Blues trim roster after OT win over Stars

Team assigns 18 to AHL Chicago; Berglund power play goal in overtime wins it

By LOUIE KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- After Saturday's 3-2 overtime win over the Dallas Stars, Blues coach Ken Hitchcock and his staff had the dubious task of trimming his roster down to near-NHL ready when the team reconvenes on Monday morning.

The Blues did just that when they assigned 18 players to the American Hockey League's Chicago Wolves, who open training camp on Monday.

Those assigned were forwards Cody Beach, Alexandre Bolduc, Pat Cannone, Jacob Doty, Samuel Henley, Christian Hanson, Corey Locke, Mark Mancari, Tyler Shattock, Yannick Veilleux and Sebastian Wannstrom, defensemen Cade Fairchild, Evan Oberg, Brett Ponich, Brent Regner, David Shields and Taylor Chorney and goaltender Jordan Binnington.

(Photo by Mark Buckner/St. Louis Blues)

The Blues' Jake Allen (34) and Ian Cole (28) were key players in a 3-2

overtime win over the Dallas Stars Saturday night.

That leaves the Blues with 31 players (including three goalies) that will compete for the 23 spots that will open the season Oct. 3 at home vs. Nashville.

"We're into that now," Hitchcock said after Saturday's game regarding roster cuts. "We're right down to the players that are left (and) are gonna build a team (with). ... It was good to evaluate off a good energy (game). This was the most energy we've played with in the preseason, which was good to see. This lineup played quick, fast. I thought we got better evaluations on guys and so now we get down to who's going to play on opening night. We're going to start with six lines and 10 defensemen on Monday morning and three goalies and just have at it and see where we go."

The Blues got goals Saturday from Patrik Berglund, who shoveled in a backhand 2:07 into overtime with the Blues' second power play goal, Jaden Schwartz and Alex Pietrangelo, who chipped in a goal and an assist as he played on back-to-back nights.

Pietrangelo played nearly 27 minutes in each of the two games, playing with Jay Bouwmeester Friday and Jordan Leopold Saturday.

"It's one way to get into the season, playing back-to-back right away," Pietrangelo said. "We managed the minutes tonight, felt pretty good. Obviously playing with Leo, too. We took a couple shifts getting used to each other, but overall pretty good game for everyone."

Hitchcock said of Pietrangelo: "I think he's better. I think he's more composed from the red line in. We want to get him back to where he was from the red line back with the puck so he's making those crisp, outlet passes. Those are timing things which are going to take another week or so. He's a big horse with that type of mobility. He pulls away from people and that's going to be a big part of our game.

"Overall, I think this will be good for his growth. He's in great shape."

The Blues are left with forwards Ty Rattie, Dmitrij Jaskin, Keith Aucoin, Sergey Andronov, defensemen Joel Edmundson and Jani Hakanpaa as well as veteran d-man Ryan Whitney. They're also keeping Jake Allen around for the time being. Allen stopped 22 shots in the victory, his second this preseason. He also backstopped a 6-5 win in a shootout last Sunday in Dallas.

"Tonight I felt confident," Allen said. "I felt back to my old form. I had a real good week of practice. Just getting some more ice time really helped."

The Blues scored a pair of 4-on-3 goals, including Pietrangelo's game-tying effort with 4:41 remaining in the game off Derek Roy's feed from behind the net, beating Kari Lehtonen with a one-timer upstairs.

"That's why we brought him here," Pietrangelo said of Roy. "A guy like him in, make plays like that. I knew it was coming to me or Leo. It was a great pass. It makes it easy for us when we've got a guy like that back there."

(Photo by Mark Buckner/St. Louis Blues)

The Blues' Chris Stewart (25) looks to get off a shot during Saturday's

preseason win over the Dallas Stars at Scottrade Center.

 And then again in overtime, Pietrangelo's point shot from the left side was high and off the glass but the puck took a fortuitous bounce for the Blues and Berglund was in the slot to knock a backhand in to end it as the Blues improved to 2-1-1 in the preseason.

"Good starts to those 4-on-3's. We were 2-for-2," Pietrangelo said. "We tried a few different things we went over before the period if we got in that situation. Obviously it worked, scoring two goals.

"I thought we played pretty well tonight. We had a lot of young guys in. They played real well. Obviously some mistakes here and there, but to come up with two points, can't complain."

