conference.

(Getty Images)

Blues defenseman Roman Polak (right) hauls down Pittsburgh's Chris

Kunitz during Tuesday's game at Scottrade Center.

"We had to work for it," Backes said. "... Fleury's a pretty good goalie. They're a team that's got some resiliency as well and that's why they're in the playoffs every year."

Down 2-1, Berglund was hooked at on a break-in by Kris Letang and awarded a shorthanded penalty shot 5:04 into the third. Berglund curled to the right, froze Fleury and snapped a shot to the stick side for a 2-2 game. The last Blues' successful penalty shot came on Dec. 18, 2010 by David Backes against San Jose's Antero Niittymaki.

"It gave us a lot of energy," Berglund said. "We had a lot of good scoring chances, but I still think we're struggling a little bit with burying our chances because I think we got plenty of them. That's an element that we've got to work on."

The Penguins broke through when Neal snapped a shot from the left circle through Elliott's left side after a backhand feed from Paul Martin 3:26 into the second period. It was a power-play goal that was Neal's 100th goal of his career after David Backes was called for pulling down Malkin. It was also Neal's 11th point in the last seven games (six goals, five assists).

Sullivan, who scored his 23rd career goal against the Blues and 51st point of his career against St. Louis, was able to somehow bat in a puck past Elliott after Deryk Engelland's shot deflected off the skate of Carlo Colaiacovo, Colaiacovo then batted the puck away from his net but Sullivan caught it in the right spot and got enough to put it back on goal and in12:16 into the second.

The Blues got back to within 2-1 on Berglund's 11th of the season and first in eight games. The Penguins turned the puck over at center ice, and Stewart was able to saucer a tight feed to Berglund, who deked Fleury and slammed home a forehand with 4:44 left in the second. It broke a streak of 86:04 minutes without a goal.

Both teams go into the break now before reconvening next week. Both teams look like solid choices to be primed for playoff berths.

"Just to be able to relax a little bit and be re-energized and come back after (the break) will be good," Fleury said.

"This one's good (to go into the break on)," Hitchcock said. "... When we scored our (first) goal there, we really started to ramp it up. It was a hard game. They're sitting here rested, great hockey team and to play like we did ... pretty impressive."

The Blues ended January with an 8-1-2 mark, which is quite in contrast with last year's 2-8-2 January that threw the Blues right out of the Western Conference's top eight.

"It was a helluva point, a helluva hockey game," Hitchcock said. "We had everything there for us at the end of the third ... all the chances, all the chances in overtime to win it. ... We were on the hunt the whole third period. This one's good."

(1-24-12) Penguins-Blues Gameday Lineup

2012-01-24T14:16:00.000-06:00

By LOUIE KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- Playing their fourth game in six nights, the Blues haven't gotten any free passes heading into the All-Star break.

After a playoff-type intensity for 60 minutes in a 3-1 loss at Detroit Monday, the Blues jumped on a plane and headed back home, where they have the red-hot Pittsburgh Penguins awaiting for tonight's matchup at Scottrade Center.

The Penguins (27-17-4) have reeled off six wins in a row after dropping six. In the six games they've won, the Pens have picked it up offensively with 25 goals. They scored only six in the previous six losses in a row.

"Pittsburgh's playing really well," Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said. "They've got the good winning feeling going. We're in the same position when we went into Pittsburgh. We played very well there, so if we can duplicate the game there we played in Pitt, it'll be really good for us. That was a jumping off point for us. We really took the ball from there and played well for about a month. That's what we want to do is keep building on the good things we're doing and address some of the things we need to get better in."

The Blues won 3-2 in overtime on Nov. 23, which was Sidney Crosby's second game back from a concussion, on an overtime goal by Alex Pietrangelo. It started a string of four straight wins for the Blues and the Penguins remember it quite well.

"They're a formidable challenge," Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said of the Blues. "They play a physical, aggressive game. They have been tough to score against, they haven't given up a lot of goals, they've gotten good goaltending and they're a team that takes the attack to the other team as well quickly and with aggression. They're playing well on the road and at home."

The Blues (29-13-6) went on a 9-1-2 run starting with the win over the Penguins, a game they used as a building block to what Hitchcock is trying to preach to his squad.

"We want to do the things they do," Hitchcock said of the Penguins. "They're one of the best north-south teams in the league. They have been for four years now. We want to learn to play that way. It's a hard way to play, it's very demanding but very successful.

"We played that way for the most part against Pitt and were very successful. It helps selling it down the line in other games. We were able to use that game for over a month as a reference point that this is how you have to play to win hockey games in the league now."

The Blues will have the challenge of facing the scorching hot Evgeni Malkin, who leads the NHL with 58 points (26 goals, 32 assists) in 41 games.

Malkin has 15 points in nine games coming into tonight, and combined with James Neal's 26 goals and 20 assists, the Penguins will throw a lot at the Blues' top line, led by captain David Backes.

"I think when you play against teams who are good offensively, they challenge you defensively," Hitchcock said. "They're a little different opponent. They play a different way, but it'll be a good challenge for us."

- - -

The Blues' loss at Detroit marks their third and final time playing at Joe Louis Arena this season. They went 0-3 there, and all three losses are the Blues' only regulation losses in their last 15 games (10-3-2).

"They dialed up their ability to play defense and didn't give us much and created a lot on the transition," Backes said of the Western Conference-leading Red Wings. "Rather than having a good response to it and staying with our game, putting pucks in and going on the forecheck, we kind of tried to play a finesse game and tried to play an easier game. You can't respond that way or else they take advantage. They create a lot of penalties and capitalized on a lot of their chances."

Hitchcock agreed.

"They don't dial up their skill, they dial up their checking," Hitchcock said of the Red Wings. "They dial up the checking and they pushed a few of our guys out. Lessons learned.

"We're a young team trying to learn to win. We're getting closer and closer. There's going to come a time when we're going to beat them, whether it's in a series or whatever, we're going to end up beating them. But we're going to have to learn the lessons. ... All the games were very similar. We had an advantage early, they had the advantage late and they ended up beating us. The same thing happened here, too. They had the advantage early in both games here and then we took it over. They're up 3-2 in the series, but it's their checking that dialed it up yesterday. They pushed us out from that aspect and got some guys discouraged. We dealt with it today and it's going to make us better moving forward."

- - -

The game against Detroit changed for the Blues on Brad Stuart's check late in the first period on Pietrangelo.

The Blues were leading 1-0 at the time and the jolt along the right boards seemed to spark the Wings. They went on to score twice in the second and late in the third.

The Blues' Chris Stewart took exception to Stuart's hit, came off the bench on a line change and challenged Stuart. Stewart went on to drop Stuart in a fight but got 17 minutes in penalties, including an instigator penalty that led to Pavel Datsyuk's game-tying power play goal.

Still, the Blues had no issues with Stewart sticking up for a teammate.

"I loved it. No problem," Hitchcock said. "... What he did was a teammate's response. No issue."

Backes added: "We need to be able to kill off that penalty and pick a guy up. Maybe he took an extra penalty, but he stood up for a teammate. We're going to stick together and go through the battles together. He gets a lot of respect and admiration from our team; we don't think that was a poor play at all."

- - -

Tonight's game for Penguins center Joe Vitale isn't just a run of the mill hockey game. It's a chance to play at home.

Vitale, from nearby Sunset Hills, Mo., will make his forst appearance on Scottrade Center ice since his senior year in high school, when he helped CBC High School knock off De Smet in the Missouri Mid-States State Championship game in 2004.

"I had some good memories here when I was a kid and playing two periods at Blues games," said Vitale, who has two goals and nine points in 41 games this season. "I obviously played in playoff state championships here. To play here and come back and play (against) the Blues, it's pretty crazy, but I'm pretty sure it'll sink in sometime later this week when I'm on break."

Vitale will have a plethora of family and friends in attendance, to which he said: "I lost count. They got about three boxes. I let them have at it with that. People keep asking for tickets, but I finally had to shut my phone off. It's gameday and I'm trying to focus now."

His dad helped him in that aspect, but he's just glad to see a dream come true for a local kid.

"Twenty years ago, this wasn't really a hockey hotbed," said Vitale, who played most of his youth hockey at the local Affton Ice Rink. "So the expectations were pretty low. I was just kind of out there having fun. So it's definitely exciting being out there.

"I glanced at (the schedule), but I was hopeful that I would be here. Around Christmas time, I thought I had a shot to play here. I really started getting excited then."

Vitale's teammates know the feeling.

"It's a great thing to have your family, siblings in the stands and all your friends you grew up with," defenseman Kris Letang said. "To have them get the chance to see you play live, it's pretty amazing that he has a chance to do that.

"I'm from Montreal, so when we play in Montreal, there's always a little something about it because I grew up watching them play. It's always special to play in your hometown."

- - -

The Penguins continue to try to give daily updates on Crosby, but Bylsma said Tuesday that he's in California after visiting with Dr. Robert S. Bray, a neurological spine specialst, to continue to treat the lingering effects of concussion-like symptoms, which has forced Crosby to miss his 21st straight game tonight after playing in eight upon his return.

"Not a timetable because it's possible he could stay there for a little bit of a break as well," Bylsma said of Crosby. "Not a definitive day back in Pittsburgh because he'll be staying on the beach for a little bit."

Crosby first went to Atlanta to pay a visit to Ted Carrick, the chiropractic Neurologist who treated the 2009 NHL MVP for his concussion symptoms last summer.

- - -

The Blues' probable lineup for tonight:

David Perron-David Backes-T.J. Oshie

Vladimir Sobotka-Patrik Berglund-Matt D'Agostini

Jamie Langenbrunner-Jason Arnott-Chris Stewart

B.J. Crombeen-Scott Nichol-Ryan Reaves

Carlo Colaiacovo-Alex Pietrangelo

Barret Jackman-Kevin Shattenkirk

Kris Russell-Roman Polak

Brian Elliott will get his first start since Jan. 12. Jaroslav Halak, who played the previous five games, will back up tonight.

The Blues' inactives include forward Andy McDonald (concussion), winger Alex Steen (concussion symptoms) and defenseman Kent Huskins (ankle). Defenseman Ian Cole was assigned to Peoria Tuesday afternoon. Winger Chris Porter is a healthy scratch.

- - -

The Penguins' probable lineup:

Chris Kunitz-Evgeni Malkin-James Neal

Pascal Dupuis-Dustin Jeffrey-Tyler Kennedy

Matt Cooke-Richard Park-Steve Sullivan

Craig Adams-Joe Vitale-Eric Tangradi

Brooks Orpik-Kris Letang

Paul Martin-Zbynek Michalek

Matt Niskanen-Deryk Engelland

Marc-Andre Fleury will get the start; former Blue Brent Johnson is the backup.

The Penguins' inactives include Crosby (concussion symptoms), winger Arron Asham (concussion), center Jordan Staal (knee) and defenseman Simon Despres (knee). Defenseman Ben Lovejoy and winger Steve MacIntyre are expected to be healthy scratches.

Backes leads charge, helps Blues double up Sabres 4-2

2012-01-21T23:18:00.001-06:00

Captain ties career-high with four-point night, wins Weenie of the Game award

By LOUIE KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- After a four-point night, David Backes was sporting a brand new item that he and his teammates had recently cooked up.

Most teams have a player of the game award that is typically represented by a hard hat. But for the surging Blues, nothing like a good old-fashioned weenie in a bun to bring out a player's best.

Backes earned the Weenie of the Game award with a four-point night as the Blues doubled up the reeling Buffalo Sabres 4-2 Saturday night at Scottrade Center.

Backes scored a pair of third-period goals and assisted on two others but was more than happy to be interviewed wearing the biggest hot dog he can find on his noggin.

And he was jokingly not amused to hear other players hadn't been wearing it.

"I thought other guys were wearing these for interviews ... I guess not," Backes joked. "Some of our heart-and-soul guys came up with it. Instead of a hard hat, we get the weenie on our head."

(Getty Images)

The Blues' Jason Arnott (left) battles with Buffalo's Marc-Andre Gragnani

during Saturday's game at Scottrade Center.

Knowing that the Sabres were talented and capable enough to snap their road woes, the Blues turned to their captain to make sure that never materialized.

The Blues made sure a reeling road team didn't come into their house and steal a win.

Even after taking a spill in the first period that had 19,150 spectators silent and on the edge of their feet, Backes' four-point night matched his career high, the third time he's had such a night.

"We had a lot of good players today, led by our captain," marveled Blues coach Ken Hitchcock, whose team jumped into fourth place in the Western Conference, one point behind Detroit. "I thought our captain and that line (with David Perron and T.J. Oshie) really led us.

"David came back just like a bear and really went to work there. He was a major reason we won the hockey game today. Not just points-wise but disposition on the ice, intensity. I thought he really dragged us into the fight."

Backes' power play goal 11:35 into the third period gave the Blues the separation they needed, pushing a one-goal lead to 3-1 and the stingiest team in the Western Conference was able to thwart off any rally by the Sabres, who fell to 19-24-5 and continued a franchise-worst 12th straight road defeat.

"I get credit for the goal, but I just move it about three inches," Backes said. "Osh is in front of the net taking some abuse. Petro gets the shot through, the goalie never sees it and it's sitting on the goal line for me. Those guys deserve more credit than I do on that one. Our power play comes through when we need it. Critical game at home, we need to get two points and we were able to do that.

"I wasn't feeling too great (after being tripped by Marc-Andre Gragnani), but the training staff does a good job of putting Humpty Dumpty back together again. Thankfully my full speed isn't that fast."

Alex Pietrangelo extended his personal best points streak to nine games with a two assists and Oshie had two assists that fueled a comeback for the Blues.

B.J. Crombeen scored his first goal of the season, Perron scored and Jaroslav Halak improved to 11-0-3 in his last 14 starts by stopping 19 shots as the Blues (29-12-6) improved to an NHL-best 21-3-3 on home ice and 13-0-2 in the last 15 here.

"Tonight wasn't pretty, but we got it done and we got two points," said Halak, who is now 14-7-5 on the season after starting 1-6. "Sometimes I need to make big saves, but tonight, guys scored huge goals for me. That's why we got a win.

"Even though we gave up the late goal in the third period, we were still in control. We got the fourth one ... that was a nice play by Backes."

The Blues are 8-0-1 in January and 9-0-1 against Eastern Conference foes, the only NHL team without a regulation loss against the opposite conference.

St. Louis is also now 22-0-0 on the season when scoring three goals or more on the season, 26-0-1 dating back to March 19 of last season. They're 20-1-1 when leading after two periods.

The Sabres got a goal and an assist from Tyler Myers. Mike Weber added his first goal. Ryan Miller stopped 23 shots but fell to 0-10-0 during this road losing streak. However, he kept his team in this game with several key saves, particularly in the third period.

"It kind of got away from us in the second period," Miller said. "We didn’t do some of the things we needed to do. It turned into a period that gave them back the edge."

Weber's first goal of the season gave the Sabres a 1-0 lead off a shot from the left circle, beating Halak on the short side at 16:13 of the opening period. The goal ended Halak's shutout streak at 164:38, which is a personal best. His previous best was 160:08, set in October 2010.

"I'm not here to make any (team or individual) records," Halak said. "We're here to get two points and get the wins."

Halak, who won the Weenie of the Game award after his 1-0 shutout of Dallas Monday and has now won a personal best seven straight games, on why he didn't sport it.

"It's beautiful but come on! I'm better than that," he quipped.

The Sabres missed out on a pair of close-in chances, both off of plays by Nathan Gerbe. One off a pass and another where the diminutive winger missed an empty side. It's been that kind of theme for the Sabres as of late.

"I'll take full responsibility," Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. "It’s not acceptable."

Trailing after one period is uncharted territory for the Blues. It's only the ninth time in 48 games they trailed after one period.

"Our first period wasn't what we wanted," Crombeen said. "We didn't really come out, we didn't play our game."

The Blues did gain their edge back in the second period on goals by Crombeen and Perron. The fourth line led the charge.

"It's something we've talked about a lot," Crombeen said. "We feel that we can usually get the puck down there and grind it down, try to create some momentum and stuff like that and obviously the different things we try to do to help out. Any time you can kick in with a goal, it's obviously a big help. It's something we want to be able to do more and more of."

Crombeen took a terrific cross-ice feed from Backes and snapped a shot past Miller 7:45 into the period to tie the game 1-1. It was Crombeen's first goal since March 30, 2011 against Detroit.

"I don't know if I'd go that far," Crombeen joked when told he almost looked like a natural sniper on the play. "It was a pretty nice play by Backs and I had some time, was able to get it by (Miller), so I'll take it."

What he didn't get was the weenie hat, though.

"I was saying this might be my only chance," Crombeen joked. "I just want to make sure that thing gets lots of air time. That's all I'm worried about."

Blues captain David Backes talks to the media wearing his Weenie of the

Game award after a four-point night against Buffalo Saturday.

The Blues gained a 2-1 lead when Perron kept a puck in the Buffalo zone, got it to Oshie, and Oshie curled around the net and fired a wrister from the left circle that hit Perron in front with 6:47 left in the second.

"The first period was really a track meet," Hitchcock said. "Both teams just racing up and down the ice. They had a lot of odd-man rushes, we had odd-man rushes. We don't operate that well in that atmosphere.

"I thought we really toned it down and really played well in the second period. The second period was a really good period for us. We checked the puck back, we made some changes in things we needed to do offensively. I thought we did really well. ... I was happy with the way we grabbed the game in the second period."

The Blues had to kill off the final 3:54 of the game when Oshie got a cross checking penalty and had two minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct added on.

Myers made it 3-2 with 59.7 seconds left when his snap shot from the left circle through traffic beat Halak to the far post. Backes' empty-netter with 34.9 remaining sealed the Blues' win.

"We had a few great chances that we didn't bury, but in the end, we know that we can't try and change our game to be a run-and-gun, turn-and-burn, let's have a track race kind of game ... that's just not the way we are," Backes said. "We need to play hard and win battles and wear on teams. When we do that, we stick to our game, and good things happen."

Bishop ready for whatever future holds

2012-01-21T18:07:00.000-06:00

Peoria netminder, having banner season,

becomes a Group VI UFA; Blues likely to trade him

By LOUIE KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- Ben Bishop sees the writing on the wall.

A local kid who would love to fulfill a dream of playing for his hometown team has suddenly slipped away.

Bishop, who was able to don a Blues uniform for 13 games -- he's 4-5-1 in his career over two seasons with a 2.83 goals-against average and .896 save percentage -- likely has seen his last days in a Bluenote, thanks to the play of Brian Elliott.

Elliott and Bishop battled through training camp for the right to win the backup job behind Jaroslav Halak. Elliott, 26, won the battle and a disappointed Bishop was asked to go back to Peoria and the American Hockey League and continue to develop and build on his growth.

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Ben Bishop can expect to be traded before the Feb. 27 trade

deadline after the Blues gave Brian Elliott a contract extension.

"It was definitely some sobering news, getting sent down like that," Bishop said. "But I just wanted to come down and show all 30 teams in the NHL that I was ready to play. We have a good team down here in Peoria and I was able to get off to a great start and hopefully just keep it going for the rest of the year."

But Elliott, who is 15-5-1 with a 1.68 GAA and .937 save percentage, has performed better than anyone could imagine.

The Blues rewarded Elliott with a two-year extension Wednesday, signaling that Bishop will more than likely be shopped leading into the Feb. 27 trade deadline.