Hitchcock was more than impressed with the guys trying to make a good showing to stay here.

"The guy I was impressed with tonight was Beach," Hitchcock said. "For coming from so far back, a significant injury (shoulder), not playing ... even very many games in the American League last year, I thought Beachy was ... he more than held his own. Andronov has been impressive for me. He's come out of nowhere. Jaskin's getting better every day. he's really a horse. He just plays an NHL game. I thought this was (Ian) Cole's best night, too. He had a good night, too. There's been a lot of young guys or more even unknown guys that have come up and done a great job for us."

(9-21-13) Stars-Blues Preseason Gameday Lineup

By LOUIE KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- Defenseman Jani Hakanpaa may play his final preseason game tonight, he may stick among the final 30 that Blues coach Ken Hitchcock is looking to whittle his team down to by the end of today.

But regardless of what happens, Hakanpaa will take in his third preseason game tonight at Scottrade Center against the Dallas Stars (7 p.m., KY-98.1 FM) and have fun with it.

The Blues' 2010 fourth-round pick has had a blast in his first camp with the Blues, and instead of returning to his native Finland to resume his career, he will head to Chicago of the American Hockey League with the hope that he took in a lot with the parent club.

"It's been a learning experience for me just trying to learn all the systems from the older guys, learning small stuff, small tricks and just how to be better," said Hakanpaa, who will be paired with Taylor Chorney tonight. "It's been a really good experience for me, the first camp. This is a lot different than we have back home in Finland. It's been a lot of fun."

Hakanpaa, who has an assist in two games thus far, finished out last season playing for the Blues AHL affiliate, the Peoria Rivermen. He had a goal and three assists in 14 games. But prior to that, he played in Finland for Blues of the SM-Liiga.

"This is a lot faster, of course, because of the smaller rink, there are faster guys," Hakanpaa said of the North American game. "Those are probably the biggest things. You have to be faster, when you go back for pucks, you have to be more aware of things already behind you even before you get the puck."

The 6-foot-5, 218-pound Hakanpaa has gained a lot in his first camp. He was the captain of the Blues' prospects team that traveled to Traverse City, Mich. Now it's all about being able to absorb the information he's learned and growing with it.

"I just want to take in everything that I can and soak in all the information and bring it on the ice with me all the time," Hakanpaa said. "You want to follow the lead of the older guys, see how they prepare for games and take of their bodies and how they work.

"It's been a lot of fun playing these games. It's been a good opportunity for me to show what I can do on the ice. Just go out there and have fun and play my game. It's been nice playing with these guys here."

- - -

Tonight's Blues lineup:

Jaden Schwartz-Derek Roy-Chris Stewart

Dmitrij Jaskin-Patrik Berglund-Vladimir Tarasenko

Chris Porter-Vladimir Sobotka-Ty Rattie

Sergey Andronov-Keith Aucoin-Cody Beach

Jordan Leopold-Alex Pietrangelo

Ian Cole-Roman Polak

Taylor Chorney-Jani Hakanpaa

Jake Allen gets the start in goal; Jordan Binnington is the backup.

- - -

According to the Stars' website, here is the lineup expected to play tonight:

Jamie Benn-Tyler Seguin-Erik Cole

Ray Whitney-Shawn Horcoff-Alex Chiasson

Antoine Roussel-Vernon Fiddler-Ryan Garbutt

Lane MacDermid-Chris Mueller-Colton Sceviour

Brenden Dillon-Stephane Robidas

Jordie Benn-Sergei Gonchar

Kevin Connauton-Jamie Oleksiak

Kari Lehtonen is the starting goalie; Cristopher Nilstorp is expected to be the back up.

Blues drop preseason home opener

Lightning takes 4-3 decision; Backes, Halak,

Steen, Oshie, Pietrangelo all make debuts

By LOUIE KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- Through three preseason games for the Blues, the jury is still out on a number of players.

The Blues dropped their second in three days to the Tampa Bay Lightning, this time a 4-3 loss in the preseason home opener Friday at Scottrade Center with mixed results.

A number of players made their preseason debuts, including Alex Pietrangelo, Barret Jackman, David Backes, Alexander Steen, T.J. Oshie and Jaroslav Halak, who played in his first live game since suffering a groin injury April 1 at Minnesota.

(Photo by Mark Buckner/St. Louis Blues)

Jaroslav Halak returned to action for the Blues Friday for the first time

since April 1.



Halak stopped 19 shots and played the entire game and was the victim of some bad luck, including one goal that deflected in off a defenseman's skate (Joel Edmundson) and another than was shot on off his backside after making a save. Another goal was scored in a tip-in in front and another off a screened shot from the point off a faceoff win.

"I felt OK. I felt like ... everything went in," Halak said. "Some weird bounces tonight. ... It's good to get the first one under the belt. It's not how I imagined the game is going to be, but it is what it is. It's exhibition and I just need to get better. Bottom line.

"It doesn't matter really if I play tomorrow or the next game. But it's good to get some games in before the season starts. I just need to get better. That's all it is."

Hitchcock said he wasn't going to evaluate Halak after just one preseason game.

"He hasn't played for a long time," Hitchcock said. "We'll evaluate him next week.

"He's got to play. He's got to compete. He's got to get back into the rhythm. He's going to have to work at it. It's not going to come just naturally. He's got to work at it. He's going to have to get some games and get grinding and see where we go."

The Blues got two goals from the Backes line, one from Steen and another from Oshie. Corey Locke, a non-roster invitee, also added a goal and an assist in his preseason debut for the Blues.

"I think it's varying stages," Hitchcock said of his team, which dropped to 1-1-1 in preseason play. "Some of it is compete in some guys and some of it is conditioning in others. I don't think we're up to speed where we're at. We've got some flashes of stuff.

"We saw some good things at times from Backes' line for a first game, we saw some good things from (Patrik) Berglund's line from the first game, but we have a lot of work to do. We need to get down to numbers after tomorrow and we've got a lot of work to do."

The Blues, who host the Dallas Stars Saturday at 7 p.m., will trim their roster down to 30 players by day's end Saturday, and Hitchcock said some of the players left need to "get out of summer hockey. We need some more guys to wake up a little bit and we'll be fine."

Backes' line was fine, and it showed. He delivered a sharp pass to Steen in stride in the first period, and Steen did the rest, beating former Blue netminder Ben Bishop in the first period. Oshie also scored in the third period to trim Tampa Bay's lead to 4-3.

(Photo by Mark Buckner/St. Louis Blues)

The Blues' Magnus Paajarvi (right) sets up in front of the Tampa Bay

goal and netminder Ben Bishop (30).

"It's preseason game number one," Backes said. "We'll take it for what it's worth. October 3rd, we've got to be in full gear. It's a step, but it's not where we need to be. We've got work to do and we all know that.

"It's time to get into the game situation and get that adrenaline flowing and go after someone in a different-colored jersey."

Pietrangelo, who recently signed a seven-year contract, saw his first game action and played a game-high 26:46.

"I thought he was good," Hitchcock said of Pietrangelo, who played with Jay Bouwmeester. "We wanted to play those guys a lot towards the end and that's what we did, so I thought he was really good."

But for a third preseason game, Backes said: "It was just sloppy all-around. I think we were not very crisp, not very cohesive, not very close. There wasn't a lot of talk and when you've got that, it's a pinball match and that's what we saw out there."

(9-20-13) Lightning-Blues Preseason Gameday Lineup

Jackman, Shattenkirk reunited; Halak eager to play; tonight's lineup

By LOUIE KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- When the Blues and Tampa Bay Lightning drop the puck tonight at Scottrade Center, there will be a familiar defensive paring on the ice once again.

Barret Jackman and Kevin Shattenkirk, who shared so many games and ice time together for much of the past year and a half under Ken Hitchcock, will line up next to each other again tonight in the third preseason game. The puck drops at 7 p.m. (Y-98.1 FM)

There was a perception that Hitchcock would leave the units the way they ended last season, with Shattenkirk playing with Jordan Leopold and Jackman and Roman Polak as the third unit, or better known as the shutdown pair.

But Hitchcock has a thought in mind when reuniting the younger Shattenkirk with the veteran Jackman, which will leave Leopold and Polak as the third unit.

"I think one of the things we're looking at all three pairs is can we have people that can move the puck in transition, out of trouble for us," Hitchcock said prior to Friday's game. "This pair looks like it works and allows us to play Leopold with Polak, which gives is a pair that can move the puck also.