"Yeah, there's obviously some writing on the wall, but at the same time, you never know what can happen," Bishop said. "If I end up getting traded, I end up getting traded. But you never know what could happen in St. Louis. I could be up there tomorrow, so you just have to get ready for all situations and not really look into it too much."

Bishop has raised eyebrows with his play in Peoria. He was 17-9-2 with a 2.30 GAA and .928 save percentage going into Saturday's game. But unless something unforeseen happens, Bishop will become an unrestricted free agent this summer. Had Bishop played with the Blues 17 games of 30-plus minutes this season, the Blues would have kept his restricted free agency rights. That doesn't look like it will happen -- unless the Blues lose one of their goalies to injury -- so Bishop will become a Group VI unrestricted free agent, which applies to players who have reached the age of 25, who have three accrued years of professional experience and whose contract expires but have played less than 28 NHL games as a goaltender.

Bishop has 13 games as a pro but 11 of them with 30-plus minutes.

There is no way the Blues allow Bishop to walk for nothing.

Bishop, a third round pick (85th overall) in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, got some good news Saturday when the AHL selected him to the Western Conference All-Star team.

"It was definitely exciting news," Bishop said. "That should be a lot of fun to go up to Atlantic City and represent the Rivermen and the Blues' organization ... it'll be an honor.

"I feel like I'm playing the best I've ever played. I think the experience in the American League has definitely helped. You always say you're ready for the NHL, but I think the years down in Peoria really helped me out. So hopefully I can take that to the next level and produce at the NHL level."

Elliott's contract will lock he and Halak up for the next two years and just like the old comedy sitcom says: Three's Company. But Bishop has no animosity towards Elliott.

"Yeah, it was definitely a little tough to see that news, but he deserves it," Bishop said. "He's having a great year, he's putting up great numbers. It's a well-deserving contract, so you can't get mad at the Blues for doing anything like that.

"They want to compete and win, and they've got two guys up there right now that are probably the two best in the league, so you can't complain about that at all. My situation, I'm playing well down here, so I've just got to keep it up and focus on my team down here."

Bishop, 25, is getting looks around the league. As the deadline approaches, the Blues will no doubt be getting calls from franchises looking for a long-term solution.

"My heart's always been with the St. Louis Blues ever since I was a little kid," Bishop said. "I've always wanted to play with them. It's always been an honor to get a chance to play with them. Obviously I would like to do that in the future, but right now, I just want to show that I can play in the NHL, no matter where that is. If that's going to be with another organization, it's going to be with another organization. Right now, I'm just ready to get up there."

(1-21-12) Sabres-Blues Gameday Lineup

2012-01-21T13:33:00.000-06:00

By LOUIE KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- The Blues enter tonight's matchup with the Buffalo Sabres as stingy as ever.

They're the only team in the Western Conference to not have allowed 100 goals on the season (94) and are one of three teams (the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins are the others) to be in such selective company.

A big reason for that is not only do the Blues (28-12-6) have four shutouts in six games, but they have a string of 10 consecutive games in which they haven't allowed a third period goal.

They're chasing a record of 13 straight set by the 1928-29 Montreal Canadiens, which is quote a feat in itself.

A big key to the success is the shutdown goaltending of Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott. They're No. 1 in the NHL with a goals-against average of 1.91 and have a combined save percentage of .926. But for the Blues, this has been a collective effort, from the forwards backchecking to the defensemen limiting second and third opportunities and then to the goaltending making timely saves.

It all adds up to game where scoring chances are limited against this bunch right now, something coach Ken Hitchcock stresses.

"Hitch stresses team defense," winger Jamie Langenbrunner said. "We've bought into that pretty darn well.

"You obviously have to have goalies making some big saves. You're going to make mistakes out there and they're going to have to come up big. They've done that. Our D has played solid and our forwards have come back and working for them."

Hitchcock agrees.

"One of the things that really helps is that our forwards work for our defensemen," he said. "It allows our defensemen to have a very good gap, it allows our defensemen to trust our forwards and that's why we're successful. We have four lines that really work for the defense and the goalie."

The Blues certainly realize the run they're on and would like for it to continue.

"We do bear down in the third and kind of say to outselves, 'let's take care of the defensive side of it first,'" defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk said. "Our M.O. is we want to be a third period team. It's been great to kind of lock down in the third period and know that our goalies are gonna save the pucks and we're going to limit those second and third opportunitues."

- - -

The Blues, who entertain the Sabres (19-23-5) in the teams' only meeting of the season, know what Buffalo is going through and don't wish it on anyone.

It's become a mental mindset for the Sabres, who have lost a franchise record 11 straight regulation road games and are 1-6-1 on their last eight games. This coming from a team that started 8-3 away from home.

"When I watch them play, the feeling is they go great and then there's the 'oh no,' and when the 'oh no' comes in, it's the hardest thing in coaching to put the brakes on," Hitchcock said. "... They've got the 'oh no's' going. They get a bad play and it seems like every bad play ends up in your net."

Sabres defenseman Tyler Myers agreed.

"We're having good moments throughout games," Myers said. "it's just a matter of 10 or 15 minutes where we have those mental mistakes. If we really focus on going into a game trying to eliminate those, it'll definitely help us."

"I'm feeling for Lindy," Hitchcock said of Sabres coach Lindy Ruff. "We've all been through that stuff. We were through that in Columbus. We took the big step, made the playoffs, we're thinking things are really going to go and then we get the 'oh no' games going. We're on the wrong side of every darn road game. You get a bad feeling amongst your team. You feel for the guy.

"... Winning is a feeling. When you're on the wrong side of the feeling, it looks like you can never get over it, and when you're on the right side, it looks like you're never going to lose again."

Buffalo's last road win was a 3-2 victory at Nashville on Dec. 3. Going against the team with the best home record in the Blues, who are 20-3-3, could certainly boost the morale of a group fighting it.

"It's perfect for us," Myers said. "They're on a big role right now. It would be a great team to end this streak we have going right now. We're going to have to bring our best to beat them.

"Obviously things are going pretty bad for us right now. Everyone in the room believes we can work out of it. It's just a matter of getting back to working hard and playing within our system. I think after this morning, we have a good mindset coming into tonight."

Ruff, believes the Blues will come at his team with full force early in the game.

"I imagine they're licking their chops, they should be," Ruff said of the Blues. "Any time you see a team at the end of a road trip that has struggled, I'm sure they're gonna really want to come after us with all five guys."

The Blues, who are 7-0-1 in the month of January and 12-0-2 in their last 14 home games, are aware of what they face and don't want to be the team that breaks the Sabres' losing skid.

"We definitely don't want it to be us that kickstarts their comeback if they get it going," Shattenkirk said. "If you look at Buffalo, they were pegged to be one of the best teams in the East. I still think they have a very solid team.

"Teams get into ruts in the middle of the season. It happens, but we can't come into it thinking it's just another game that we can walk through and start looking at Monday (at Detroit) and forget about this one. If anything, they're going to come out hitting and play physical."

- - -

Former Blue Brad Boyes returns to Scottrade Center for the first time since he was dealt to the Sabres near the trade deadline last season -- Feb. 27 to be exact.

The Blues, who were out of the playoff hunt, dealt Boyes to the Sabres for a 2011 second round draft pick, which the Blues used to draft Moose Jaw defenseman Joel Edmundson with the 46th pick.

Boyes went on to tally five goals and 14 points in 21 games with Buffalo a season ago and helped the Sabres reach the playoffs, but like many of his teammates, Boyes has struggled to find an offensive stride this season.

Boyes has just three goals in 34 games this season -- one in his last 25 and a grand total of nine in 62 games, including the playoffs.

"It's been tough and frustrating for me," Boyes said. "But we've got another game, keep working at it, keep getting chances and putting those chances in. I've gone through stretches, but this is something that's obviously a little different.

"As for us as a team, it's been tough. It's something we're trying to figure out. We've been struggling scoring goals. That's one of the biggest things. We've just got to find some more ways to get some chemistry and get the power play going. Those are things we're really looking at. We've got the guys in the room to do it. We played really well early in the season. We're in one of those grooves in the wrong way."

Boyes spent Friday might with some of his ex-teammates with the Blues.

"I was able to grab dinner with some of the guys, so it was nice," said Boyes, who had 106 goals and 232 points in four seasons with the Blues. "I was with them for a long time and we became really close. It was good to see them again. It felt like old times again. They're doing well, which is great to see."

- - -

The Blues' probable lineup. They are 8-0-1 against the Eastern Conference:

David Perron-David Backes-T.J. Oshie

Matt D'Agostini-Patrik Berglund-Chris Stewart

Vladimir Sobotka-Jason Arnott-Jamie Langenbrunner

B.J. Crombeen-Scott Nichol-Ryan Reaves

Carlo Colaiacovo-Alex Pietrangelo

Barret Jackman-Kevin Shattenkirk

Kris Russell-Roman Polak

Jaroslav Halak will be in goal. Brian Elliott will back up.

Halak is 10-0-3 with a 1.50 goals-against average and .941 save percentage in his last 13 starts. He is coming off back-to-back 1-0 shutout victories and carries a 148:25 shutout streak into the game. His personal career high is 157:45, set in January 2010.

The Blues will be without winger Alex Steen (concussion symptoms), who is day-to-day. On injured reserve include forward Andy McDonald (concussion) and defenseman Kent Huskins (ankle). Defenseman Ian Cole and winger Chris Porter are healthy scratches.

- - -

The Sabres' probable lineup:

Thomas Vanek-Jochen Hecht-Jason Pominville

Drew Stafford-Derek Roy-Nathan Gerbe

Ville Leino-Luke Adam-Patrick Kaleta

Matt Ellis-Cody McCormick-Brad Boyes

Andrej Sekera-Tyler Myers

Joe Finley-Jordan Leopold

Mike Weber-Marc-Andre Gragnani

Ryan Miller will start in goal. Jhonas Enroth is the backup.

Defenseman TJ Brennan has the flu and will not play. Center Paul Gaustad (upper-body) is also out after being injured Wednesday in Chicago. Winger Tyler Ennis (ankle), winger Colin Stuart (lower-body), defenseman Christian Ehrhoff (upper-body) and defenseman Brayden McNabb (upper-body) are on injured reserve. Defenseman Robyn Regehr (upper-body) has missed the last three games.

Blues winning, want more in front of net

2012-01-20T22:57:00.001-06:00

Team feels it needs more consistent play around goal

By LOUIE KORAC
HAZELWOOD, Mo. -- The Blues have three wins in their last three games ... that's the good news. But the fashion in which they've won those games, particularly leaving teams around long enough to steal the two points on the line, that's got coach Ken Hitchcock and players thinking how to alleviate the issues.

Friday's skate normally would happen following a loss, one in which Hitchcock would put the players through a hard, swift and brisk practice. But on the heels of the Blues' second consecutive 1-0 shutout over Edmonton, the theme of the day for the Blues: work harder in front of the net, ramp up that intensity in front of the goaltender.

It was anything but a light day at the office.

(Getty Images)

Guys like David Backes (42) can help the Blues score goals in those dirty

areas. Here is Backes against the Detroit Red Wings earlier this season.

"We're playing well in our own end, but we need to score some more goals," winger Jamie Langenbrunner said. "It's not from a lack of chances, it's a lack of execution around the net."

That execution around the net has only brought the Blues (28-12-6) four goals in the last three games despite winning all three. They've scored those four goals on a whopping 233 shot attempts, which include ones on goal, ones that miss the net or shots that are blocked.

So in order to boost that shot percentage up, doing the dirty work in front of the net is a way to kickstart that plan of action.

"That's where you're going to break those kind of habits is getting the ugly ones around the net, banging them in, rebounds, tip-ins, that kind of stuff," winger Matt D'Agostini said. "We definitely have room for improvement getting body positioning in front of the net and whacking in some goals there. It's about getting more traffic more often.

"Sometimes we tend to play on the outside. Puck possession is one thing, but getting traffic to the net is something we need to be better at. I don't know what the percentage of goals in the league is that are banged in from the crease area, but that's where you get the easy ones. You've got to pay the price to get those."

When you add up the percentages of Blues goals over the shot attempts in the last three games, it only adds up to one goal in every 58.25, or 9.32 percent efficiency.

"It's not so much the compete level. It's just the stop. We're in and out too quick," Hitchcock said, referring to the area around the net. "We get in, the play's there, we miss the puck and we keep going. I've been saying that for three, four, five days now. The patience and poise of positioning is what's not giving us the second and third opportunities. We're getting tons of opportunities, but they're all original and then out. We're not holding our position long enough to get the second and third whacks that we were before."

So what did Hitchcock do?

"I showed examples today," he said. "Practice specifically today was just a poise and performance practice where we just wanted to hold our position longer, both at the net, in the slot (and) off the angles. I thought the guys really picked up on it. We've become impatient. We wanted to hit the home run right away, and if it's not there, then we're out of the area. We're just trying to get our guys to hang in the area a little longer."

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Defenseman Alex Pietrangelo (27) is heating up offensively for the Blues.

His shot from the point can help in those dirty areas.

And by doing that, the defensemen can help in that regard by consistently getting pucks through traffic and into the crease. That's an area that needs to be sharpened up as well.

"Offensively, our job has to be getting the puck there," defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk said. "I think we've gotten away from getting some good, quality shots down to the net, maybe a little high at times and not allowing our forwards to get a rebound or goalies catching it and the play ends there.

"From our standpoint, good, quick shots. Looking for sticks while we're shooting, not just shooting without picking our heads up. When we don't have a shot, get it back down low and let them play."

When the Blues host the struggling Buffalo Sabres (19-23-5) tonight, look for more traffic in front of either Ryan Miller or Jhonas Enroth.

"We've been lucky in the last two games ... not lucky, but players have been able to grab this thing in the third period and play well," Hitchcock said. "But it's slipped. It's slipped and slid a little bit, and we've got to get our edge back. We've got to find our edge."

* NOTES -- Winger T.J. Oshie was the lone regular not to take part in the full practice today. Oshie has been dealing with a sore wrist but Hitchcock said Oshie's fine and with three games in four nights coming up, he was held back despite having his own cardio skate prior to the rest of the team taking the ice.

... Jaroslav Halak will get the start in goal against the Sabres, his fourth consecutive start, and why wouldn't he, coming off back-to-back shutouts.

"I've developed hoof and mouth disease because I put my foot in my mouth so I gotta keep going down that path with my shutout rule," Hitchcock joked. "I'm hoping he keeps going, but I hope he doesn't get tired, too."

Halak is 10-0-3 with a 1.50 goals-against-average and .941 save percentage. He hasn't lost in regulation since Nov. 22 and is how 13-7-5 on the season after a 1-6 start. He has a shutout string of 148 minutes, 25 seconds going into tonight's game.

... Winger Alex Steen, out the last 10 games with concussion-related symptoms, once again skated hard and skated well Friday. He was paired on the top line with David Backes and Matt D'Agostini. Steen, who has 13 goals and 24 points in 36 games, continues to be day-to-day.

Blues prevail on Pietrangelo goal

2012-01-19T23:19:00.001-06:00

Second straight 1-0 result helps St. Louis

keep pace in West; Halak nets another shutout

By LOUIE KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- When a team can win without its best, it's a sign of good things.

The Blues have taken it to the limit in their last two outings. In the end, they have found a way.

The Blues felt like they left the Edmonton Oilers hang around long enough to steal two points away from them Thursday night.

But a team that just doesn't allow much defensively was able to prevail once again with a key third period goal.

Alex Pietrangelo extended his career-best streak with points in a game to eight. It couldn't have come at a better time.

(Getty Images)

Blues forward David Perron (right) celebrates with goalie Jaroslav

Halak after the Blues posted a 1-0 win over Edmonton Thursday.

It was Halak's second straight shutout and third in four games.

Pietrangelo's wraparound with 5:14 remaining proved to be the game's only goal as the Blues blanked the Oilers 1-0 Thursday night at Scottrade Center.

The Blues (28-12-6) momentarily jumped into first overall in the Western Conference with 62 points but were quickly bumped back to fourth place after the Detroit Red Wings' shootout win in Phoenix, which gives the Wings 63 points.

Pietrangelo, who now has a team-best four game-winning goals after he curled around the Oilers goal and slid a shot past netminder Nikolai Khabibulin.

"I had a couple chances that shift," Pietrangelo said. "(David Backes) made an unbelievable pass. I can't believe he found me. Lucky enough, the puck ended up being behind the net. I was just kind of able to give it the old-fashioned wrap-around."

Jaroslav Halak earned his second straight shutout and third in four games, extending his shutout streak to 148:25. Halak stopped 15 shots and is 10-0-3 in his last 13 starts after earning his fourth shutout of the season and third in four games. Halak, who has 20 career shutouts and 11 with the Blues, has a 1.50 goals-against average . He was also in goal for the Blues' last game, a 1-0 home win against Dallas on Monday.

"I feel good, but when you look at the shots, I didn't have to stop many shots, many scoring chances tonight," said Halak, who is 13-7-5 on the season with a 2.00 goals-against average and .920 save percentage. "Every game is a different game. The guys are playing really good hockey right now and hopefully we can at least keep doing it until the All-Star break."

The surging Blues improved to 7-0-1 in their last eight games. They've earned at least a point in a franchise-best 14 straight home games (12-0-2), and they've also gone 10 straight games without allowing a third-period goal while winning an NHL-best 20th home game (20-3-3).

Even if it wasn't their best game.

"That's what signifies a good team growing," defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo said. "When you're still finding ways to win when you're not at your best, it's a sign of a good thing and a sign of a team coming together wanting to win and learning to win.

"I think that's what we've found within ourselves in this room. If it takes a third period to win a game like we have in the last couple games and we end up gutting it out and finding ways to win ... hey, two points is two points. You're not going to ask how."

St. Louis spent the night pelting the Edmonton net but couldn't get a shot past Khabibulin until Pietrangelo beat him.

"They played an unbelievable game," Oilers defenseman Andy Sutton said of the Blues. "They came with amazing pressure and intensity. That's the way hockey is meant to be played."

Khabibulin was often spectacular while stopping the other 37 shots he faced as the Oilers fell to 17-25-4. Edmonton has lost five in a row on the road and 12 of its last 13 away from home and fell to 0-9-2 when tied after two periods. The game was scoreless.

The first period was one-sided -- the Blues had the first 17 shots before the Oilers' Ryan Smyth got one on Halak with 12:07 remaining in the period. St. Louis wound up outshooting the Oilers 19-4 in the opening period, including 14-0 in the first four minutes, but could not solve Khabibulin.

"I think it's fair to say we were outplayed in that first period," said Khabibulin, who made 19 of his 37 saves in the first 20 minutes. "We just seemed like we were a step behind. I thought we were better in the second."

It was the kind of start the Blues were looking for but not the result.

"We started the game with the pace we wanted to play at, but for some reason, we got away from it and let them get into the game," Colaiacovo said. "The game ended up slowing down instead of playing at our pace.

"The game could have been over early, really one-sided, but at the end of the day, it was a battle to get that goal and it was a battle to get the two points. That's all we've got to continue to focus on is to make sure we're getting the end result we want."

(Getty Images)

Blues forward T.J. Oshie (right) gets to the net against Oilers goalie

Nikolai Khabibulin Thursday night.

The second period brought more of the same: no goals -- and, from the Blues' standpoint, not enough shots on Khabibulin. They had 24 seconds of a two-man advantage but did little with it -- and after Khabibulin lost his stick in the ensuing moments, the Blues couldn't get any shots toward the net. They also had another 28 seconds of a 5-on-3 advantage in the third but the game remained scoreless.