"I think (Jackman) just brings stability and allows Shatty to do what he does best, which is get up in the play, play a little bit reckless. I think he's dependable there. ... You've got to be able to trust your third pair if we're going to play this pair together. Let's see what happens."

Shattenkirk said it will be a smooth transition if the coaching staff chooses to move in this direction heading into the season.

"I think we're still familiar with each other," Shattenkirk said. "... There hasn't been much of a transitioning period. It's been pretty seamless. I know the way that he likes to play and his tendencies. I think he remembers mine, so it's been pretty easy.

"With Leo, he definitely had his offensive tendencies but he was still encouraging me to be a little more aggressive on the offensive side of the puck. With Jacks, he encourages me to do it and he's a stalwart back there. He's just a great guy to have as your partner because you know he's going to take care of you and bail you out at times."

Tonight marks Jackman's first game and Shattenkirk's second. He played Sunday in the preseason opener with Jay Bouwmeester, who gets Alex Pietrangelo as a partner tonight.

"Today will give us a good indication of where guys are at," Hitchcock said of his d-pairs. "We've got two potential players playing today, so we'll see where that is.

"This is a first game for a guy like Petro, second game for Bouw, first game for Jackman, second game for Shatty so we'll see where this gets to, get a better read on their conditioning level after tonight ... how many more games they're going to need."

- - -

The Blues' lineup tonight:

Alexander Steen-David Backes-T.J. Oshie

Magnus Paajarvi-Patrik Berglund-Vladimir Tarasenko

Adam Cracknell-Maxim Lapierre-Ryan Reaves

Yannick Veilleux-Corey Locke-Tyler Shattock

Jay Bouwmeester-Alex Pietrangelo

Barret Jackman-Kevin Shattenkirk

Ryan Whitney-Joel Edmundson

Jaroslav Halak will also make his preseason debut; Brian Elliott will be the backup.

- - -

Hitchcock said the Blues will make roster cuts down to 30 by tomorrow and have those players in place for Saturday's home game against the Dallas Stars, who the Blues beat 6-5 in a shootout in Dallas Sunday.

Some of the players playing tonight will likely not be here by the morning.

"By tomorrow night, we'll get down to 30 people total," Hitchcock said. "That should take us right to the end of exhibition.

"I think the players that are going to play the back-end of the lineup the next two games are going to be the players that we want to take a look at to get into the group of 30. I think you'll get a good read on the four or five guys that are playing tonight and then the four or five guys that we are going to evaluate to see if we're prepared to stick around with them."

- - -

Tonight also marks the second game for the Patrik Berglund line, with linemates Magnus Paajarvi and Vladimir Tarasenko. The trio played in Sunday's win and were scoreless. Hitchcock is looking for more.

"More pursuit on the puck, more winning puck races, more playing like they practice," Hitchcock said. "I thought the first game they played together, they were tentative. I think they know that and I think we're looking for a step up and I think we'll see it tonight."

- - -

Tonight also marks the debut of Halak, who hasn't seen live game action since suffering the second groin injury of the season April 1 in Minnesota. Halak stopped all five shots in that game but would not see a game again the rest of the season.

The 28-year-old Halak, who spent the summer working himself into physical shape here in St. Louis, dropped 14 pounds and reduced his body fat percentage from 13.5- to 8-percent after going 6-5-1 a season ago with a 2.14 goals-against average but only an .899 save percentage.

"I think he's eager," Hitchcock said of Halak. "I think he's been excellent after the first day of camp. I think he's been a guy that looks like he's ready to play. He's obviously going to play in two or maybe even three of the next four games, so we'll get him ready and see from there.

"He looks like he's ready. He looks like he's flat-ready to play some games now. The next process for him is being in the net. We're going to play him all three periods today and hopefully get his timing going."

(9-20-13) BLUES NOTEBOOK

Sobotka OK after blow to head; Friday lineup;

players experimenting with hybrid icing

By LOUIE KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- When No. 17 skated onto the Scottrade Center ice Thursday afternoon, it ended the suspense and drama on the status of Vladimir Sobotka.

Coach Ken Hitchcock's versatile forward that "fixes any line he's on" was on the ice after being knocked out of Wednesday's 4-3 preseason shootout loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Sobotka got knocked out from a shoulder hit to the head from Lightning 2013 second-round pick Adam Erne, who scored two goals and added the shootout winner. Sobotka was skating out of the Blues' zone with the puck when at the blue line, Erne, who is 6-foot-1 and 210 pounds, was able to line the 5-10, 197-pound Sobotka and deliver a hard blow.

Erne received a two-minute penalty for an illegal hit to the head and Sobotka was lost for the game after going through the proper concussion protocol in the "quiet room."

But he was back on the ice Thursday after riding the bike and he went through the brisk practice.

"He feels good," Hitchcock said of Sobotka, who was not available for comment. "We'll play him on Saturday. We didn't schedule him in for tomorrow's game. He wanted to play tomorrow, but we'll hold him out and play him on Saturday. We're fine."

The league's department of safety on Thursday evening suspended Erne three preseason games for what was determined an illegal hit to the head: http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=445663&cmpid=nhl-twt.

Hitchcock did lay to rest the issue of why there wasn't a response from a player during the game. No Blues players confronted Erne on the ice and Hitchcock said that's not going to happen again.

"The issue's been dealt with. We're moving forward on it, but we're not going to allow that to happen on our team," Hitchcock said. "That's not a St. Louis Blue team that allows that to happen. We've dealt with it and move forward.

* Rematch with Lightning -- The Blues (1-0-1) will host the Lightning Friday night at 7 p.m. (Y-98.1 FM) in the team's first home preseason game.

Hitchcock said the team will dress a more veteran-laden team against the Lightning and Saturday night at home vs. Dallas.

That means players like David Backes, Alexander Steen and T.J. Oshie as well as Alex Pietrangelo and Barret Jackman will be making their preseason debuts.

"We're going to play somewhere around 12 pros both games," Hitchcock said. "Backes' line is going to play tomorrow, (Patrik) Berglund's line is going to play tomorrow for sure. I want to play good lineups here at home. These next two games, we'll probably play 12 or so."

The Blues' lineup Friday vs. the Lightning:

Alexander Steen-David Backes-T.J. Oshie

Magnus Paajarvi-Patrik Berglund-Vladimir Tarasenko

Adam Cracknell-Maxim Lapierre-Ryan Reaves

Yannick Veilleux-Corey Locke-Tyler Shattock

Jay Bouwmeester-Alex Pietrangelo

Barret Jackman-Kevin Shattenkirk

Ryan Whitney-Joel Edmundson

Jaroslav Halak will also make his preseason debut; Brian Elliott will be the backup.

 * PK not on par -- Through a pair of preseason games, the Blues' special teams have not matched up well among some of their NHL brethren.

Granted, preseason games are just that, preseason, and there is a mix of players playing each game with some players playing out of their element, but it's an area Hitchcock wants cleaned up.

"Our penalty killing is not good," said Hitchcock, whose team has allowed four power play goals in seven opportunities. "But we're asking people who normally don't do it to do it. If the penalty killing is poor tomorrow, then there will be an alarm bell going off. When you put good people in who know how to kill penalties ... I think that's been the biggest adjustment.

"We've had much more continuity on the power play (1-for-9 through two games) than we have killing penalties. We've allowed four power play goals in two games, maybe even five ... four for sure. All of them are mistakes from people that normally aren't out there. We've spent a little bit of time at it, but it just seems that we've allowed ourselves to be outworked in that area. I thought our 5-on-5 game has been pretty sound, but penalty killing has not been sound."

* Schwartz shines -- Count Hitchcock among those that thought 2010 first-round pick Jaden Schwartz had a terrific preseason debut Wednesday.

Schwartz scored a goal in the loss to the Lightning but seemed to be in mid-season form playing mostly on a line with Derek Roy and Chris Stewart.

"I thought Schwartz was outstanding from start to finish ... unbelievable from start to finish," Hitchcock said. "I think the line got more engaged. The madder they got, the better they played. So I think as they got a little bit into it, they played a little bit better.

"No matter where he plays, he's exactly like Sobe. Wherever he plays, he elevates that line's intensity level. His hunt on the puck ... I love the goal he scored. That's a goal scorer's goal. He's going to bring a lot to this team this year."

* Petro debut -- Pietrangelo, who signed his seven-year extension on Saturday, only missed a couple practices but will play in a game for the first time Friday.