"We kind of saw this coming in the last game ... our offensive intensity isn't what it should be, so we let teams hang around," Hitchcock said. "We leave the game out there. We're just going to have to figure out a way to bear down a lot more, we're going to have to show a lot more of intensity in the offensive zone.

"Once Edmonton figured out that they were still in the game after the first period, it was game on for both teams. ... This is now four of the last five games if we had the necessary intensity around the net offensively, it could have been a much easier night for all of us."

Fortunately, Pietrangelo made it a good night for the home side as the Blues now have an NHL-best nine shutouts.

"If you can win games 1-0, it's a good thing," he said. "That's a sign that you're doing something right."

* NOTES -- Defenseman Kris Russell (groin) returned to action after missing nine games. Winger Alex Steen (concussion symptoms) was expected to return but missed his 10th consecutive game after the team ruled following the morning skate he's not 100 percent.

(1-19-12) Oilers-Blues Gameday Lineup

2012-01-19T13:33:00.000-06:00

By LOUIE KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- For the second time in a week, the Blues were anticipating the return of winger Alex Steen on the ice.

And for the second time, it's been determined that Steen (concussion-related symptoms) is not quite ready to return.

Steen will miss his 10th consecutive game when the Blues (27-12-6) entertain the Edmonton Oilers (17-24-4) at 7 p.m. today (FSN, KMOX 1120-AM). Steen continues to skate, and even took part in a full-scale workout Wednesday at St. Louis Mills, determining himself to be "close." But after Thursday's morning skate, the Blues said he's not at 100 percent.

"Steen's not 100 percent and he's not coming in until he's 100 percent, so the next update we'll give you which ... who knows, will be when he's in," Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said. "It's a very similar situation with Andy Mac. He's not 100, so he's not playing.

"He's had good days, but until he's 100 (percent) with that injury, we're not taking any chances. ... He's participating in everything, but this is 100 percent physically, 100 percent mentally and if it's 95 or 99, we're not taking any chances. We want this to be 100 percent, so if it's on a conditioning side where we're concerned with where there's kind of soreness the next day or he's missed a time and hit the wall, we're not taking any chances. We want the player for long-term so we'll keep him out and keep working him hard like we are now."

The good news for the Blues is that defenseman Kris Russell (groin) will make his return after missing nine games.

Russell, who has five points in 21 games with the Blues, will replace Ian Cole in the lineup tonight.

"I didn't want to push it if I wasn't feeling right, but it felt good," Russell said after the morning skate. "Obviously a little bit of tightness in it, but I'm fully confident in my skating ability now. It should be good."

Hitchcock is one that if a player is ready to play, he's in, so there won't be any type of easing Russell back in.

"Hitch is always like that," Russell said. "If you're ready to go, you better execute and play within the system, be an effective player. That's what I want to do."

So for Russell, it's just do what he does best.

"Mostly it's just simplifying your game," Russell said. "Try not to do much, make quick first outlet passes, be sharp on the puck and let your game evolve from there. That's what I'm going to try and do."

- - -

With Steen out of the lineup tonight, the Blues will keep things as they have been the last handful or so games. That means Matt D'Agostini will stay in a top six role with Patrik Berglund and T.J. Oshie, while David Perron moves back up with David Backes and Chris Stewart.

That means the return of the 'Kid Line' will have to wait for the time being.

"We'll just go back to flipping him (D'Agostini) and flipping Perron back in with Backes and go back to where we were before," Hitchcock said. "If we get in a situation like we did in the third period (Monday) where we think we need Oshie's energy and a little bit different role, then we'll go back to that.

"Oshie's been good wherever we play him. The thing that concerned me the last game, the (Backes) line was spending too much time on their heels. They were defending too much. It was too conservative. Wherever you play Oshie, it's not going to be a conservative group. You'll be on the forecheck all night. He created the energy that the line came with and he did a helluva job."

- - -

The Oilers, who have suffered as many freakish injuries as any team in the NHL, addressed the strangest one of all, that of winger Taylor Hall, who suffered a scary cut to his head after being cut by a skate blade of teammate Corey Potter during pregame warmups Tuesday in Columbus.

Hall, who has 15 goals and 31 points in 36 games this season, accidentally stepped on a puck near the Oilers' goal, wiped out teammate Ladislav Smid in the process before being accidentally stepped on by Potter.

Hall received 30 stitches on the left side of his head and is sporting a black eye and swelling around the eye. He was not wearing a helmet when the incident occurred.

"I'm feeling better every day," said Hall, who will obviously not play tonight. "From the time it happened and the freezing came out, it's pretty painful. But I'm not feeling too much pain now. I got some exercise in this morning and it held up. My face didn't swell up too much. I'm looking forward to getting back as soon as possible.

"I didn't feel too much pain (when the incident occurred). I thought it was just kind of a little cut. I knew right away when the blood was coming out pretty bad that it was serious. I just tried to get in the (locker) room as soon as possible and slow the bleeding down."

There were erroneous reports that Hall would be done for the season, but that's not the case. He said there's an outside chance he plays when the Oilers return home to face Calgary Saturday.

"For someone to come out and say after a day that I'm going to be out for the season is a little extreme," Hall said. "We had to settle that down a little bit.

"I'd like to think that I can try and play on Saturday against Calgary, but that's not for sure by any means. I want to get a helmet on and see how that feels and get a couple bumps in. There's no for sure when I'm going to play."

Oilers coach Tom Renney said there are no major repercussions with Hall.

"He certainly feels a lot better. He slept well for two nights now," Renney said. "The wound looks really good ... for me.

"The bottom line is it's a matter of impact and whether not the stitches might open up or whatever if in fact he gets hit. It's kind of a day to day thing. I know he would tell you he's ready to go tonight in talking to him. ... He's had no head issues whatsoever. He slept well, his appetite's good, no dizziness, nothing like that whatsoever. It's a matter of the healing of the wound."

What was Hall's reaction when he saw himself in a mirror for the first time?

"It doesn't look good, that's for sure," he joked. "I looked a lot better before.

"What can you do? I said to someone this morning that it's lucky and it's unlucky at the same time. You can say that I'm lucky that I didn't get my eye taken out or my throat sliced or I'm just unlucky because something like this has never happened in the history of the sport with helmet guys that have not worn a helmet in warmups. ... It's kind of the way the injuries have gone for this team."

Potter was shaken up before the game Tuesday but is obviously relieved his teammate is fine.

"Now that I know he's doing well, things are starting to calm down here and feeling a little better. I'm just happy that he's alright," Potter said. "... The guys in the locker room after warmups were definitely letting me know that it's alright. It was just kind of a freak accident and not to take it personally. They were there to back me up for sure."

The Colorado Avalanche issued a release stating that they are mandating all their players to wear helmets during pregame warmups. It might become a trend in the wake of the Hall incident.

"We're discussing that internally right now," Renney said. "You'll see everyone on with a helmet tonight.

"I'm not sure it's a (NHLPA) issue. Obviously they have a voice that we should all pay attention to. At the same time, at the end of the day, if this is what I want as a head coach or we as an organization, we do it."

- - -

The Oilers will get winger Jordan Eberle (knee) back after missing four games.

Eberle, who leads the team in goals (17), assists (26) and points (43), was injured in a game Jan. 7 at Dallas early in the first period on a collision with the Stars' Jamie Benn.

"I'm excited," Eberle said. "A few days off and I missed a few games, but it felt good on the ice. I'm pretty excited to get going. ... I'm just going to keep things simple and try and make the right play at the right time."

Renney said all systems are a go with Eberle.

"He skated well here," Renney said. "He went through all his treatment here. ... He said he's ready to play."

- - -

Tonight's Blues lineup:

David Perron-David Backes-Chris Stewart

Matt D'Agostini-Patrik Berglund-T.J. Oshie

Vladimir Sobotka-Jason Arnott-Jamie Langenbrunner

B.J. Crombeen-Scott Nichol-Ryan Reaves

Carlo Colaiacovo-Alex Pietrangelo

Barret Jackman-Kevin Shattenkirk

Kris Russell-Roman Polak

Jaroslav Halak, 9-0-3 with a 1.62 goals-against average and .938 save percentage in his last 12 starts, will get his sixth start in the last eight games tonight. Brian Elliott, fresh off of signing a new two-year, $3.6 million extension Wednesday, is the backup.

McDonald (concussion) and defenseman Kent Huskins (ankle) remain on injured reserve. Steen (concussion symptoms) was expected to play tonight but will not after taking part in the morning skate. Healthy scratches include defenseman Cole and forward Chris Porter.

- - -

The Oilers' probable lineup:

Jordan Eberle-Sam Gagner-Ales Hemsky

Ryan Smyth-Shawn Horcoff-Ryan Jones

Anton Lander-Josh Green-Magnus Paajarvi

Darcy Hordichuk-Ryan O'Marra-Ben Eager

Ladislav Smid-Corey Potter

Andy Sutton-Jeff Petry

Theo Peckham-Colten Teubert

Nikolai Khabibulin will start; Devan Dubnyk is the backup.

The laundry list of injured players for the Oilers is a long one. Included are defensemen Cam Barker (ankle), Ryan Whitney (ankle) and Tom Gilbert (knee), center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (shoulder), center Eric Belanger (leg) and Hall (facial laceration).

The kids will return for an encore

2012-01-18T20:37:00.004-06:00

Perron, Oshie, Berglund set to play together again Thursday vs. Edmonton

By LOUIE KORAC
HAZELWOOD, Mo. -- When they last had extensive time together, T.J. Oshie, David Perron and Patrik Berglund were helping the Blues surge into the playoffs three seasons ago.

Whether one wants to call them the 'Kid Line' or the 'BOP' Line, Blues fans in a sense have been clamoring for the trio to hit the ice together again.

Judging by the way coach Ken Hitchcock ran practice Wednesday at St. Louis Mills, the threesome appear poised to represent the Blues' second forward combination when the Blues host the Edmonton Oilers Thursday night.

"It's always fun playing with Osh and Bergy, but anyone on our team is fun to play with," Perron said.

(Getty Images)

T.J. Oshie (middle) and Patrik Berglund (right) will make up two-thirds of

the 'Kid Line' against Edmonton Thursday.

The three first-round picks of 2005 (Oshie), 2006 (Berglund) and 2007 (Perron), they were part of a wave of players dubbed the future when the Blues (27-12-6) were making critical decisions last decade that would decide their future.

And when they were introduced three years ago, there was instant magic between them.

"We do have chemistry, but I think it's more working hard and kind of getting in there and making plays," said Perron, who has 15 points in 20 games this season. "To me, we're just working hard and making it happen for each other out there. If someone's not playing as good, we pick him up and bring him along. It was like that two, three years ago when we played together. Hopefully, it comes right back to where it was."

With the imminent return of Alex Steen to the lineup against the Oilers (17-24-4), the Blues have some shuffling to do with their lines, particularly the top six forwards.

Hitchcock has some choices to make and wants to see what they can do together.

"I don't know that combination that well," Hitchcock admitted. "I just know that Oshie and Perron are good together. I'd like to reserve judgment until I see it. I've seen it two or three times at practice. It's looked good, but every time we seem to get to a game, something different happens. And then when we put Osh with (David) Backes, it was a good combination with Steen there. So I don't know that combination yet, but I know Oshie and Perron have tremendous chemistry together. That's a good sign."

Perron had his best season point-wise in 2008-09 with 50, Berglund broke into the league his rookie season with 21 goals and 47 points, while Oshie, who has 30 points in 43 games this season, had 39 points in 57 games that season.

"Over the years, I've played a lot with Bergy and it's about finding him in the slot and he's got that big shot," Perron said. "Me and Osh can make a lot of plays happen for him, too. It'll be good."

Just don't expect too much, too soon according to Berglund. They have to find that chemistry again.

"It would be fun, but it takes time to play with each other and to get to know each other again," said Berglund, who has 10 goals and 18 points in 45 games this season. "It was such a long time ago. It's not going to happen overnight for us to be unbelievable. We need some time to build on it, but obviously it would be exciting.

"We like playing with each other and it's a lot of skill on the line. I think we work hard for each other and help each other out."

Blues give All-Star Elliott contract extension

2012-01-18T19:56:00.000-06:00

Netminder gets two years, $3.6 million, chooses

to remain here instead of test free agency

By LOUIE KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- By locking up Brian Elliott to a two-year, $3.6-million contract extension on Wednesday, the Blues believe they have their goaltending position solidified -- and they are content with keeping all of them in the fold.

The Blues signed Elliott, who gets $1.7 million next season and $1.9 million in 2013-14 in what has been a resurrection of a career that was unknown as late as the final preseason game.

It's quite a story for a guy who entered last summer without a job, searching for work and now getting job security in mid-season.

(Getty Images)

Blues goalie Brian Elliott will stay in St. Louis at least for two more years

after signing $3.6 million contract extension.

"I wasn't really expecting it because I haven't been approached like that before ... it's always been in the off-season," Elliott said. "I was happy that they wanted me to stay. Whenever you get that, you know that they're impressed with you and your work ethic. I was happy that they did and we came to an agreement that we both felt was a good deal."

Elliott, who is 15-5-1 with a 1.68 goals-against average (second in the NHL) and a .937 save percentage and five shutouts, signed a one-year, two-way contract on July 1 worth $600,000.

With Elliott and Jaroslav Halak in the fold for at least the next two seasons, the Blues feel good about what they have on their team but also at the AHL level with Ben Bishop and Jake Allen.

"We're excited to have the tandem of Jaro and Brian together for the next two seasons," Armstrong said. "Goaltending's such a big part of our game. To know now that we have two goalies that we think are entering the prime of their careers together, to have that partnership together is very important for us.

"For Brian especially, the situation he was in last summer wondering where he was going to play and finding a good home here in St. Louis and doing his job on the ice, I think it's a great story. Now he can settle in and take his career to the next level with our group."

Along with Halak, who is 9-0-3 with a 1.62 goals-against average and .938 save percentage and hasn't lost in regulation since Nov. 22, the Blues are at the top of the league in GAA at 1.95.

"I think it's been obviously, with our record, I think it's been really good," Elliott said. "Whenever you get a couple of guys pushing each other, I think that helps a lot ... you don't get comfortable. I mean, you get comfortable to a point, but you want to stay on your toes the whole time. When you've got a couple of guys back there trying to stay as sharp as possible, that can only be good for your hockey team."

And Blues coach Ken Hitchcock certainly has two guys pushing each other. When he has to go game by game to pick a goalie, it's nice to know there are two reliable guys to choose from.

"He's the perfect example of perseverance, but he's a great model for stay with it," Hitchcock said of Elliott. "... I think the biggest thing Brian did was look in the mirror. It wasn't his work ethic, it wasn't his determination, it wasn't his conditioning. There were some things that had to change in his game. He had to just become more compact in his game and he's done that, he's done it beautifully. He's resurrected a career based on being able to look in the mirror and not feel sorry for himself, and make adjustments.

"Look what's happening right now, the teams that have sharing goaltending duties toward the break, their starters aren't tired and their team is still energized. They're not letting tired goals in and I think it's really helped. That's what's helped us be here, both of our goalies have played with a high level of energy, they haven't made tired puck mistakes and it's kept us energized. We've won a lot of close games because the goalies have been energized to make the right save at the right time."

Elliott did not make the final roster until after the final preseason game on Oct. 1. He was battling with Bishop to be the backup to Halak.

(Getty Images)

Brian Elliott is 15-5-1 with a 1.68 GAA and .937 save percentage. He is

The Blues' lone All-Star this season.

But the 6-foot-3, 204-pound Elliott, who is in his fifth NHL season, has surpassed all expectations. He's allowed the fewset goals (36) and suffered the fewest losses among goalies with 20 starts or more. He's got a 9-1-1 mark at home.

"I'm not only excited for Brian, but I'm also excited about Jaro knowing he's going to have a healthy partner knowing that they can tandem up and try and keep us in the top tandem of the goaltending in the NHL for the next two plus years," Armstrong said. "We have two very good goaltenders that we're confident playing. I think depth and competition is good for an organization. ... I don't see why we won't be in the top third of the league for the next two years as a minimum in that position."

With the season he's having and with impending unrestricted free agency looming this summer, the 26-year-old Elliott chose to remain in St. Louis knowing it will be a tandem and not a chance to go somewhere else and try to become a clear-cut No. 1.

"Things can go the other way, too," Elliott said. "You're basically playing the odds.

"You can say 'what if' you get injured, or the other way, what if you lead the team to a couple playoff wins, you can be even more attractive. But I've learned from experience that the grass isn't always greener on the other side. I really like it here and I like the guys and I think it sets up well for my career. After this contract is done, I'll still be probably one of the younger goalies in the league, so it just builds on to the rest of my career."

The Newmarket, Ontario native Elliott is 76-58-17 in his career with the Blues, Ottawa Senators and Colorado Avalanche.

He now has piece of mind.

"Haven't had much time to set in, but again, you don't want to become complacent and think that you're all safe," Elliott said. "You still have to prove yourself every day out there, you deserve to be there."

(1-19-12) BLUES NOTEBOOK

2012-01-18T19:02:00.000-06:00

Steen, Russell appear ready to return; lineup changes unclear

By LOUIE KORAC
HAZELWOOD, Mo. -- Alex Steen and Kris Russell needed a full day of practice with their teammates to see how their respective injuries would react to a full-bore workout.

And the judgment is?

"Both guys came through practice fine," Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said after Wednesday's practice. "We'll take them through the skate tomorrow morning. If they feel the same way tomorrow morning as they do right now, then both guys will be ready to play providing that there's no repercussions."

And it appears the Blues (27-12-6), who will host the Edmonton Oilers (17-24-4) Thursday night, are getting healthy.

Finally.

Both Steen (concussion symptoms) and Russell (groin) have missed nine games. Neither has played since Dec. 27 at Detroit, but after consecutive days of workouts and no ill effects from pushing the button, both are likely to resume their respective seasons.

"I'm really close. I've got to talk to the medical staff and see what they say, but yeah, I'm close," said Steen, who has 24 points in 36 games this season. "I haven't really had a chance to practice with the boys. The schedule's been hard on the guys, so they've had a lot of optionals. This is my first real test. I thought it went well.

"When it's an optional, there's only seven, eight guys out there. You don't get the bumps. When you're doing battle drills, there's only two guys to keep track of. Five-on-five, it's a little more busy, you get a sense for a little more game action."

Russell, acquired from Columbus on Nov. 11, has also been pushing the envelope with his groin injury. But a full practice Wednesday showed he's also ready for game action.

"You can skate all you want, but it's the little plays like pushing off guys, quick transition, battling for pucks and stuff," said Russell, who has five points in 21 games with the Blues and eight points in 33 games overall. "That's when you feel it. It was good. It's been tough to have (full practices) because guys have been playing so much that there's been a few optionals. I've been taking those, but it's not the pace and the full practice going and guys are intense and it's the day before a game. It was a good test."

Added Hitchcock: "This is the first real heavy go for both guys. They've been doing it isolated-wise, but this is the first full go and both guys came through fine, no issues. This is now four, five days in a row for Steener with a high workload and no problems. That's a good sign. Same thing with Russ. We'll just see how they feel in the morning after going through this. If they feel good, they'll be available.

"(Steen) looked quick, he looked energized-quick, he's sharp mentally, he's in tune, he makes a huge difference on the power play now playing with Berglund on the power play on that second unit. ... He's a 20-minute player that can come back and play. We realize he's going to hit the wall physically when you miss (nine) games but it gives us a big jump here."

* Lineup changes -- With the anticipated returns of Steen and Russell, the Blues' roster is suddenly becoming crowded.