He'll play with Bouwmeester, his partner to finish out the 2012-13 season.

"He feels really good right now," Hitchcock said. "We'll see how much game stuff he needs, but I'll get you a better evaluation after tomorrow's game. If it looks like he needs to play a lot more, then he might just play the rest of the games but we'll see where he's up to speed-wise.

"He's got to find his own rhythm. If he looks like he's a step behind ... there's playing and then there's getting used to playing minutes. He's got to put his minutes out there, too. We can't all of the sudden play him 15 minutes and then say, 'Oh by the way, you're going to play 25 the first league game.' He's not going to be ready for it. We need him to play minutes. We're going to give him those minutes in these games and then see where he looks. If he looks like he needs more playing time, he's going to play more games."

* Hybrid icing an experiment -- The league is experimenting with the no-touch hybrid icing during these preseason games with mixed responses.

The rule is trying to cut down on potential injuries, particularly defensemen, who have been vulnerable with the current touch-up icing rule and before it goes to a vote, the players association is interested in experimenting with it.

"It's interesting," veteran d-man Jordan Leopold said. "You're so used to the conventional way of playing hockey. When change comes along, it kind of surprises you. Linesmen are definitely up on the play making the call early which I think is a telltale sign of how it's going to go. Right now it's experimental. I've played only one game under it. It's unique, but it hasn't been anything that takes a little bit of time to get used to.

"I've been used to chasing pucks. ... It's safety for defensemen and it's been talked about for years and years. I know the AHL experimented with a little bit in the past and now (the NHL) is trying to implement it in the preseason and we'll see if it sticks. We're welcomed to trying it and I think it's easier to see more upstairs than on the ice because on the ice, we're racing for pucks no matter what."

Said Pietrangelo, who last played with hybrid icing in juniors: "It seemed to work in the American (Hockey) League. When you talk to everybody who watched the games last year, they didn't even notice. If that's how it's going to be, then it's going to be an easy transition for us."

But from a forward's perspective, does it give an advantage to a defenseman even if there's the chance the forward can beat the d-man to the puck?

"It'll be interesting to see how it evolves in preseason into the year," forward Chris Porter said. "Until they get some fine lines of what it is, what it isn't, I don't think it's going to work.

"I think for sure it would cut down on injuries, especially for defensemen having to turn and go back and get pucks. I'm all for it if it's for the safety of the players, but it'll take some time getting used to it. I'm not sure all the guys will agree with it or not. You never want to see guys going back for pucks."

Leopold agreed.

"Over the years, you see guys race for pucks, they get tripped up at the last second on a meaningless play," he said. "They're trying to eliminate that meaningless race for the puck, and it's probably beneficial for injuries and player safety. But I still think there's going to be that race if there's that tie. It's still there. If it ends up sticking, we'll make do of it."

* Roster moves -- The Blues on Thursday assigned forwards William Carrier, Zach Pochiro and Ryan Tesink along with goalie Francois Tremblay to their junior teams. They also placed forwards Keith Aucoin, Alexandre Bolduc, Christian Hanson, Mark Mancari, Tyler Shattock and Pat Cannone as well as defenseman Taylor Chorney on waivers.

Waivers are necessary in order to send those players, should they clear, to the Chicago Wolves of the AHL.

Blues lose game, key forward

Team squanders 3-0 lead, fall in shootout;

Sobotka leaves in first period after hit to head

By LOUIE KORAC
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Blues coach Ken Hitchcock is getting a good evaluation on the young players in the system.

With the veteran coach, it's all about earning the trust of the coaches and giving them the confidence to bring these players into the fold if needed.

Dmitrij Jaskin is stating his case in a large way. He's had an impressive camp, he had a good showing at the prospects tournament in Traverse City, Mich. and in his preseason debut Wednesday night, Jaskin netted a pair of goals but the Blues dropped a 4-3 shootout decision to the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amway Center.

(St. Louis Blues photo)

Blues forward Dmitrij Jaskin (26) scored two goals Wednesday night in

a 4-3 shootout loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in Orlando.

Jaskin, the team's second round pick (41st overall) in 2011, has the makings of being the prototypical power forward with size (6-foot-2, 196 pounds), good hands, and solid speed for a big man.

He teamed up on left wing to begin the game with fellow second round pick Ty Rattie (32nd pick in 2011) and Vladimir Sobotka, using his body to score one goal, then camping himself in the slot and using his body to deflect in another.

It was an impressive showing for a player Hitchcock said from the moment the Blues brought him into the fold late last season that this would be a player for the organization in the not-too-distant future.

"Of course I liked my game tonight, but we lost," Jaskin said. "That's bad. Getting two goals was nice, but we still lost.

"Both (Rattie and Sobotka) are perfect players. Sobe is one of the best players and Rattie, same age like me. ... I thought we had some good shifts."

The Blues got on the board first on Jaskin's wraparound goal, beating Cedric Desjardins to the right post 12:52 into the opening period.

Overshadowing Jaskin's solid performance for the Blues was losing the versatile Sobotka, who took a shot the head from the Lightning's Adam Erne near the Blues' blue line.

Sobotka was skating with the puck and was lined up by Erne, who lined up Sobotka got him high with a shoulder check that drew a two-minute illegal check to the head penalty.

Sobotka was on the ice for a minute or so with trainer Ray Barile before departing the ice. He did not return to the game after the team announced he suffered an upper-body injury. He will be re-evaluated Thursday in St. Louis. He got dressed afterwards and was able to leave the arena on his own but had a noticeable welt under his left eye, the point of contact from the hit.

Hitchcock said he feels the league will look at the hit but was more concerned with Sobotka. He was asked if his team should have come up with a response for Erne.

"Those are delicate issues within the team," Hitchcock said. "... You probably would like to see a response there. You want to become a team.

"Once he comes in the room, the doctor makes the call (if Sobotka returns). We won't know for another day."

Blues forward Chris Stewart called the hit, "a straight shot to the head."

"It's an 18-year-old kid," Stewart said of Erne. "I don't know how it's going to look when one of our heavies goes out there and tries to attack him."

Jaskin got his second of the game on a deflection of Taylor Chorney's shot along the left boards, tipping the Chorney shot upstairs into the net 1:52 into the second period for a 2-0 Blues lead.

Jaden Schwartz made it 3-0 when he beat backup Kristers Gudlevskis with a snap shot in the high slot with 4:04 left in the second for a 3-0 St. Louis lead.

The Lightning finally got on the board when Erne, camped out in front of Elliott, tipped Mark Barberio's shot from the blue line on the power play with 1:14 remaining in the second to cut the Blues' lead to 3-1.

(Getty Images)

The Blues lost versatile forward Vladimir Sobotka (17) in the first period

after he took a hit to the head from Tampa Bay's Adam Erne.

Erne struck again on the power play, this time 1:31 into the third period when he was camped out all alone in front of Elliott, took a pass from Cedric Paquette and curled the puck past Elliott to make it a 3-2 game.

The Lightning came all the way back to even the score 3-3 when Tom Pyatt raced past Jani Hakanpaa and beats Elliott with a short-side wrister from the left circle with 10:49 left in the third period.

The Blues lost it in the shootout when Rattie and Stewart were not able to convert on their shootout opportunities. The Lightning got goals from Valtteri Filppula and the winner from Erne.

They lost a 3-0 lead and were scrambling towards the ladder stages.

"No, I don't think it fell apart. We lost energy in the third period," Hitchcock said. "We made tired plays with the puck, we made mistakes killing penalties. Two games in a row, we've made a lot of errors killing penalties. We've got people who don't ever kill penalties killing penalties. We've made a lot of errors 5-on-4. Our 5-on-5 play, we've generated quite a bit."

Blues ready to test Roy-Stewart combination

Pair will play with Jaden Schwartz tonight against

Tampa Bay; Stewart anxious to lead by example

By LOUIE KORAC
ORLANDO, Fla. -- There can only be so much a group can do in practice. Applying those work habits can only be judged what a player does in game situations.

So with all the hype and talk about what Chris Stewart and Derek Roy can do for one another playing on the same line, it will all be put in motion when they are part of the featured line along with Jaden Schwartz as the Blues play their second preseason game against the Tampa Bay Lightning today (6 p.m.) in Orlando, Fla.

"I think everyone's excited to get started in a game," said Roy, signed to a one-year contract over the summer. "I know half the guys got into a game that last game and half the other guys are going to play (tonight). I think we're excited to play.