One defenseman and one forward will instantly become healthy scratches, leaving the Blues with a full roster limit of 23.

Chris Porter has been a healthy scratch the last five games but will have some company.

Ian Cole will return to the role of being the seventh defenseman when Russell returns, but the forward that comes out is still up in the air.

"I haven't really thought about it," Hitchcock said. "One of the things you get in when you get into this business is you have to decide if you're a team of 23 or a team of 20-plus three. I think our players recognize we're a team of 23.

"We're going to end up with 23 people and there's going to be some rotation. Some guys are going to play, some guys aren't some days, depends on the opposition. I know one thing, every time you think you're good to go, you pick up two injuries and then you're back scrambling again. ... If I ever get into a situation where I've got healthy scratches, where I can sit out multiple people, then I'll make a decision based on our performance first and then based on the opposition will be looked at, too, depending on what type of game I think is coming our way."

One thing is for certain: Steen will return to a top six role, and play with David Backes ... and Chris Stewart.

"He's going right back with Backes. There's no question," Hitchcock said of Steen. "... To me, Backes and Steen were a great pair and they're going back to play together again.

Asked if Stewart, who has struggled staying consistent in the scoring department this season, could move, Hitchcock said: "He's starting to really amp it up here, so we're not changing that."

So with Steen returning to a top six role, what repercussions are there to the lineup? It appears Matt D'Agostini will drop out of the top six.

"There is and there isn't," Hitchcock said. "In a healthy situation, the guy that probably loses is D'Agostini, but he was not in a top six role in healthy situations anyway. He was in a third-line role there. He's probably the only guy that has to make an adjustment."

Could D'Agostini, who has just one goal and one assist in his last nine games, be a guy who sits a game? He might be among a group that has B.J. Crombeen and Ryan Reaves in it.

* Russell's difference -- Hitchcock said that adding Russell to the lineup gives the Blues a transition element that lacks when he's off the ice. It'll be a welcomed addition.

"Any time you can transition the puck without having to pass it, it's a huge asset," Hitchcock said. "Some guys can do it with patience like (Detroit's Nicklas) Lidstrom, strength and patience like (Detroit's Niklas) Kronwall. Russell evades the first forechecker as good as anybody in the league. He's learned to play as a small defenseman in the league and he evades that first forechecker and then skates it out of the zone for us. It puts us in a great position transitionally-wise.

"We're really dangerous because we don't need to make any extra plays. He can make it by himself. He can get the puck out of your own zone, and we miss that. We miss that faster transition. When he's in the lineup, we are a very quick transition team because he's able to skate it out of trouble for us. At least 6-8 times a game, he evades that first guy, beats him up the ice and now we're on our toes and the other team has to play on their heels."

* Cole's role -- Cole has been the one that benefited from Russell's absence, getting the ice time with Roman Polak on the third defensive pairing, aside from the three-game suspension he had to serve.

Cole has five points in 17 games this season.

"Better, more engaged, more defined, getting better and better," Hitchcock said when asked to define Cole's play. "He's a 50-game player, so to be able to play in the league in a responsible position after 40-50 games is pretty impressive. But to me, it's all about improvement for Ian. We know there's going to be mistakes, but as long as he brings physicality and as long as he brings awareness on the ice and gets better every day at practice, he's a good asset to have.

"Is he our top six guy if Russell's healthy? No, but he's certainly helped us win hockey games since Russell's been out so we're not afraid to play him at all."

* Oilers return -- The last time the Oilers were in town was two weeks ago, when the Blues rallied from 3-1 second-period deficit and pulled out a 4-3 win.

The Blues put themselves in penalty trouble in the second period and the Oilers erased a 1-0 first-period deficit with a three-goal second period. The Oilers, who own the league's second best power play at 21.5 percent, scored two power play goals.

"For us, if we haven't learned our lesson against taking penalties against Edmonton, we're never going to learn it," Hitchcock said. "Their power play's really good. If (Jordan) Eberle and (Taylor) Hall play, it makes it even scarier. ... They work on the power play, they retrieve pucks, they hang onto it, they're strong, they won the faceoffs. They win the puck more than I would say 95 percent of the teams in the league on the power play. That's why they got so many shots against us, we couldn't clear it, we couldn't win the faceoff, we lost the front-of-the-net battles and we just took too many penalties. ... Our strength and our depth is going to be the difference in these two games if we play the right way. But we've got to keep it 5-on-5."

Blues surge to top, hope to stay there

2012-01-17T19:34:00.001-06:00

Team is humbled but understands there is still a long season remaining

By LOUIE KORAC
HAZELWOOD, Mo. -- They woke up Tuesday morning sitting atop the NHL perch with two other teams, but when the Blues continue their season-long trek, it's the big picture that they'll continue to focus on.

And in order to do that, it's looking forward to the next game.

"It's so tight at the top right now," said winger T.J. Oshie, who netted the lone goal in Monday's 1-0 win over Dallas that enabled the Blues to catch Chicago and the New York Rangers for most points in the league with 60. "I think our biggest focus should be just getting ready for our next game, keep getting better each night and focusing on the little things that maybe we didn't do well last night and sharpen them up for Thursday."

(Getty Images)

Players like Alex Pietrangelo (27) and Patrik Berglund (right) are why the

Blues are at the top of the NHL.

Depending on the outcome of a number of games Tuesday night, the Blues will likely wake up Wednesday knowing they've been passed up in the never-ending merry-go-round of the NHL, where points are precious and competition is fierce. It's quite a logjam of teams near the top of the league, and the complexion will likely change from one night to the next.

But for the Blues (27-12-6), who have continued to work towards getting back to being a playoff team, they are gaining respectability around the NHL by wasting little time moving up after falling to 14th in the Western Conference at one point this season.

"We've put a lot of hard work in," defenseman Barret Jackman said. "We've kind of quietly been working our way up the standings and our team's been playing great together. Nobody's been really standing out and carrying it. It's a collective effort, so it feels that much better.

"We had a lot of potential (early in the season). We just weren't putting everything together. I think everybody's picking each other up. We've been playing well as a team. ... We always find a way and that's what good teams do."

It took the Blues exactly 71 days from the day Ken Hitchcock was hired to replace Davis Payne to go from second-to-last in the conference to first. It even surprised them to an extent that it happened this quickly.

"I thought it was going to take a while," Oshie said. "We've always known we've got the guys in the locker room to do big things here. We've just now put it together as a whole. All the way through the lineup, guys are playing great."

Blues veteran Scott Nichol said earlier this season that this Blues team has superstar players on it. They just didn't realize that they're there yet ... guys like Oshie, David Perron, David Backes, Patrik Berglund, Alex Pietrangelo, among others. Maybe they're starting to get the idea.

"We've got guys that have been in the league three or four years that are core players, and they're great players," Nichol said. "Playing against them, you know they're great players. They're good players, but I don't think they know they're great yet. That's the next gear. That's where we need to push guys.

"We've got such a great attitude in here. It just seems like we win a game and then we park it the next day, win or lose. For having so much success this year at this stage, we're not full of ourselves. We're a pretty humbled bunch and we just keep a workmanlike attitude."

Which is why Hitchcock, who is 21-5-6 since his arrival, always believed the Blues had this level of play in them, even as a spectator watching from afar.

(Getty Images)

The Blues have gotten great contributions lately in goal from Jaroslav

Halak (41) and Kevin Shattenkirk (22) on defense.

"I thought that we were able to play at this level," Hitchcock said. "I saw this level in this team when I watched last year. ... The point totals are good, but when you look at things, jeez we're going to need these points because to have four teams going like this in the division is ridiculous. To be this hot with four teams, nobody's disappearing on each other. I talked to the Nashville people today. They think they can win the division the way they're playing. This is just going to be a battle to the end. Hopefully we keep playing well."

And Hitchcock's task is to get the most out of a group that be believes can still can go to another level.

"I don't look at the record, I just look at the way we play," Hitchcock said. "I just know if we play well, we'll get points. It might not come overnight. Has it come a little quicker points-wise? Sure. But the play is what I expected. I expected that the team could play at this level. We still think there's a whole other gear when we get people back ... hopefully this week."

The Blues entered Tuesday tied in the Central Division with the Blackhawks, one point in front of Detroit and four points in front of Nashville in what is arguably the best division in hockey. It's great company to be around and company they hope to be with when April rolls around.

"It's awesome to see compared to where we were five years ago," said Perron, who assisted on Oshie's goal Monday. "It's real positive obviously, but I think we're working towards the next game every time.

"It's good to be up there, but the key goal is to be up there at (the end) of the season. We just have to keep going that way."

Jackman agreed.

"There's still a lot of games to go, but everybody's been patient ... the organization, the fans and we're reaping the benefits now," Jackman said. "The fans are really behind us now. It's fun to be out in St. Louis now. People are talking hockey. It's a great feeling.

"We've got a target on our backs. We're not going to sneak up on teams the second half of the year. Everybody's stepping up their game and playing to a higher level. We have to be a team that does that as well. We can't be second-guessing ourselves. We've just got to go out there and play every night and play like we're the underdogs the rest of the year."

Blues have reached pinnacle of West with win over Stars

2012-01-16T23:13:00.002-06:00

Team is tied with Rangers, Blackhawks with 60 points atop NHL

By LOUIE KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- When the Blues made a coaching change early in November and the team was floundering in 14th place in the Western Conference, the uphill climb they faced was enormous and certainly challenging.

Who really thought this was possible?

But in a little over two months, the Blues have arrived. They're sitting atop of the NHL with some pretty impressive company.

T.J. Oshie and David Perron worked some third-period magic, and the young forward duo helped the St. Louis Blues move into a tie for first place in the NHL.

(Getty Images)

The Blues' T.J. Oshie (74) scores the only goal Monday in a 1-0 win as the

Stars' Tom Wandell (23) and goalie Kari Lehtonen try to defend the play.

Oshie's backhand turned out to be the lone goal, and Jaroslav Halak earned his third shutout of the season and 19th of his career with a 22-save effort in the Blues' 1-0 victory over the Dallas Stars Monday night at Scottrade Center.

The win enabled the Blues (27-12-6) to move into first place in the League, tied in points with the Chicago Blackhawks and New York Rangers, who are first in the Eastern Conference.

The Rangers technically hold onto the top overall spot because they have played two fewer games than the Blues, but to be in the company they are in now compared to being a bottom-feeder says something just how far a team that has only one playoff berth since the 2004-05 lockout has come.

"Before the season started, if you would have told us at this point of we would be first in our conference or division, it would be really impressive," said goalie Jaroslav Halak, who stopped all 22 shots to earn his second shutout of the season and 19th of his career while improving to 9-0-3 in his last 12 starts dating back to Nov. 22.

"It feels good," said Oshie, who notched his 14th goal of the season. "It's been a hard-fought battle to get here. We've got to keep our head and feet on the ground here though. There's still a lot of season left. The standings have been changing every other night here."

Added Perron: "It's awesome to see compared to where we were five years ago. It's real positive obviously, but I think we're working towards the next game every time. It's good to be up there, but they key goal is to be up there at (the end) of the season. We just have to keep going that way."

It took a gutsy effort by the Blues, who earned a point in a franchise-best 13th consecutive games, going 11-0-2 in that span. They've also amazingly not allowed a goal now in nine straight games and earned a point in a franchise-record 13th straight home game.

"It'll change tomorrow or the next day, but I think it's the 60 (points)," said Blues coach Ken Hitchcock, whose team has an NHL-best 19 wins on home ice and who is personally 21-5-6 since taking over the team on Nov. 6. "I've said this before: when you get into this stage where you're close to the break, plowing through the 60s and getting into the 70-point total ... when you get into the 70s, the light is at the end of the tunnel. So getting through the 60s is hard because everybody seems to be around that 50-point total at this time. Each conference has 10, 12 teams in the 50-point range. Getting into the 60s is good. And then if we can quickly plow a way and get through the 70s now, there's light at the end of the tunnel. So for me, it's about the points."

Kari Lehtonen stopped 31 shots, but the Stars (24-19-1) have dropped three of their last four.

"We worked hard against a very good club," said Stars coach Glen Gulutzan. "We got into a position to have some success. We got it into a next-goal-win game and it just wasn’t us that got it."

It was the Blues, and Oshie and Perron worked a perfect give-and-go, with Perron feathering a pass into Oshie, who deked to his backhand and slid the puck past a sprawled Lehtonen 11:26 into the third period for a 1-0 Blues lead, which would stand up.

"It's a hard job, driving the middle, driving the net," Oshie said. "Perry's been showing he can go to the hard areas. He went there. He made a great play. I was yelling for him to throw it back. Fortunately, I just caught the goalie sliding across.

"My coach Mike Murphy in pee-wees always told me any pass down low, grab it and cut back across. Since it was on my backhand, right away when it started sliding across, I knew what I was doing."

Perron said he read the play as soon as he got the puck from Pietrangelo.

"I knew if I drove through there, it was going to hit me and he did," Perron said. "I heard him back right away so I knew that I would try to set it up in the middle and a great finish by (Oshie).

"It was a big goal by us and Jaro had some key saves obviously. Good win overall."

(Getty Images)

Blues players David Perron (left) and T.J. Oshie celebrate Oshie's goal in

the third period as the Stars' Loui Eriksson reacts in a 1-0 Blues victory.

Lehtonen, who came in 7-1 in his career against the Blues, had no chance.

"They made a nice pass," Lehtonen said of the Blues. "I kind of felt like (Oshie) was going to shoot right away and I tried to get over. He’s a great player and he can see I’m doing that and he held on to the puck and made it look pretty easy."

The Blues moved Oshie to the top line with Perron and David Backes before the game, dropping Chris Stewart down to the second line with Patrik Berglund and Matt D'Agostini. The move paid huge dividends. Backes won the faceoff in the Blues' zone, and Alex Pietrangelo, who extended his consecutive points streak to seven games, made the initial outlet feed to Perron.

"I just felt like we needed a different energy," Hitchcock said of the change. "I just felt like we were too focused on checking other teams' players and their top players were struggling. I thought we needed a different energy in the top six.

"I thought Stewy played well all night. I thought he could go down and play with Bergy and not miss a beat. I thought Osh could fly around and create some energy. It was a great play on the goal by all three guys. ... I just thought the line was on their heels. They were defending too much rather than attacking. Osh is an attack player and that's what he did."

Halak did the rest, and making the first big stop in the third period of the scoreless game was the initial key play that kept the Blues within one shot of winning.

When a bad hop off the boards got past the Blues' Jason Arnott and Eric Nystrom was off on a breakaway at the end of a St. Louis power play. Halak closed the pads on Nystrom's attempt with 11:58 to play to keep the game 0-0.

"We kept (Nystrom) on the outside and I think we did a great job," Halak said. "It was a tough bounce for us on the power play, but I was glad I stopped that one and I kept the score tied."

The Blues haven't been in first place this late in the season since Jan. 14, 2000. They'll savor it for a night, then get back to business as usual on Tuesday.

"We've put a lot of hard work in," defenseman Barret Jackman said. "We've kind of quietly been working our way up the standings and our team's been playing great together. Nobody's been really standing out and carrying it. It's a collective effort, so it feels that much better."

When Hitchcock stepped into his initial press conference with the Blues, the task at hand was daunting. It took exactly 71 days for the Blues to climb up the Western Conference ladder. They've struck pay-dirt, but now the goal is to stay there.

"I don't look at the record, I just look at the way we play," Hitchcock said. "I just know if we play well, we'll get points. It might not come overnight. Has it come a little quicker points-wise? Sure. But the play is what I expected. I expected that the team could play at this level. We still think there's a whole other gear when we get people back ... hopefully this week."

The Blues will need to keep stockpiling points. They have 60, but Chicago (60), Detroit (59) and Nashville (56) -- all Central Division teams -- arguably make up the best division in hockey.

"I thought that we were able to play at this level," Hitchcock said. "I saw this level in this team when I watched last year. ... The point totals are good, but when you look at things, jeez we're going to need these points because to have four teams going like this in the division is ridiculous. To be this hot with four teams, nobody's disappearing on each other. I talked to the Nashville people today. They think they can win the division the way they're playing. This is just going to be a battle to the end. Hopefully we keep playing well."

(1-16-12) Stars-Blues Gameday Lineup

2012-01-16T12:53:00.001-06:00

By LOUIE KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- Alex Pietrangelo's six-game point streak is no fluke. But the Blues' top defenseman wasn't quite himself in the early portions of the first half of the season.

"I kind of found myself second-guessing my shot there in the first half of the season," said Pietrangelo, who has nine points in six games after only picking up 11 in 37. "I think just simplifying it and putting pucks towards the net. I just want to shoot pucks towards the net a little more. It's made a huge difference."

But instead of getting discouraged, Pietrangelo kept at things and did all the other things that was making his game more complete.

Plus, the Blues (26-12-6), who host the Dallas Stars (24-18-1) at 6:30 p.m. today (NBCSN, KMOX 1120-AM), were doing what cures all players' ails.

"We were winning," Pietrangelo said. "If I don't get any points and we win every game, I'm happy.

"Watching some video, I caught myself passing off when I could have shot it. Ever since then, it's really been a turnaround."

- - -

His mind and body was into accomodating all Blues fans Sunday night at the team's annual Rink Tours event, but for Blues defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk, a Greenwich, Conn. native and huge New York Giants fan, part of him was elsewhere ... and rightfully so.

Shattenkirk was also busy celebrating the Giants' 37-20 upset win over the Green Bay Packers, who many touted to repeat as Super Bowl champions.

Shattenkirk was able to watch the first half of the game before departing to his venue, which was the U.S. Ice Sports Complex in Fairview Heights, Ill.

"Fortunately, they had a little breathing room and I hopped in the car on my way there and turned the radio on and listened to the end of the game on the way there," Shattenkirk said. "I got to watch the majority of it and it was a great win for the G-Men.

"I've followed them through the tough times and the good ones."

But did you know Shattenkirk, listed as 5-foot-11 and 208 pounds, was a football player himself in high school.

It never amounted to much, though, especially when his hockey coaches got wind of what he was doing.

"My high school hockey coach told me no more. I had to causally let it go," Shattenkirk said. "When I was younger, I started playing (football) when I was like 10 years old or so. I played in high school for two years and once I went out to Ann Arbor (Mich.), that was it. I played linebacker and running back and then I was a punter."

Shattenkirk's popularity Sunday was not only evident by fans realizing he was a Giants fan but also because he helped the Blues snap their shootout funk with the winner in Saturday's 3-2 win over the Minnesota Wild.

"A lot of people came up saying thanks for breaking the curse," Shattenkirk joked. "A lot of people were giving me props for the Giants, too. I think there were more Packers haters than Giants fans but we'll take them."

- - -

The Blues will go once again without winger Alex Steen (concussion symptoms) and defenseman Kris Russell tonight against the Stars. Both skated again and both didn't hit any speedbumps, and according to coach Ken Hitchcock, Thursday's home game against Edmonton is a realistic option.

"He had a very good day yesterday, very good day today," Hitchcock said of Steen, who will miss his ninth consecutive game tonight. "We'll practice him hard Tuesday and Wednesday and see how he is for Thursday. He hasn't had a team practice yet. All he's done is isolation practices. He'll get team practices in the next two days. Looks very good. We'll work him up and hopefully continue to get him ready for Thursday.

"Russell, same thing conditioning-wise. Not quite there. Tuesday, Wednesday practice and hopefully ready for Thursday also."

Forward Andy McDonald, out with a concussion, has played in three of 45 games this season.

Hitchcock was asked when he feels McDonald will shed the red no-contact jersey.

"Until the color changes, don't even get in there," Hitchcock quipped. "He's our best player on the ice, every day in practice but don't even get me going there. He scores all the goals in the shootouts, all the goals in the line rushes, but until the color of the sweater changes ... no."

- - -

The Stars, who come in having dropped two of their previous three games, will have their mettle tested now that they will be playing without two of their three top scorers and top two centermen.

Mike Ribeiro (knee) will miss his fourth consecutive game and the Stars will now be without top point man Jamie Benn, who had an appendectomy on Sunday and is sidelined indefinitely.

Benn leads the Stars with 42 points in 43 games (13 goals, 29 assists), while Ribeiro is third on the team with 10 goals and 31 points in 40 games.

"You don't wish it, but it's like anything, it's life. You can't control it," Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said. "You just hope that Benny's OK and he is this morning. ... When you take your top two centermen out of your lineup, it forces you to play a certain way. Maybe this is a little bit of a blessing in disguise because our team needed to play a certain way more consistently and now they're going to have to. If we come out of this stronger, that's what you always hope when you have injuries and these guys acclimate themselves back.

"It wasn't a kick in the gut or anything. You just deal with it one day at a time."

What it does is give other players an opportunity to step into the lineup and fill those roles. The Stars have recalled winger Francis Wathier from AHL Texas and he will be in the lineup tonight.

"They are really huge for our team," Stars winger Loui Eriksson said of Benn and Ribeiro, who has an MCL tear. "There's not much we can do about it. We've just got to keep working harder and some other guys are going to get some opportunities and get some chances. We still have a good team. We know where we are in the standings."

- - -

The Blues' lineup tonight against the Stars:

David Perron-David Backes-Chris Stewart

Matt D'Agostini-Patrik Berglund-T.J. Oshie

Vladimir Sobotka-Jason Arnott-Jamie Langenbrunner

B.J. Crombeen-Scott Nichol-Ryan Reaves

Carlo Colaiacovo-Alex Pietrangelo

Barret Jackman-Kevin Shattenkirk

Ian Cole-Roman Polak

Jaroslav Halak, 8-0-3 in his last 11 starts, will go in goal tonight; Brian Elliott is the backup.

McDonald (concussion), Kent Huskins (ankle), Russell (groin) are on injured reserve. Steen (concussion symptoms) is still day-to-day. Chris Porter is a healthy scratch for the fifth straight game and eight of the last nine.

- - -

The Stars' lineup tonight against the Blues:

Brenden Morrow-Tom Wandell-Loui Eriksson

Adam Burish-Steve Ott-Radek Dvorak

Eric Nystrom-Vernon Fiddler-Michael Ryder

Francis Wathier-Jake Dowell-Toby Petersen

Trevor Daley-Nicklas Grossman

Sheldon Souray-Stephane Robidas

Mark Fistric-Alex Goligoski

Kari Lehtonen, who is 7-1-0 with a 1.72 GAA and .944 save percentage in his career against the Blues, will start in goal; Richard Bachman is the backup.

The Stars are without Benn (appendectomy), Ribeiro (knee), D Philip Larsen (concussion-like symptoms) and RW Tomas Vincour (knee). Defenseman Adam Pardy is a healthy scratch.

Pietrangelo's game coming full circle

2012-01-15T22:22:00.001-06:00

Fourth overall pick of 2008 adding offense to impressive resume

By LOUIE KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- He's always shown the flashes of why the Blues drafted him fourth overall in 2008. The defensive responsibilities have always been there. Now Alex Pietrangelo is beginning to crank the offense into gear.

After another night in which the Blues' top d-man logged a team-best 29 minutes, 6 seconds of ice time in a 3-2 shootout win over the Minnesota Wild, the 21-year-old King City, Ontario native played a part in the offense for the sixth straight game, a career-best.

Pietrangelo's seventh goal of the season now gives him two goals and nine points in the last half dozen games and 20 points in 43 games this season.

(Getty Images)

Blues defenseman Alex Pietrangelo is showing forms of becoming an

offensive force, with nine points in six straight games.

It's not in the echelon of the Nicklas Lidstroms, the Shea Webers or the Zdeno Charas of the world (not yet anyway), but with a full career ahead of him, Pietrangelo sure has the makings of one of those players ready to grab a premier defensive slot with some of the best.

"If you're a fan of St. Louis and a Blues fan, you're watching the emergence of a really good player," Blues coach Ken Hitchcock declared after Saturday's game. "... There's not many defensemen where you say this guy's got a chance to be a one. He has a chance to be a one. Not many teams have that. We have an opportunity to have a player like him become a one over time. He's a young guy, he's just learning how to play the game.

"There's not many players in the league that are able to play against top players, play on the power play (and) kill penalties. He's got a chance if he keeps improving to be in that one category. Those are valuable guys where you can play them heavy minutes and not worry about them."

Pietrangelo is playing heavy minutes. He leads the Blues at 24:18 per game, which is tied for 18th in the league. But the heavy workload for a guy who continues to thrive with partner and friend Carlo Colaiacovo doesn't affect his game in any one area.

"I like the responsibility and I like the challenge," said Pietrangelo, who's No. 1 in the NHL averaging 32.9 shifts per game. "It pushes you to be your best and it's good to know that the coaches have the confidence to put me in those situations."

Pietrangelo has logged 20-plus minutes in all 43 games he's played in this season and 64 straight games dating back to last season. Hitchcock, who's coached some pretty good d-men during his coaching career, said that Pietrangelo logging a plethora of minutes is never an issue. The veteran Blues coach doesn't think twice using Pietrangelo in all situations.

"Some guys can't. Some guys hit the wall halfway through the game," Hitchcock said of Pietrangelo. "I think it's all about cardio endurance. ... I remember Rob Blake, he'd sit on the bench; 30 seconds later, he'd be out there. There would be a timeout, he would be back playing again.

"There's certain guys that can play like that. Other guys can't. They need long rests. He's one of those guys that just goes back there, needs a few seconds and he's up and running again.

"(Pietrangelo's) more complete. He still has a ways to go like anybody, but it's fun watching a guy get better every day. I think his improvement is daily. He's doing little things on the ice. He's got a lot of confidence. He's good killing penalties, he's competitive, he's got a strong stick. Now he's starting to make little plays on the offensive side where he's got some patience again. He's not just burying his head and hammering the puck. He's got patience, he's changing the angle from the point ... all the little things you need to do to be a good two-way player. It comes with maturity.

"I like the way he's playing. Both him and (Kevin) Shattenkirk are logging big minutes for us, they're playing well. It's a good sign for us right now."

Pietrangelo, who led the team with seven of the Blues' 49 shots Saturday, dished out four hits and blocked a couple shots in a game that required a physical element.

"We like that style of game and we can live up to it," Pietrangelo said. "... That's the type of game we needed after coming off the Vancouver game."

And the kind of all-around game the Blues will continue to hope they get from Pietrangelo.

(1-16-12) BLUES NOTEBOOK

2012-01-15T21:38:00.000-06:00

Blues continue to work on getting injured players back; Perron fine after hits

By LOUIE KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- The good news for the Blues is that all their injured players were once again on the ice Sunday morning. The unsettling news is that it's still up in the air when all or any will return.

The laundry list includes forwards Andy McDonald (concussion) and Alex Steen (concussion symptoms) as well as defensemen Kris Russell (groin) and Kent Huskins (ankle).

The closest on the radar to return are Steen and Russell. Both have not played since suffering their injuries, respectively, on Dec. 27 at Detroit.

The Blues (26-12-6) will play host to the Dallas Stars (24-18-1), another injury-riddled team hat just recently lost two of their top scorers in Jamie Benn (appendectomy) and Mike Ribeiro (MCL).

Steen, who said he's still up in the air when he will return, will skate again Monday morning and then determine if he's good to go.

"He's skating hard, practicing, looks good two-on-two," Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said Sunday of Steen. "We'll see tomorrow. Same with Russell. Russell looks good, so we'll see in the morning skate, build it up from there."

Russell is more of the two that are doubtful. But there is an outside chance he could give it a go against the Stars. If not, Thursday's home date against Edmonton is a safe bet.

"Hopefully this week. I don't know about tomorrow. I've got to talk to the trainers and stuff," Russell said. "It's going well. ... I'm trying to get back as quick as I can, but this is an injury you can't come back from too early or else it'll happen again. I have to be careful and smart about it.

"I'm still not quite 100 percent on my skating. That's a big part of my game. I'll get in the lineup as soon as possible. Right now I'm taking it a day at a time."

McDonald, out since the third game of the season (Oct. 13), continues to skate with the red no-contact jersey. It's only a matter of time before he's cleared for full contact practices and then it will be another couple weeks to get him into game form.

As for Huskins, who broke a bone in his left ankle blocking a shot at Calgary on Oct. 28, he's still at least a few weeks away before he's cleared to play.

* Perron fine -- After David Perron took a hard hit in the game's opening minute and then a pretty good pop into the goal area in the second period in Saturday night's 3-2 shootout win over the Minnesota Wild, there was some concern as to if he was vulnerable to another head shot.

But rest assured, Hitchcock said that Perron, who scored his first goal in 14 games, was OK after first getting hit by defenseman Justin Falk, which led to David Backes accruing 19 minutes in penalties. Then Perron was drilled into the Wild goal by defenseman Clayton Stoner.

The team held an optional skate Sunday morning, and Perron was not one of the skaters but Hitchcock said he was good.

"No, we haven't heard anything. I'm sure we would have heard by now," Hitchcock said. "... He feels good, so unless something happens tomorrow, he's coming to play."

With the increased number of concussions this season, including those that have prior experience with them, there's talk that Perron might be susceptible.

"No. He's beyond that now," Hitchcock said. "I find with those guys -- the second concussion guys -- they either go out right away, come back, go out after two or three games or they go forever. (Boston's Patrice) Bergeron, same thing. He comes back, gets rocked, goes out. Now he's back forever.

(Perron's) gotten knocked down every game. I don't think we worry about David right now anymore. We were nervous the first three or four games bacause you don't want to see a guy get knocked down and have it happen again. We're beyond that now."

* Halak starts against depleted Stars -- Jaroslav Halak, 8-0-3 in his last 11 starts, who hasn't lost in regulation since a 3-2 defeat to Los Angeles on Nov. 22, goes for the Blues again after snapping a personal nine-game shootout streak with Saturday's win in which the Blues won the shootout 1-0.

Halak, who's last shootout win came Nov. 6, 2010, is 11-7-5 with a 2.17 goals-against average and .915 save percentage on the season. He's 1-1 against the Stars this season, beating them 5-3 in the teams' most recent meeting Dec. 26.

Blues finally win in a shootout, top Wild

2012-01-14T23:42:00.000-06:00

Shattenkirk provides lone goal; Halak stops all three

By LOUIE KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- The Blues can quit talking about the lack of shootout success. They've finally penetrated the barrier.

Thanks to Kevin Shattenkirk, who got redemption after he had his first career shootout attempt foiled against the Minnesota Wild earlier this season.

Shattenkirk scored the lone shootout goal and Jaroslav Halak stopped all three Minnesota shooters as the Blues downed the Wild 3-2 at the Scottrade Center on Saturday night.

(Getty Images)

Blues defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk (22) scores in the shootout against

Wild goalie Josh Harding Saturday night. The Blues won the shootout 1-0.

Shattenkirk scored the first shootout goal of his career as the Blues won in a shootout for the first time in six tries this season.

And a little chat session with assistant coach Scott Mellanby did the trick.

"He kind of said in a practice a couple weeks ago when I had a little streak going there, he said it was my pace that seemed to really be what was driving me," said Shattenkirk, who helped the Blues (26-12-6) win a shootout for the first time in seven tries dating back to last season. "I think he was completely right. When I go a little too slow, I seem to think about it too much. Tonight, I kind of just went with a little speed and it seems like I don't think as much. I see it and go for it."

Blues coach Ken Hitchcock used Shattenkirk, T.J. Oshie and Jamie Langenbrunner in the shootout because they've been the best in team tryouts in practice.

"We're using Shattenkirk there because he did good in our tryouts," Hitchcock said. "So did Oshie, and then he did a dingle-dangle or whatever that was. I'm not sure what that was. He surprised us, because we never seen that move. He scores in the tryouts, too. We'll have a little chat with him about that on Monday."

When Halak, who stopped 29 shots to improve to 8-0-3 in his last 11 starts, finally was given a lead in a shootout, it was ready to embrace the challenge and pounce.

The Blues were 0-5 in shootouts this season and Halak had been in all five and the Blues' netminder stopped a personal nine-game streak of shootout losses dating back to Nov. 6, 2010. The team was 1-for-17 this season in shootout attempts before going 1-for-3 Saturday night.

"I'm 0-5, so if we lose, I'm 0-6. It doesn't matter," Halak joked. "At least you get one point. ... When I seen Shatty score the goal for us, I told myself this is the chance for us. On the third one, I got a little bit lucky. It hit the knob. It's really a great feeling to win that game."

Halak thwarted Matt Cullen, Dany Heatley and then Devin Setoguchi. Shattenkirk was able to beat Harding, who stopped a whopping 47 shots to earn the Wild (22-16-7) at least a point.

Shattenkirk, who also had an assist in the game, got redemption against Harding, who turned away the Blues defenseman in a game on Nov. 19 in which the Wild won 1-0.

"That was my first one and I thought I was going to have one," Shattenkirk recalled. "I was hoping in a sense it was going to go in a shootout because I kind of wanted to get a little revenge there.

"(Harding) played great tonight. You got to tip your hat to him. Forty-nine (shots) and he made some big saves in the shootout as well."

David Perron and Alex Pietrangelo scored for the Blues, who are 10-0-2 in their last 12 home games. They also jumped back into second place in the Western Conference with 58 points, one point behind conference-leading Vancouver.

"That one had everything," Hitchcock said. "It had some scraps, great goaltending, great goals, lots of funny calls. It was just an old-fashioned Saturday night hockey game. It was a wild event.

"If you came to the arena and watched tonight, for me, you got your money's worth because it had everything."

The Wild, who fell to 0-8-1 in their last nine road games, got goals from David McIntyre -- his first in the NHL -- and Jared Spurgeon.

"If we keep putting in efforts like that, then we're going to give ourselves a great chance," Wild coach Mike Yeo said. "That for me was a really impressive effort from our guys tonight. We can talk how they had lots of shots, but they shot a lot of pucks from the outside. I don't want to take anything away from Hards, because he was tremendous in this game tonight, but we went into the building with the team that's got the best record (at home) of the NHL right now (18-3-3) and we gave ourselves a chance to get two points. It came to a shootout and obviously you'd love to get the two points, but when you see guys get into scraps and taking hits to make plays, you give yourself a chance to win. This was very impressive."

It all started when Wild defenseman Justin Falk got into a scrap with Blues captain David Backes after Falk planted a hit on the Blues' David Perron in the first minute of the game.

"Right from the drop of the puck, we weren't going to be pushovers," Falk said. "We went after them hard, we battled hard and did the little things. Guys were making very courageous plays."

Despite dominating the first period in both territorial play and in shots (17-4), the Wild got the lone goal of the first, as McIntyre scored on a transition play 7:13 into the period. The Blues' Patrik Berglund attempted a risky cross-ice feed through traffic to defenseman Roman Polak, who was rushing into the offensive zone on the play. When the pass did not connect, Polak was caught out of position and the Wild came back with numbers, and McIntyre, playing in his fifth career game, poked a Mike Lundin pass past Halak.

At the other end, Harding, who was pulled in a 5-2 loss Thursday at Chicago, was splendid in keeping the Blues off the board. Harding came in 6-2-0 in his career against the Blues with a 1.69 goals-against average and .940 save percentage.

"I wanted to come out and give the team a boost," said Harding. "We wanted to get back to the basics and come up with a good effort. I think we did that.

"It was a real battle in there. They're tough, they come at you and crash the net. How do you bounce back? If you come if you come out and write a bad story, you come back and write a better one."

(Getty Images)

The Blues' T.J. Oshie (right tries to deflect a puck past Minnesota goalie

Josh Harding in Saturday's 3-2 Blues shootout victory over the Wild.

The Blues failed to score a goal in the first period at home for the first time in 11 games and did so without Backes, who was issued 19 minutes in penalties after a fight with Falk. Backes was given five minutes for fighting, a 10-minute misconduct, two minutes for instigating and two minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct for starting an altercation with a visor on.

The Wild lost captain Mikko Koivu to an upper-body injury in the first period after playing only 3:44. He did not return after a check by the Blues' Vladimir Sobotka.

The Blues scored two goals in a span of 2:35 in the second to grab a 2-1 lead, with Perron and Pietrangelo doing the honors.

But the Wild, which got its game going in the second period with 17 shots, got the tying goal from Spurgeon, their first in eight games that snapped an 0-for-21 streak, on a shot from the point through traffic that Halak seemed to get a piece of but got in nonetheless at 16:32.

The Blues continued to pepper Harding, but the Wild netminder wouldn't budge ... until the shootout.

"I think for us, we're at a stage to win a game in a shootout is a really good feeling for our team ... almost more exciting than winning it in regulation," Hitchcock said. "I think this is a big weight off of everybody's shoulders. I couldn't believe the difference on the bench when we were shocked we scored a goal, and we were even more shocked when we won. That's as much joy I've seen on a bench for a long time when we won a shootout."

* NOTES -- The Blues got defenseman Barret Jackman (hip) back after missing one game. ... The Blues sent defenseman Cade Fairchild back to Peoria after the game. ... Pietrangelo now has nine points in a career-best six straight games. ... defensemen Kris Russell (groin), Kent Huskins (ankle), Alex Steen (concussion symptoms) and Andy McDonald (concussion) skated Saturday but did not play.

(1-14-12) Wild-Blues Gameday Lineup

2012-01-14T13:30:00.003-06:00

By LOUIE KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- The Blues hope that one by one, they start to get some missing pieces back into their lineup.

The first step to that goal came to fruition as defenseman Barret Jackman took part in the morning skate after missing his first game of the season with a hip injury suffered Tuesday at Montreal and will play tonight when the Blues (25-12-6) host the Minnesota Wild (22-16-6) at 7 p.m. (FSN, KMOX 1120-AM).

Jackman, who has six assists in 42 games this season, was injured following a hit by Canadiens defenseman PK Subban in the second period of a 3-0 Blues win.

"I saw him coming, but I didn't realize he was going to step up as hard as he did," Jackman said of the Subban hit. "I was just trying to get a shot on net to maybe get a rebound out front. I just put myself in a bad position and fell awkwardly.

"I'm feeling good. The body's getting there, but it's the middle of the season so you've got your wear and tear. We'll see what happens."

- - -

The Blues' defensive corps was crowded on the ice Saturday morning, giving it a training camp flavor with nine guys out there.

Along with Jackman back, Kent Huskins (ankle) and Kris Russell (groin) were also out taking part in the morning skate. Neither will play but continue to work on getting back into the lineup.

"We're not there yet, but it was nice to see Russ and Huskins join us," Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said. "Obviously Husky's a little bit away from playing, but nice to make him part of the team for a few minutes anyway. ... You're talking weeks (with Huskins), yeah. But it's nice that at least he gets to come out and skate. and be part of the team. He's excited by that."

And Russell? Maybe next week?

"Close. I don't know yet. We'll see," Hitchcock said. "We'll participate in a full practice tomorrow hopefully. We'll see, but he's close. That's a good sign there, too. Lots of guys on the rebound here, so we'll see where we get the next three or four days."

The Blues can only hope to play with a full deck soon.

"It'll be nice obviously ... the sooner the better," defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk said. "It's good to see everyone kind of coming around. There's still a little time for some but at least we got them out there skating, which is obviously good.

"Once we get everyone back, it's going to be a pretty tough blue line to beat. Throw Andy (McDonald) and Steener (Alex Steen) up there in front, it's endless. The combinations you can get ... seems like it's going to be a problem for Hitch unfortunately, but it's a good one."

McDonald and Steen (both dealing with concussions) continue to skate and are making progress. Steen is likely to be reinserted into the lineup at some point next week. McDonald is still in the red no-contact jersey. Once he sheds it, he's still a couple weeks away from game action.

- - -

Blues captain David Backes spent last season as the Blues' lone all-star representative. This season, it will be goalie Brian Elliott, who has to re-alter his plans of going to Wisconsin.

Backes, who could make a case to be going to Ottawa with 31 points but has good numbers in other areas through 43 games, will instead be taking up a new hobby.

"I'm going to take my pilot's license test," Backes said. "I've passed the written test and now I've got the oral (test) and the actual flying test and then I'll have my license. The oral is a couple of hours and then the flying is a couple of hours, so I finally get a full day off and I'll hope to sneak that in."

Backes is glad for Elliott, who did not even know he'd make the Blues out of camp this season.

"'Ells' is very deserving and he'll have a great time in a place that he's played before," Backes said. "Would I love to be going with him, yeah, but there's only so many spots on there and there's a lot of great players in this league.

"It's an honor to go to that game and if I can go to more in the future, that's great. If not, we get to rest up (like this year) for a great second half of the season into a playoff push."

- - -

The Wild, who are 0-7-1 in their last eight road games (they've scored only seven goals in those games) and 2-9-3 in their last 14 games to fall out of the top spot in the Western Conference, are coming off a disheartening 5-2 loss at Chicago Thursday night and afterwards, coach Mike Yeo and the players voiced their frustration and anger over the recent play.

It's not something a locker room wants to go through but as forward Kyle Brodziak said, a good kick in the pants is something that's needed at times.

"There's a lot of pride in the locker room and a lot of character," said Brodziak, who has 12 goals and 21 points in 44 games. "When you go through something like this, it's a very tough thing. I think if you stick with it and make sure your attitude doesn't change, eventually you get out of it because you only become stronger because of it. That's what we need to focus on is finding ways to get out of it. Once we do that, we'll be stronger for it.

"It's just a matter of preparing for every game. We can do a better job of preparing ourselves for the games and when we get to the game, we've just got to get back to basic and what we were doing when we had success. We were playing a pretty straightforward game going north with the puck and finding ways to get it behind their D and putting pressure on them and creating offensive zone time. I think that's a good key for us."

Yeo, in his first season as the Wild's coach, didn't reflect on the recent negatives on the road but stressed what has been accomplished in the past.

"The message for us is let's play our game," Yeo said. "We've gone into San Jose and beaten San Jose. We've gone into Detroit and beaten Detroit. It's time to go into another building and give ourselves a chance to win.

"We did those things because we played our game and we were true to the way we were supposed to play it, and that's what we need tonight. That's what we need now to the rest of the season. ... I'm very anxious to see how we come out here and play tonight."

Hitchcock and the Blues are very aware.

"I don't like it when teams come in and the coach is angry, the players are angry," said Hitchcock, whose team is 19-5-6 since he took over. "Usually you get their 'A' game. From an opponent's standpoint, it doesn't feel good. I think our players recognize that we're going to get their 'A' game tonight.

"It's hard when you're standing there as a coach or player to think we might not win another game for a month or we might not win a game for a week. Sometimes you get swallowed up by the day-to-day rather than the week-to-week or month-to-month. If you were to give both teams the chance to be where they're at right now based on what people said they were going to be, they'd be happy. Minny's in the playoff hunt, we're in the playoff hunt. We're both kind of where people thought maybe if we played well, we'd (be where we are). So you've got to look at that."

- - -

After taking a risk of placing left wing Colton Gillies on waivers Friday, the Wild now prepares for life without him, as Gillies was claimed by Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday.

The Wild was hoping to get Gillies, who had struggled with only two assists in 27 games, through waivers and send him to the Houston Aeros of the AHL but that never became an option.

"I'm happy for him," Yeo said of Gillies. "He's a guy that has worked very hard for this opportunity and cares very much. I'm happy for him, but having said that for us, it is disappointing because he was still in our plans. We were hoping that he could go down there (to Houston) and get things going and would be back with us soon, but that said, it's a good opportunity for him and we're happy for him."

- - -

With their recent struggles, Yeo has opted to sit veteran defenseman Greg Zanon and in his place will be Mike Lundin, who has an assist in 12 games this season.

"It's not an easy decision," Yeo said of benching Zanon, who has three points in 23 games. "These are veteran guys and a guy like him ... he pays a price when he plays. He's going to play hard for the team, but even talking to him, this is a decision that we made just for tonight.

"Even going in before the game, we thought that we wanted to get Lundy in. When we looked at last game and what we need for tonight, that's the decision we made."

- - -

Tonight's Blues lineup against the Wild:

David Perron-David Backes-Chris Stewart

Matt D'Agostini-Patrik Berglund-T.J. Oshie

Vladimir Sobotka-Jason Arnott-Jamie Langenbrunner

B.J. Crombeen-Scott Nichol-Ryan Reaves

Carlo Colaiacovo-Alex Pietrangelo

Barret Jackman-Kevin Shattenkirk

Ian Cole-Roman Polak

Jaroslav Halak gets the start in goal. He's 7-0-3 in his last 10 starts with a 1.76 goals-against average and .934 save percentage over that time. However, he's 0-2-3 in his career against the Wild but received just nine goals of support in those five games. Brian Elliott is the backup.

McDonald, Russell, Huskins and Steen continue to sit out with their injuries. Winger Chris Porter and defensemen Cade Fairchild are healthy scratches.

- - -

Tonight's probable lineup for the Wild:

Devin Setoguchi-Mikko Koivu-Dany Heatley

Cal Clutterbuck-Matt Cullen-Casey Wellman

Darroll Powe-Kyle Brodziak-Nick Johnson

David McIntyre-Warren Peters-Brad Staubitz

Nick Schultz-Jared Spurgeon

Marek Zidlicky-Justin Falk

Clayton Stoner-Mike Lundin

Josh Harding gets the start. He is 6-2-0 with a 1.69 GAA and .9400 save percentage in his career against the Blues. Matt Hackett will be the backup. Zanon is the healthy scratch.

(1-14-12) BLUES NOTEBOOK

2012-01-13T17:57:00.003-06:00

Steen out, Jackman gameday decision; all-star Elliott speaks

By LOUIE KORAC
HAZELWOOD, Mo. -- In the words spoken by many NFL officials on Sunday afternoon: "After further review ..., " those same words can be attibuted to the Blues as well.

As it turns out, winger Alex Steen (concussion symptoms) won't play Saturday when the Blues (25-12-6) host the Minnesota Wild (22-16-6), and defenseman Barret Jackman (hip) will take part in the morning skate before the team makes a decision on his status.

Blues coach Ken Hitchcock was hopeful Thursday morning that both would be ready to go against the Wild, citing that both players needed a good, hard practice Friday to deem themselves fit and ready to go.

But the Blues, who fell 3-2 in overtime to Vancouver Thursday night, held an optional skate that neither Steen nor Jackman were part of.

"Steen no for tomorrow. Not good enough yet," Hitchcock said. "Jackman, we'll evaluate after the skate, but he's going to go on the ice tomorrow and we'll see how we go."

Immediate thoughts were that Steen, who's missed seven games, had a setback.

"No. He's just not quite there yet," Hitchcock said of Steen. "He's not there conditioning-wise, he's not there energy-wise. We're just going at this thing carefully and we'll just wait for them to tell us.

"He's kind of in the red sweater thing. When he pulls out of the red sweater then we'll get him to go. ... We'll probably keep (Steen) out until next week."

There is some good news on the injury front, as defensemen Kent Huskins (ankle) and Kris Russell (groin) will join the team for Saturday's morning skate, although neither will play.

Huskins hasn't played since breaking a bone in his ankle blocking a shot Oct. 28 and has missed 33 games. Russell has been sidelined with a groin strain suffered Dec. 27 in Detroit. He is expected to be ready to go at some point next week, which would put him at the three-week timetable the Blues originally gave him.

* Playing with the big boys -- Despite the loss Thursday, in which the Blues had several quality chances -- particularly in the second period -- to put the Canucks away, the Blues will move forward and continue to establish that they will continue to compete with the heavy hitters of the Western Conference.

Instead of worrying about where ninth place is and how do they stay afloat in the playoff race, the Blues' goals are to chase down those above them in the standings.

"We're trying to look up rather than down," said Hitchcock, whose team is 7-3-1 against Vancouver, Chicago, San Jose and Detroit this season. "Sometimes coaches are conservative people and we look at ninth, but we're finding ourselves looking up. We want to chase down the division lead, and I feel if we keep focused in that area it'll lead to good play. But I don't think you can play this game looking over your shoulder and be effective. Some of us do that still. We go, 'OK, where is ninth? How many points is there different?'

"We're trying to get the players and our whole organization to look ahead. Let's chase down Detroit, let's chase down Chicago, let's stay in the hunt here to make it interesting. We know our schedule is to our advantage right now and to our disadvantage in March. Every point we get right now is important because these are points that are in the bank that they can't take away from us when the schedule gets really difficult. We are going to have to find a way to maintain a really high level here until the break because the schedule turns on us a little bit after the break. It's going to be a lot harder."

The Blues are 19-5-6 since Hitchcock took over and teams around the NHL feel like they've arrived, but Hitchcock's not buying it.

"Not yet," he said. "First of all, you've got to prove it in the playoffs, and you've got to get into the playoffs to prove it. Secondly, I told the players today we're as good as anybody in the West in my opinion, but there's six teams that can say the same thing. ... If you look at some of the elite teams, the next 25 games, you're going to see a pull-away on some of these teams. They're going to pull away, so we want to go with them. It's easier said than done."

* Defensive-weary -- Jackman's absence really put the Blues in a bind Thursday against the talented Canucks in more ways than one.

Jackman, who was injured in Tuesday's win at Montreal, not only was not available to provide his ruggedness and tough play on the ice but missing his minutes was key as well.

Cade Fairchild, recalled a third time this season from Peoria, only saw 5 minutes, 56 seconds of ice time and none after the second period, while guys like Alex Pietrangelo (27:52) and Carlo Colaiacovo (24:01) were taxed more that usual.

"It affects the next day, it doesn't affect the game," Hitchcock said. "These guys can play 25 minutes. It does limit what you can do the next day. We didn't skate them today. If this was a normal day with our six that we play with, we would have had a full practice going today. But we overplayed them (Thursday). That's just the price you pay right now to play with really five and a little bit.

"We're hopeful that we can get Cade in even more, but when you're in every delicate game like we are right now, a one-goal game is hard to play a guy all the time. We'll just have to muster through this."

* Finishing more -- In the most recent losses against the Blackhawks, Red Wings (twice) and Canucks, the Blues held a lead in all but one of those games with the chance to finish off contending opponents. But one way or another, quality chances are either foiled or they simply don't go in, and the Blues paid for it in the end.

Such was the case Thursday, when leading 2-1, the Blues had multiple opportunities to make it a 3-1 or 4-1 game and failed.

"We could have had two or three more goals," winger Chris Stewart said. "We had one penalty killed that period, two breakaways, another chance in the slot there where I fed Perry (David Perron) that didn't go in. ... That's just the way it goes sometimes. If we score those goals, it's a different hockey game but we competed with them for 60 minutes. We got a bad break there at the end with the penalty. It ended with a fluke.

"We obviously wanted to get the two points last night but in the bigger scheme of things, there's still 40 more games to go and we get another crack at them later on in the year. We're not going to worry about where we are now. We're going to worry about it come April."

In the last meeting on Dec. 3, the Blues led Chicago 2-1, only to fall 5-2 -- the last regulation home loss (9-0-2). They led Detroit 2-0 on Dec. 27 and had opportunities to make it a 3-0 game before the Red Wings rallied with a two-goal third and a 3-2 win.

So what do these results really prove?

"We still have a long ways to go," said veteran center Jason Arnott, who scored both goals Thursday. "When you get ahead on a team like that, you've got to learn that they're going to battle back and do everything they can to win the hockey game. We've got to learn to play with a lead. It hasn't been our positive suit this year, but we're getting better at it. Hopefully it continues, we learn from this and move on."

Hitchcock added: "Looking back on the game, we couldn't extend the 2-1 lead and then when it was 2-2, we had all the chances in the second and we couldn't capitalize on all the chances we had. I thought the second period was as good a period as we've played all year in this building. I thought it was outstanding. After the first five minutes, once we got through the nerves, I thought we played really well."

* Elliott reacts as an all-star -- Goalie Brian Elliott, who was chosen as the Blues' lone representative for the All-Star Game to be played Jan. 29 in Ottawa, spoke about the selection Friday after practice.

He was planning on spending the extended break in Wisconsin but suddenly had his plans rerouted.

"I was going to some cold weather anyway, so why not make it a little colder," Elliott joked. "It's pretty surprising. Coming into the season, I definitely didn't have that on my mind. It's an honor and I have to obviously thank the guys around me to get me to a spot where I was picked. There's a lot of deserving guys on this team, and I'm happy to represent the Blues there. I think it will be an awesome experience, and I'm going to try to soak it in as much as I can."

Ironically, all-star weekend will be played out in the place where Elliott was first drafted. He'll get to see and spend time with some former Sens teammates.

"It's definitely weird," said Elliott, who's 15-5-1 with a 1.68 GAA and .937 save percentage on the season. "I've got a lot of friends up there and obviously (the Senators) have four guys being selected. I'll be able to hang out with them again, and I'm looking forward to that. There's a lot of good fans up there.

"I think it'll be an exciting game, an exciting atmosphere. I'm looking forward to going back."

* Halak gets start -- Goalie Jaroslav Halak, who is 7-0-3 in his last 10 starts, gets the call against the Wild Saturday.

Halak, who is 10-7-5 with a 2.19 goals-against average and .914 save percentage, has not lost in regulation since a 3-2 home Nov. 22 against Los Angeles.

Canucks win battle of Western Conference heavyweights

2012-01-12T23:14:00.001-06:00

Daniel Sedin's OT goal drops Blues to 4th in conference; Arnott scores twice

By LOUIE KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- If T.J. Oshie could have a do-over, he' would have stayed on the ice.

Daniel Sedin made Oshie and the Blues pay for a momentary decision.

Sedin's one-timer from the right circle --- the 700th point of his career -- in overtime enabled the Vancouver Canucks to stay on top of the Western Conference with a 3-2 victory over the Blues Thursday night.

The Canucks (28-14-3), who have 59 points, carried a power play over from late in the third period and had a 4-on-3. A sequence happened when Blues defenseman broke his stick blocking a shot. Oshie gave his stick to Polak, leaving him without one. After hesitating at first, Oshie heard the Blues' bench yelling for a new stick or line change, and Oshie tried to make a quick move, thus leaving Polak and Alex Pietrangelo there to fend off the top-ranked power play.

(Getty Images)

The Blues' Matt D'Agostini (right) has a shot stopped by Canucks goalie

Robetto Luongo Thursday night.

The Canucks had full possession and Daniel Sedin ripped a shot past Brian Elliott after getting a feed from brother Henrik Sedin 46 seconds into overtime with David Backes in the penalty box.

"It's an area that we recently covered 5-on-4. Four-on-three, it wasn't very clear," Oshie said. "The bench was yelling to come. Right away I hesitated because I didn't want to leave the two d-men out there by themselves. I should have just stayed. With (the bench) yelling, I gotta know that I can't leave those two guys. I take that on my shoulders."

Blues coach Ken Hitchcock took the blame.

"That's on us. That's not on him. That's on us. That's our fault," Hitchcock said. "We have a philosophy of a broken stick and it's on us. We do it 5-on-4, we did it in Montreal (Tuesday) and got away with it. We shouldn't have done it 4-on-3. We take full responsibility on that and I told the players that, too.

"We don't want to do it 4-on-3 ... unless it's an obvious play where you can get (a stick) from the bench and the puck's up for grabs and we've got possession. When the other team has possession, we don't want to change."

Elliott, who fell to 9-1-1 on home ice, said it was a shot he could have had.

"It's a save I wanted to have," said Elliott, who was the lone Blues player named to the All-Star Game today. "What can you do? We were trying to get a new stick and they obviously had the power play in overtime and it gives you a good chance to score."

The Canucks, who made the most of 21 shots in the game, were more than happy to take what the Blues (25-12-6) gave them on the play.

"We sort of caught a break there, they broke a stick and wanted to make a change," Canucks coach Alain Vigneault said. "So we were able to catch them four-on-two.

"We found a way to win it in overtime."

It was all set up when Backes checked the Canucks' Alexandre Burrows into the corner boards with 19.9 seconds left in regulation. He got a boarding penalty on the play, a call the Blues didn't feel was worthy of as call.

Hitchcock was adament about it.

"I did not agree with the penalty at all ... not one bit," Hitchcock said. "I saw what I saw, it was a hockey play. I don't agree with the call."

The Canucks finished a four-game trip by going 3-1. They finished it off against a team they have the upmost respect for.

"They're a top team in this league," Daniel Sedin said of the Blues. "This is one of the toughest teams you can play right now. They were good even before the coaching change. Obviously, they're a little bit better now and they're going to be even better. Teams better watch out for them."

Burrows scored twice for the Canucks, and Roberto Luongo stopped 31 shots.

"They battled real hard tonight. Our execution was little off," Vigneault said of his team. "That's why you've got good goaltending and Louie gave us a chance with some big saves."

Jason Arnott scored twice for the Blues, who got 18 stops from Brian Elliott. They fell to 9-0-2 at home in their last 11 games and 17-3-3 overall at home. A regulation win would have moved them ahead of the Canucks into the top spot in the conference.

"Yeah, we came out the way we wanted to, played solid through the whole game," said Arnott, who has four goals in three games. "The chances that we had, we could have buried them. But Luongo stood in there. It's unfortunate, but we came out with a point. That's a positive thing for us. It's another learning experience for us when we've got a team on the ropes. We've got to keep them down and keep burying the puck."

Burrows helped the Canucks strike first after Daniel Sedin helped win a battle behind the net. The puck popped in front, where Burrows banged it past Elliott 2:48 into the game. The goal ended the Blues' shutout streak at 148:54, dating back to Jan. 5 against Edmonton.

Arnott struck back 1:02 later to get the Blues even. Ian Cole kept an errant clearing attempt in the Vancouver zone, Jamie Langenbrunner outworked his player in front and got the puck to Arnott, who slid it into an open net past Luongo.

Arnott netted his second of the game, the first two-goal game for him since Jan. 23, 2011 but not without a lot of help from Luongo. The goaltender kicked out Arnott's snap shot, then again foiled him on a backhand attempt -- but in an attempt to drop the puck and clear it himself, Luongo inadvertently whipped the puck into his own net to give the Blues a 2-1 lead 6:27 into the second period.

"I was a little upset that I didn't get much on the backhand because I saw a little bit of net open," Arnott said. "He just squeezed it and I went around the net and he just spun around and it came out from his arm or something and just went in. A lucky goal, but we'll take it."

(Getty Images)

The Blues' Carlo Colaiacovo (28) battles with Vancouver's Alexandre

Burrows (middle) for a loose puck Thursday night.

The Blues pressed to get a two-goal lead and had adequate scoring chances on a power play midway through the period but could not get the third goal.

"We had good chances on the power play and good chances 5-on-5 and we just didn't bury the puck," Arnott said. "You're going to have nights like that. The main thing is to stay positive through it, stay focused and just come back that much stronger the next game."

After withstanding the Blues' fury, Burrows got the Canucks even with his second of the game late in the period. Manny Malhotra was able to win a pinch-in, and Alexander Edler's shot from the point was tipped by Burrows and went past Elliott with 2:08 left in the period to make it 2-2.

"Alex is a real big part of our team," Vigneault said of Burrows. "He's a big part of our group."

The Blues had a great opportunity to regain the lead but Backes and Oshie were unsuccessful on shorthanded breakaways. Backes came in along the right side after picking off a pass at the blue line and tried to beat Luongo short side, but the Canucks goalie flashed the leather with 1:21 left in the period. Oshie, at the end of a shift, had tired legs and never managed to get any kind of shot off, as he tried to deke and eventually lost the puck with 34.1 seconds left.

"It's tough," Oshie said. "On Backes' (Luongo) made a good save. On mine, I just couldn't get the puck to settle down. I had him beat clean and the puck just fumbled on me.

"It's tough because those are the situations we've got to finish on, especially me and Backs. When we get chances, we've got to put the puck in the net."

The Blues will continue their five-game homestand Saturday. They're expected to get defenseman Barret Jackman (hip) and Alex Steen (concussion symptoms) back then but they've battled with less than a 100 percent lineup and keep staying on par with the top teams in the NHL.

"We've got more cavalry coming in. It's a good feeling," Hitchcock said. "How are you not going to walk out of here with a good feeling? They're a good team, they're a real good team. We were right there the whole way. ... I thought we had a lot of really good play. We got great play from Arnott's line when we needed it, and Backes was a horse. We had a lot of good players tonight."

Added defenseman Ian Cole, who filled a lot of Jackman's role.

"I think that we are one of the big boys in the conference," Cole said. "... We had the opportunities to bury them, and we didn't. Missed opportunities for sure. Lesson learned."

(1-12-12) Canucks-Blues Gameday Lineup

2012-01-12T13:44:00.000-06:00

By LOUIE KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- The Blues were hoping a couple key pieces would be ready for tonight's Western Conference heavyweight battle with the Vancouver Canucks but will have to wait at least one more game.

Defenseman Barret Jackman, who injured a hip Tuesday night in Montreal, and left wing Alex Steen, out since Dec. 27 with concussion symptoms, will miss tonight's game. Jackman took a twirl on the ice this morning's skate and Steen took part in the entire skate but coach Ken Hitchcock decided they will need one good day to practice and feels they will be ready for Saturday's home game with Minnesota.

"He'll play Saturday probably, but he's not ready for tonight," Hitchcock said of Jackman, who was checked into the side boards by the Canadiens' PK Subban. "Steen same thing. He feels OK, but he wants to have a full practice with us, so he'll play again Saturday.

"It'll be good to get those guys back on the weekend. That's kind of what we're hoping, both guys get a good practice in tomorrow and then they're ready to go."

Steen, who will miss a seventh consecutive game, feels he's close.

"I feel much better. It's a different injury," Steen said after skating. "It's my first time going through it. It's kind of a lonely feeling because you don't know what to expect or what the next day's going to bring. It's weird not having a timetable and not being able to push yourself through something but a lot of credit to the doctors and the training staff. Everybody's been really supportive and have done the right things.

"I felt like I could have played a while ago but sometimes you want to make sure everything is in order. ... I'm starting to feel really good, feel like myself again."

Added Hitchcock: "He's got no issues now. We haven't really had a practice. ... Having (Steen) get a good skate with the group tomorrow will be good for us and getting him back is going to be a huge boost for everybody. We're looking forward to it."

Asked who would pick up Jackman's competitive edge? Ian Cole.

"He plays with a real edge. He's a real feisty, competitive guy," Hitchcock said of Cole. "Plays with a real edge. He's got a little bit of meanness to him. It's who he is. He's a spirited player. We're asking a lot of him. He hasn't even played 50 games in the NHL and all of the sudden, he's playing against the other teams' best players.

"We're a week from getting healthy on the backend where we get both Jackman and (Kris) Russell back. But Cole's making a real niche for himself. He's a real competitive guy."

The Blues are looking to get Russell (groin) back into the lineup sometime in the next week. Also, forward Andy McDonald (concussion) continues to make progress but is still wearing a red no-contact jersey. He traveled with the team for the first time for Tuesday's game in Montreal, which is a good indicator he's ready to shed the no-contact jersey.

The Blues have been mixing and matching lineups for some time now with all the injuries but continue to persevere. With a win tonight, they can claim the top spot in the West.

"We're competitive," Hitchcock said. "We don't wow you off the rush, but we score off the grind. If we get some room off the grind, that's where we get all our goals and we're willing to work for our chances. This is a real competitive group right now."

- - -

Both teams have a tremendous amount of respect for one another heading into tonight's matchup.

The Blues (25-12-5) are 2-0 against Vancouver this season and the Canucks (27-14-3) are very aware of it.

"They've always played well defensively," Canucks winger Daniel Sedin said. "They've got a hard-working team. It's for first in the conference and it's fun to see St. Louis up there. They should be up there and they're finally here."

Added Canucks winger Cody Hodgson: "They're one of the top teams in the league, no question. They've got emerging real stars. They have a real good team that plays together and they've just been getting better since Hitchcock got there."

Canucks coach Alain Vigneault, a former Blues player, saw the makings of a good Blues hockey team.

"Because we had that playoff series against them a couple years back (in 2008-09), we knew there was a tremendous amount of potential that that team had, the great kids that that team had," Vigneault said. "At some point I remember comparing them to the Blackhawks. With the young players that they had in their lineup in that group, they would be like Chicago and they would be able to challenge for top billing.

"I'm not exactly sure what happened, but this doesn't surprise me at all. They've got a lot of talent and a lot of potential. They've got a good-sized team that right now is playing a good system and playing a real good way. Obviously right now, they are one of the best teams in the NHL."

Hitchcock said his team isn't where the top heavyweights are yet but continue to make progress.

"We're in the evaluation stage against good teams," Hitchcock said. "When you play against teams like Vancouver or Detroit, we're the ones that learn the most. They already have that knowledge. We want that knowledge.

"At the end of the day, we want to know what makes teams like Vancouver tick. We're hoping that they bring their 'A' game and they give us their best game so that we can evaluate our players. We respond when we're a little bit scared."

- - -

The Canucks will get defenseman Aaron Rome (broken thumb) back into the lineup tonight after missing 13 games blocking a shot Dec. 17 at Toronto.

It means Keith Ballard goes to the sidelines as a healthy scratch.

"We talked this morning and he said he's good to go, so we're going to put him in the lineup tonight," Vigneault said of Rome. "When Aaron is playing his game, he helps us in the backend with our puck movement. He's one of our defense that likes to move it, as Don Cherry would say, 'Easy Early,' and we like that with our group. He also brings a dimension to our power play."

The Canucks are also on the verge of getting left wing David Booth (knee) back in the lineup but Booth will not play tonight.

"As a player, you've got to feel that you're ready," Vigneault said of Booth. "Obviously if he hasn't come to see me, it's because he's not ready and we respect that.

"When he feels that he's ready to help this team, he's going to come and see me and tell me he's ready to go."

- - -

The NHL announced the remaining roster for this year's All-Star Game slated for Jan. 29 in Ottawa.

The Blues' lone representative is goalie Brian Elliott, who will start tonight against the Canucks. Elliott is 15-5-0 and is among the league leaders with a 1.62 goals-against average and .940 save percentage.

The Canucks will be represented by Daniel and Henrik Sedin as well as defenseman Alexander Edler and Hodgson, one of 12 rookies selected.

- - -

Tonight's Blues lineup against the Canucks:

David Perron-David Backes-Chris Stewart

Matt D'Agostini-Patrik Berglund-T.J. Oshie

Vladimir Sobotka-Jason Arnott-Jamie Langenbrunner

Ryan Reaves-Scott Nichol-B.J. Crombeen

Carlo Colaiacovo-Alex Pietrangelo

Ian Cole-Kevin Shattenkirk

Cade Fairchild-Roman Polak

Brian Elliott starts in goal; Jaroslav Halak is the backup.

The Blues will be looking for their first back to back to back regular season shutouts since Dec. 1-6, 1988 if they can blank the Canucks tonight. Elliott and Halak are each coming off shutout wins over Colorado (4-0) and Montreal (3-0).

Jackman (hip) and Steen (concussion symptoms) are day-to-day. McDonald (concussion), Russell (groin) and defenseman Kent Huskins (ankle) are on injured reserve. Winger Chris Porter is the healthy scratch.

The Blues will observe a moment of silence prior to tonight's puck drop for former gemeral manager Ron Caron, who passed away at the age of 82 in Montreal Monday night.

- - -

The Canucks' probable lineup against the Blues:

Daniel Sedin-Henrik Sedin-Alexandre Burrows

Mason Raymond-Ryan Kesler-Cody Hodgson

Chris Higgins-Maxim Lapierre-Jannik Hansen

Mike Duco-Manny Malhotra-Dale Weise

Dan Hamhuis-Kevin Bieksa

Alexander Sulzer-Alexander Edler

Andrew Alberts-Aaron Rome

Roberto Luongo gets the start in goal. Cory Schneider is the backup.

The Canucks will be without Booth (knee), who is close to returning to the lineup. Defenseman Sami Salo (concussion) is out indefinitely, as is left winger Aaron Volpatti (shoulder). Center Andrew Ebbett (shoulder) is out for the rest of the regular season. Ballard is a healthy scratch.

Battle for first place

2012-01-11T21:34:00.004-06:00

With win over Canucks tonight, Blues can grab top spot in Western Conference

By LOUIE KORAC
HAZELWOOD, Mo. -- It would have been hard to predict in October what January would bring, but suffice to say that nobody could have predicted when the Blues and Vancouver Canucks would clash, the top slot in the Western Conference would be up for grabs.

Obviously there's still a long way to go, as both teams are beginning the second half of their respective seasons, but when the Blues (25-12-5) play host to the Canucks (27-14-3) today at 7 p.m. (FSN, KMOX 1120-AM), it's a chance for the home team to grab the top spot in the West with a regulation win.

For the Canucks, the defending Western Conference champions, this is no surprise that they are in the upper echelon. But for the Blues, who have one playoff appearance under their belts since the 2004-05 lockout, this is even a bigger surprise considering the fact that they have changed coaches and were 6-7-0 at one point and languishing in 14th place.

Now is a chance to prove they belong against a team that is 9-3-1 in its last 13 games.

(Getty Images)

The Blues have been trending up since Ken Hitchcock (top) took over as

head coach, going 19-5-5 in that stretch.

"From our standpoint, you play good teams, you want to be evaluated," said Blues coach Ken Hitchcock, whose team is 19-5-5 since taking over for Davis Payne Nov. 6. "You want to see your own team play against good teams. Those big four in the West (Vancouver, Chicago, Detroit and San Jose), any time we play against them, we want to know how we measure up. What areas are we good at? What areas do we need to work at? So for me, for a team trying to climb up the ladder ... I don't look at the points where a team's at. I look where you want to be at the end of the day.

"Any of these teams that have had histories of long runs in the playoffs, they know how to win. So we want to measure ourselves and see where we are against them. That's what gets me excited. The players are the same way. Any time a Detroit or San Jose, Vancouver, any of those division leaders from before, Chicago ... you want to see how you play."

Against the 'Big Four,' as Hitchcock likes to dub them, the Blues are 7-3-0 against those teams, including 2-0 against the Canucks this season, winning 3-0 in Vancouver Oct. 26 and 3-2 in St. Louis on Nov. 4.

"It was 30 games ago, so it's hard to evaluate because the Canucks are really dialed in now," Hitchcock said. "They're a different team than they were after 15 games. They're playing like they did all last year.

"For me, they know how to play and it will be a good test for us. It'll be a good test from an individual compete standpoint. It'll also be a good test for the details of your game because Vancouver makes you pay if you don't have good details of your game."

"They've climbed the standings pretty quickly," defenseman Alex Pietrangelo said of the Canucks. "They're playing pretty good hockey right now. Another win last night. We know it's going to be a challenge, but we like to rise to those challenges."

Added winger T.J. Oshie: "I didn't even know we played them until I got to the rink today. So, obviously it's going to be a big challenge. We've had success against them in the past. I think if we get away from the way we played them before, they'll eat us up."

The success the Blues have had against Vancouver in recent seasons, a large part of it is containing twins Henrik and Daniel Sedin. Henrik leads the Canucks in scoring with 50 points (39 assists) and Daniel is second in scoring with 47 points (18 goals), but in four games against St. Louis last season, they netted just two points each and have none in the two meetings this season, while Ryan Kesler (12 goals, 19 assists this season) was held to one goal in four games against the Blues and has one goal in two games this season.

"I think we just play them hard," Pietrangelo said. "We've got Backs (David Backes) and that line is shutting down pretty much every team that we're playing right now. I think our D are doing a pretty good job. It's just one of those things where we play them hard and we're able to shut them down. That's what we're going to have to do tomorrow."

Added Hitchcock: "For us, you look at who has the potential to beat you. The attitude of any team when you're playing against good teams who are really good teams, you just don't want their top players having big nights against you, so there's a better focus on that area. ... Even when you have a good night, they're still going to get lots of chances, they're still going to get lots of scoring opportunities. The biggest thing for us is don't let them on the power play. Don't be careless and don't let them on the power play. If you can negate that, I think against any good team, you have a fighting chance."

The Blues, winners of four straight, will put a 9-0-1 mark in the last 10 home games against Vancouver. They own an NHL-best 17 wins (17-3-2) on home ice.

There's also that four-game sweep at the hands of the Canucks, who beat the Blues in their only playoff appearance since the lockout when they beat the Blues 4-0 in 2008-09.

"I think that's why it's going to be such a good matchup because we've ramped it up a lot since we've played them as well," said Oshie, second on the Blues behind Backes (31) with 28 points. "It's always a battle. I think, for me, ever since that first year in the playoffs, when we went four and out, there's always been a little sense of rivalry, a little sense of payback. It doesn't really go away if it's the only playoff berth you've ever had. We're going to play them hard, but we've got to play them smart."

The Canucks know what they are up against, and that the Blues are to be taken seriously.

"I was a little surprised because after our playoff series with them, I thought they would be a powerhouse," Henrik Sedin said of the Blues. "But they were never able to take that jump and I think it came from having a lot of young guys coming up at same time. It's tough to get the guys playing night in and night out and knowing what it takes. That's what they have right now.

"I absolutely think for sure they're going to make the playoffs (this season). They're a tough team to play and I can't see them missing the playoffs. They're playing extremely well, as well as anyone in the league. It looks like 'Hitch' is getting the best out of that group."

(Getty Images)

Brian Elliott (center) will look to go 3-0 against Vancouver when he gets

the start tonight in a battle for the top spot in the Western Conference.

Brian Elliott (15-5-0, 1.62 goals-against average and .940 save percentage), who is coming off a 4-0 shutout win over Colorado Saturday, will get back in goal after Jaroslav Halak blanked Montreal Tuesday. Elliott was in goal for the two previous meetings between the team this season.

A sellout and crowd is expected tonight at Scottrade Center, and Blues fans are expected to be boisterous for a game with such meaning because let's face it, there haven't been a lot of meaningful games here since the lockout.

"There's something added on the line there," Pietrangelo said. "Certainly we want to be first and they want to hold that spot. But it's just another game for us. We've got to worry about ourselves and play hard.

"We have two wins against them this year, but it's a different team. It's a team that's playing really well and so are we, so it's going to be an interesting game."

(1-12-12) BLUES NOTEBOOK

2012-01-11T18:42:00.001-06:00

Steen could return tonight; Jackman

questionable; McDonald, Russell progressing

By LOUIE KORAC
HAZELWOOD, Mo. -- He last played in a game on Dec. 27 and scored a goal in Detroit. That was the last time Blues fans would see Alex Steen ... until Wednesday.

The Blues' winger was back on the ice after missing six games with concussion-like symptoms, believed to have suffered Dec. 26 in a home game against Dallas. He was working with assistant coach Scott Mellanby as the team took the day off the ice following Tuesday's 3-0 win at Montreal.

But Steen, who is tied for second on the team (T.J. Oshie) with 13 goals and third in points (24) behind Oshie and leader David Backes, passed his baseline test while the team was in Montreal after suffering his first concussion of any sort. If all went well after Wednesday's skate, his first jaunt on the ice since the injury, and he's able to get through the morning skate today before the Blues host the Vancouver Canucks, there's a chance of Steen getting into the lineup tonight.

"We'll see how I feel. It's a weird injury," Steen said in the locker room after skating. "You can't set a date or time or anything like that. It's basically how you react, how you feel.

"I've come a long way in the last little while. At least the guys have been home, so you get to see the guys. ... The last two days have been real long."

When asked if it was realistic to get into a game after only a couple days on the ice, Steen said, "We'll see. It all depends on how I feel, right? We'll talk to the docs and coaches obviously. For me, I just gotta feel right. If I feel right ... I haven't been out that long."

Added coach Ken Hitchcock: "He'll skate with the group tomorrow. If he does well today, we'll see. So he's back on the ice. We'll see how he feels today after the skate. ... We'll see how he feels today after getting worked hard."

Steen's been walking his "pooches" as he calls his dogs as well as riding a stationary bike but no weight involved. Getting on the ice is the true test.

"Yeah, it's pretty limited. You don't want to go backwards," he said. "You try to have some sort of activity in your daily life. ... Just kind of moving your legs. It's just a small, minor sweat really.

"It's nice to be out on the ice. That way, you're not looking for symptoms anywhere else. If it happens, it's going to be out on the ice."

* Jackman questionable -- Defenseman Barret Jackman, who injured his hip Tuesday in Montreal, is questionable for tonight's game against the Canucks.

Jackman, who's played in all 42 games this season and has six points, was injured in the second period after a heavy check by Canadiens defenseman PK Subban that sent Jackman hard into the boards. He did not play the remainder of the game but was on the bench for the third period.

"He went for rehab today," Hitchcock said of Jackman. "... He was stiff and sore, but hopefully nothing too bad. We'll see.

"As Jacks was going in there, I think he had an 'oh no' moment. He was in a vulnerable position, speed coming at him on the right angle. He was in a tough spot.

"He's not one of these guys that's going to bail out on the puck. That's not his style."

As insurance, the Blues recalled defenseman Cade Fairchild from Peoria and send winger Evgeny Grachev to the Rivermen late Wednesday afternoon.

Hitchcock is hoping Jackman is just day to day if he has to miss any games at all.

"You'd miss Jacks because he plays with a real competitive edge and drags other people along with him, but we've had to survive single games," Hitchcock said. "Knowing Jacks, it'll take a lot for him to be out. But we'd miss him."

Added defenseman Alex Pietrangelo: "He plays important minutes for us. He's a veteran guy. He's important to this team. We're all crossing our fingers right now."

Fairchild has played in four games with the Blues this season with no points. Grachev has played in 24 games, with one goal and four assists.

* McDonald close to changing colors -- Since returning to the ice Dec. 23, veteran forward Andy McDonald has been skating with the proverbial red no-contact jersey.

McDonald traveled with the team for the first time, accompanying it to Montreal and coach Ken Hitchcock liked what he saw, leading many to believe McDonald, out since the third game of the season with a concussion, is close to practicing with a regular jersey.

If that's the case, he could rejoin the lineup within a few weeks.

"Andy was very good yesterday," Hitchcock said. "Yesterday was a hard, small-ice game and Andy was good in the game. Andy was alert and competitive in the small-ice game that was played yesterday at the Bell Centre.

"We'll see when the sweater comes off, because once the sweater comes off, then there's still time that he has to practice as a full-contact person."

* Russell return imminent? -- Defenseman Kris Russell, out with a groin strain suffered Dec. 27 at Detroit, is also back on the ice and skating towards a return to the lineup.

Russell, who has five points in 21 games since being acquired by the Blues for Nikita Nikitin on Nov. 11, has skated for the past couple days and could be eyeing a return in a week or so.

"So far, so good. Every day it feels like it's getting better. That's all you can ask," said Russell, who originally was diagnosed to be out three weeks. "I've got to be smart about it. It can reinjure real quick if I don't take care of it. You always want to play. It's tough watching, but when the guys are playing so well, it's good to see the boys win. I'll get back in the lineup as soon as I can."

Hitchcock seemed pleased with Wednesday's results.

"Today was a good workout for him," Hitchcock said of Russell. "Today was a big step for me. I was happy with what I saw. It was good. He skated hard today. That's a good sign."

* Tough decisions -- With the returns of Steen, McDonald, Russell and even defenseman Kent Huskins on the horizon, the Blues and Hitchcock have some tough decisions to make as far as who plays, who sits and if anyone stays here or goes to Peoria.

Hitchcock said it's a good problem to have.

"I'm really matter-of fact. To me, it's like competition for ice time, competition for a top-nine forward role is good for the team," Hitchcock said. "It's not good for the individual, it makes people nervous at times, but it's really good for the team. It keeps people alert, it makes you earn your ice time, it makes people hungry and it's very good for the team. If players don't understand that, then they get pushed aside.

"The fight for ice time within the group makes for a very healthy working environment. What it does is over time, people push each other in a good way. I know that when it starts going, it's uncomfortable, but it just makes you hungry and stay in and want to be part of the group. For me as a coach, it used to really concern me. I used to coach when I first started, I was looking over my shoulder (wondering) who's parents am I making angry and stuff like that when I first started. I don't have any of that anymore. It's whatever's best for the team."

Halak returns to Montreal for first time since trade

2012-01-09T18:06:00.001-06:00

Emotions are imminent for netminder; D'Agostini also visits for first time

By LOUIE KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- How often does a player that gets traded get a farewell autograph session? Seems rather odd, but for Jaroslav Halak, the adulation received from fans was borderline frenzied when he played for the Montreal Canadiens.

It was supposed to be a simple gathering after he was stunningly traded to the St. Louis Blues for prospects Lars Eller and Ian Schultz. Just a few hundred people were supposed to get one last glimpse of the hero that nearly carried their beloved Canadiens to the Stanley Cup finals in 2010.

However, this is Montreal. It was anything but simple.

(Getty Images)

Jaroslav Halak then -- as a member of the Montreal Canadiens.

There was a charge of $20 per autograph that benefited Ste. Justine Children's Hospital for the session that took place at La Capsule Sportive store inside Fairview Mall in Pointe-Claire, Quebec. Organizers expected roughly 500 to attend.

Well, they got their 500 ... times 10.

Five-thousand fans lined up five-plus hours before the session began that stretched a mile wide that doubled by the day's conclusion. By the end of the day in which Halak stayed 90 minutes past the scheduled two-hour time, security guards needed to have the session wrapped up because the mall was closing. By day's end, Halak helped raise $22,000.

This is how much Montreal loved Halak. One local newspaper made a depiction of Halak as Jesus Christ after eliminating both heavy favorites Washington and Pittsburgh in the same playoff season. Another newspaper depicted Halak as an acrobat from the Cirque du Soleil.

For the first time since the trade, Halak returns to Montreal, where he will be in goal with the surging Blues, who bring a 24-12-5 record into Tuesday's matchup at the Bell Centre against the struggling Canadiens (16-18-7).

Halak, who has been on a tear himself like his teammates, is 6-0-3 in his last nine starts and couldn't have timed his return any better ... playing by far his best hockey of the season. He has a 1.95 goals-against average and .929 save percentage in that span.

"It is kind of perfect, but we'll see how the game will go ... I can never forget about the great times that I had there," said Halak, who is 9-7-5 overall with a 2.29 GAA and .911 save percentage. "Every game is a different game. One game, the bounces go your way and some games, the bounces just go in. We'll see.

"Obviously if I get the start, I'll try to do my best. It's another game and two points on the line. I had a great time there, but this is my home right now and I just want to win for us."

There's no question "if" Halak starts. Coach Ken Hitchcock wouldn't dare go with Brian Elliott, who blanked Colorado 4-0 Saturday night, when this will mark Halak's first trip back to the team that drafted him in the ninth round (271st overall) in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.

"This is once-in-a lifetime," Hitchcock said. "Ideal situation, you want to support the shutout (by Elliott Saturday) ... I mean come on, first time going back. I think in fairness to Jaroslav he had a heck of a time there. I think it would be dismissive of me to not recognize that."

It will be the first return to Montreal but not the first game against the Habs for Halak. He beat them 4-1 in St. Louis last season, outdueling Carey Price, who the Canadiens chose to keep rather than Halak.

"It was a great time (in Montreal)," Halak said. "I got traded and we didn't have to go there last year. They came here and I think that was perfect. ... It's going to be emotional, but at the same time, probably less than it would have been last season.

"I still have a few friends (on the team), but when we play against them, there's no friends on the ice. I'm looking forward to seeing some friends off the ice. We'll see how it goes. I can't wait to go back in the building."

(Getty Images)

Jaroslav Halak now -- as a member of the St. Louis Blues.

When the Bratislava, Slovakia native Halak began the season, he got off to a miserable 1-6 start. His goals-against reached a season-worst 3.53 and his save percentage wasn't any better at .835. And with Elliott putting up Vezina Trophy-like numbers, fan pressure began to mount that Elliott should supplant Halak as the No. 1 netminder. But the 26-year-old Halak never wavered, got his game going and is now in top form.

"He parks it now. He doesn't bring it with him the next day," Hitchcock said of Halak's starts. "He's learned that it's over. There was a period of time where it wasn't successful, he'd carry it with him the next day at practice, and it wasn't healthy for him or healthy for us."

Added Halak: "After the really bad start I had, I needed to keep it more simple. ... I needed to have more fun.

"I think the goalie is all about how fast you can forget about bad goals, bad starts you have. Every time we have a bad game, we cannot think about it too much. ... We (recently) lost three straight games and we just needed to get out of it. Same thing with me, if I lose a few games in a row, just get out of it. I want to make some stops for the guys. When they see that the goalie is stopping the puck, they have confidence, too."

Not only is Halak returning for the first time, winger Matt D'Agostini is as well. The Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario native was dealt to the Blues by Montreal in 2010 for prospect Aaron Palushaj. Winger David Perron, who hails from nearby Sherbrooke, Quebec, also relishes trips back home to face the Canadiens.

"I was disappointed when we couldn't go there last year," said D'Agostini, who netted a goal and assisted on one in the Blues' 4-1 win over the Habs last season. "I wanted to get back, but it'll be an exciting time to get back there and see the guys. I like playing against them. ... It doesn't feel as big as the moment I thought it would be. It's just another game. It's just going to be fun going back into the city, seeing the guys and playing in the Bell Centre again."

Maybe it won't be as big a moment, but the calendar was marked.

"It's one I've marked down for a while," D'Agostini said. "... There's always a little motivation, but there's nothing much there. It's part of the business. Guys go to different teams all the time. I'm happy here in St. Louis. I've been here for a while now. I'm just doing my thing."

Whether he's booed or cheered when the Blues take the ice Tuesday night, Halak said the thought never crossed his mind.

"No, not at all," he said. "I don't know if the people will boo me or cheer. It's up to them.

"I will not judge anybody. Obviously they want to win the game and they want their team to win. We want the same. We want to win the game when we go there. That's what we'll try to do."

* NOTES -- The Blues announced on Monday they have signed enforcer Ryan Reaves to a two-year contract worth $600,000 per season. Reaves, who signed a one-year, two-way contract last summer as a restricted free agent, received a one-way deal this go around. He's making $525,000 this season. ... Defenseman Ian Cole is eligible to return to the lineup tonight in Montreal after serving a three-game suspension following a hit to the head of Detroit's Justin Abdelkader in a game on Dec. 31.

Blues have positioned themselves to be playoff team

2012-01-08T21:53:00.001-06:00

At midway point, they're tied for division lead,

tied for second-most points in conference

By LOUIE KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- In their 44th year of existence, the Blues concluded the midway point to the 2011-12 season Saturday night with a resounding victory.

They also finished it with the fifth-best point total in team history.

The previous four teams all made the playoffs, which bodes well for this version of Blues hockey.

What makes the Blues' 24-12-5 record impressive is that they've been able to accomplish it with 1) a coaching change and 2) a less than 100 percent lineup.

Ken Hitchcock, who replaced Davis Payne on Nov. 6 after the Blues labored out of the gates with a 6-7-0 record, has gotten the most out of a lineup that he felt needed some tweaking in order to play up to its strengths.

But after Saturday's 4-0 thorough beatdown of a red-hot Colorado Avalanche team that had gone 9-1 in its last 10 games, the Blues let it be known that they have arrived.

Imagine how much better they can be when they get some key missing pieces back to the lineup.

"Yeah. Excited ... really excited," Hitchcock said. "You don't want to cross your fingers, but I've seen this lineup for three or four practices.

"When Andy (McDonald's) here and when Steener (Alex Steen) was in, we could really tromp. But we've got to be careful because, who knows. They come back, somebody goes out. But I've seen two or three practices where these guys were in and man, we could really tromp it. If we ever get close to health, it will be really interesting to see what we can do."

The Blues have played much of this season without McDonald, who has been dealing with a concussion and now have seen Steen out the last five games with concussion symptoms. Others to miss extended time because of injury include B.J. Crombeen, Kent Huskins, Carlo Colaiacovo, Vladimir Sobotka and Kris Russell. They did get David Perron back from a concussion after missing 13 months and while they continue to build towards that full-proof lineup, the Blues won't be content with what they've accomplished so far.

"I still think there's definitely some growth there," said defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk, one of the promising young players the Blues have high hopes for who has six goals and 22 points. "We still have some work to do as far as when teams are pressing and when we get a little adversity our way; kind of handling it and sticking to our game plan.

"We're a young team and I think these older guys that have come in this year (Jason Arnott, Jamie Langenbrunner and Scott Nichol) have really helped us to kind of talk through those situations. We're only going upwards from here."

The 2000-01 Blues had 61 points halfway through the season (28-8-4-1) and finished with 103 and a date in the Western Conference final, where it lost to the Avalanche in five games. The 1980-81 team had 58 points (26-9-6), the 1999-2000 team had 54 points (25-12-4) and won a Presidents' Trophy with 114 and 1994-95 team also had 54 points (24-11-6).

But this brand of Blues hockey is beginning to put its stamp on this season. Some may be surprised they are doing this except ... well, the Blues.

"I don't even think like that. I'm grinding like they are," Hitchcock said. "My job is to get every ounce out of every player. I'm relentless in that.

"I think the thing that I'm happiest about is that the buy-in has started. I don't think the buy-in's finished, but the buy-in has started. I think the players see a reward for doing the things we do at practice. The same things we're doing at games, we're doing at practice. There were times there were rewards for it and there were times there weren't. But when you see games like (Saturday night) or the last three games and you see the reward of all the work we're putting in practice, it becomes easy for me to sell that."

When the 60-year-old Hitchcock took over for someone 20 years his younger, it caught not only the players' ears but their eyes as well. A coach that has a Stanley Cup and 500-plus wins to his resume.

"(Hitchcock's) ability to convince us to pay attention to details and he really wants us just to play the game right for a full 60 minutes," said goalie Brian Elliott, the surprise of not only the team but the NHL with his 15-5-0 record, 1.62 goals-against average and .940 save percentage. "Coming in and having his hockey knowledge, I think we trust in it. I think it shows out there."

The Blues have gotten the most of not only Elliott but Jaroslav Halak, who is 6-0-3 in his last nine starts after an inauspicious 1-6 beginning to his season. Their defensive unit is among the stingiest in the league (allowing a Western Conference-least 89) and the team's 5-on-5 play is fourth in the league and plus-20 on the season.

The Blues believe they are among the elite teams in the league. The goal is to stay there now.

"We had some ups and downs, but right now, we're trying to make that next step to being an elite team," said winger T.J. Oshie, having a career year with 13 goals and 28 points and is on pace for career-high numbers. "You see those teams that are at the top every year, they know how to finish teams. They know how to take that next step and elevate their game."

David Backes leads the team with 29 points, but that's one area the Blues would like to improve upon is goal production. They're averaging 2.61 goals per game but in its last three games -- all wins -- they've potted four goals. The special teams continues to climb (they were 30th in both categories), as the power play has risen to a season-best 22nd after spending much of the season in last place, and the penalty killing unit is 18th. The team has the most home wins (17) in the NHL (the Blues are 17-3-2 at Scottrade Center) but can use a boost on that 7-9-3 road mark.

"I'm starting to see players start to elevate their game where individually I thought we could go there," Hitchcock said. "I think we have a long ways to go as a team. I think there's more potential here, a lot more. I think maturity ... and I said to the players competitive composure's going to be a challenge against good teams and on the road. We've got to show that if we want to be a top team."

One thing is for certain though: in Hitchcock the Blues believe.

"Under Hitch, we know what we have," Shattenkirk said. "If we stick to it, we'll be fine."

Blues dominate Avalanche, jump into first place in Central

2012-01-07T23:19:00.003-06:00

4-0 victory also vaults St. Louis into second in West at midpoint of season

By LOUIE KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- They’re at the midway point of the season, 41 games into a grueling 82-game schedule, but when the Blues wake up today, they see that the teams in the Central Division are in their rear view mirror and the top team in the Western Conference (Vancouver) is within sight.

Something special is beginning to form at 14th and Clark Streets in front of Scottrade Center. The Blues are making it well known that they will be a prominent player in the NHL this season. Their numbers at the midway point can't be argued.

After a dominating 4-0 victory over the Colorado Avalanche Saturday night, the Blues (24-12-5 at at the midpoint of the season) are now in first place in the Central Division this late in the season for the the first time since January of 2001, they've climbed into second place in the Western Conference, two points behind the Vancouver Canucks and the consensus response:

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Kevin Shattenkirk (left) celebrates a goal Saturday night with teammate

Matt D'Agostini in Saturday's 4-0 victory.

Nobody's content.

It's quite the remarkable story considering this was the first team in the league to make a coaching change 13 games into the season and were in 14th place in the conference.

"Been here, done that," said Blues coach Ken Hitchcock. "I know what's out there. Some big storms ahead."

Added winger T.J. Oshie, who assisted on two goals: "They said it there (about first place) at the end. I didn't even think about it. It feels good but a long way to go."

This is the attitude of a team craving success, as it's only been to the playoffs once since the 2004-05 lockout.

"That only lasts so long in the Western Conference unless you continue to play well and get points every night," captain David Backes said. "That's our goal."

Blues were catching a red-hot Avalanche (23-19-1) on back-to-back nights. So the best advice going in was to jump on a road-weary team early.

Mission accomplished, as the Blues blitzed Colorado with their own avalanche -- something the Avs had been doing to their opponents.

Kevin Shattenkirk knocked in a goal and assisted on another, Oshie, Alex Pietrangelo and Vladimir Sobotka chipped in two assists each as the Blues cooled off the Avs, who were 9-1 in their last 10.

"The big difference tonight was it wasn't one or two lines, it wasn't three lines," Oshie said. "It was all four lines. We were rolling them over."

Patrik Berglund, David Backes and Jason Arnott scored goals for the Blues. Brian Elliott had a light night in goal, stopping 15 shots for his fifth shutout of the season and 14th of his career as the Blues won their 17th home game this season, an NHL-best. They're now 17-3-2 at the friendly confines of Scottrade Center and 9-0-1 in their last 10 at home.

But Hitchcock said for the team to continue to move forward, they have to improve on a 7-9-3 road mark.

"We are playing well at home. We want to continue that," Hitchcock said, "but we have to have a better record on the road. We’ve played very well on the road. We haven’t seen it come out in wins. we have to start to see that is we want to be the top team at the end of the day. You have to be .500 or better on the road if you want to be a top team. We’ve got to start seeing reward for the good play."

The Blues improved to 19-0-0 on the season scoring three goals or more and are 18-1-1 when holding a lead after two periods.

Colorado came in winners of 10 of its last 12 and 13 of 18 to climb back into the Western Conference playoff chase. The Avs buzzsaw here. Former Blues defenseman Erik Johnson, part of the trade with Colorado going the other way from St. Louis, left the game in the first period with a reported hand injury and did not return.

"The team’s been playing well and they play with a lot of energy and they play a north-south game and they play physical so they’ve obviously done a good job there," Avs coach Joe Sacco said of the Blues.

Added goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who stopped 35 shots: "You’ve got to give them credit for what they’re doing right now and we’ve got to take a page from their book right now."

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Alex Pietrangelo's blast led to a David Backes goal in the second period of

a 4-0 victory over Colorado Saturday night.

Berglund opened the scoring as Matt D'Agostini's back-check forced a Kyle Quincey turnover in the Avs' zone. D'Agostini fed Oshie in the slot and he ripped a one-timer that caught a piece of Berglund and past Giguere 3:20 into the game.

Shattenkirk, a former Avs defenseman that was part of the blockbuster trade last February, notched his fifth point in five games against his former team when his shot from the right point through traffic snuck past Giguere inside the near post at 12:21 of the first, just as a Colorado penalty had expired, for a 2-0 lead.

Shattenkirk couldn’t hide his pleasure to once again bite the hand that once fed him.

"There’s a little something extra there every game," Shattenkirk said. "There’s obviously a point you want to prove. I think Chris (Stewart) will tell you the same thing.

"You really want to play well and show them that things are going great here in St. Louis and we’re happy to be a part of it."

The Blues continued their onslaught in the second period, as Arnott and Backes buried power-play goals.

Arnott was on the receiving end of Shattenkirk's hard rush into the Colorado zone, as he was able to wire a shot from the high slot just under the cross bar 1:20 into the second for a 3-0 lead. Backes then collected Pietrangelo's shot from the point on another power play and hammered it into an empty side 9:58 into the period for a 4-0 lead, as the Blues were outshooting the overwhelmed Avalanche 28-9 through two periods.

The Blues' power play, which came in 24th in the NHL after scoring twice on Tuesday, is now five for its last 13.

"We caught a team on back-to-back and I thought we took full advantage of it," Hitchcock said. "I thought we had a lot of good players. I thought our transition game was as good as it’s been. Our power play, we’ve simplified it here in the last month and it’s really been effective. Hopefully, we can continue down that path and play as well on the road as we have at home."

Now they can focus on the second half of the season, which begins Tuesday in Montreal.

* NOTES -- After the game, the Blues send defenseman Cade Fairchild back to Peoria. Fairchild was on recall and played three games filling in for Ian Cole, who is eligible to return Tuesday at Montreal after being suspended for three games.