(St. Louis Blues photo)

Jaden Schwartz and Chris Stewart (right) will be together when the Blues

face the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight in Orlando, Fla.

"Me and Stewy have been talking a lot about trying to find chemistry, where each other is going to be on the ice, try to keep skating, keep moving, keep shooting pucks towards the net, keep making plays. We'll just work at that (tonight). It's a long season. It's experience. We've got to learn from our mistakes and we've got to move on and keep getting better."

Roy, who split the season between Dallas and Vancouver last year, already feels like he has a solid rapport with Stewart.

"Whenever you get a smart player like Stew with a good shot, it's pretty easy to play with," Roy said. "I'm just more worried about trying to get him the puck and make sure he's in a good shooting position to let it go. I just told him to keep skating and I'll find him. That's one of the things we have to learn as a group, keep moving around for each other and we'll find each other. If we stand still, it's easy to check. We've got to be moving and creating."

Stewart, who led the Blues in goals (18) and points (36) a season ago, is already smiling from ear-to-ear. Playing with a center that thinks pass first, shoot second is reminiscent of playing with Paul Stastny in Colorado.

"That's music to my ears," Stewart said. "You can tell right now (Roy's) obviously a gifted player with the puck. He's very patient and he's pretty shifty. He has some really good speed, too. It's hard to tell right now. You're kind of eager to get in a game, see how we really match up.

"If you play with a player that doesn't panic under pressure is obviously a good thing. It gives you a little more time to get open. From watching his highlights and playing against him, he's one of those guys who, at the end of the game you go, 'How did he make that play or where did he come from? How do you find that guy?'"

Blues coach Ken Hitchcock is also eager to see this unit on the ice tonight.

"We want to see a gritty, 200-foot game," Hitchcock said. "I think they can make plays. We can see that. They make it off the rush, but now you're going to play against teams who aren't going to give you the ice you need. Now we've got to see them play a gritty 200-foot game. That's what we're curious about. Can they play the 200-foot game? I think they can. I think that line has a chance to really be effective.

"(Schwartz is) going to knock down pucks, he's going to get to loose pucks, he's going to create turnovers that hopefully Derek and Stewy can jump on."
Just call Schwartz the plumber of the group.

"A little bit," Schwartz said with a grin. "I'll try to go to the net and create havoc on the 'D.' That's kind of my job, to get in on the forecheck and things like that. But at the same time, when I get the puck I want to make sure I put it into the back of the net, make plays for these guys, too.

"I'm really excited. I've been looking forward to today's game."

Stewart and Roy's relationship is not only about what they do on the ice but off it as well. It goes along with developing that chemistry that can only enhance their play when they do hit the ice together. The two were together Monday for a get-together to watch some Monday Night Football. Those type of outings are helpful in the getting-to-know process.

"I think it's necessary to have that relationship with someone away from the rink," Stewart said. "When you're playing, you're going to care about him. You want to see each other succeed."

For Stewart, who will turn 26 Oct. 30, he's at the point in his career where he feels like his game is ready to take off. He got a new two-year, $8.3 contract this summer, and as camp opened, Hitchcock talked about the team's leadership group. Stewart and Patrik Berglund are two that are newcomers to this group and Stewart is stoked.

"I think it's good," Stewart said, who also recently got married. "I think putting that responsibility on my shoulders, I think personally for me, is only going to make me a better player. When you know guys are counting on you and you're looked upon to be a leader and relied upon, I think that's a great thing to have in your job description. I'm excited for the opportunity and the challenge and want to hit the ground running here."

Hitchcock feels like Stewart is ready to take the ball and run.

"Obviously Stewart and Bergy are two significant guys that are into the picture now," Hitchcock said. "I don't want to say we're going to demand more of those guys, but I think we're going to expect more from those guys, especially those guys have to come out and now be vocal now and back up what they say. For us to get to the next level, we need those guys to join what's already here.

"... We've had them in meetings, we've talked to them, we expect to them to become vocal and even more accountable that they have been in the last few years."

Stewart, who calls Jarome Iginla a pioneer of his craft regarding power forwards and models his game after the former Calgary Flames great, also looks to model his game after a certain teammate.

(St. Louis Blues photo)

Derek Roy will make his Blues debut tonight against the Tampa Bay

Lightning. He will play with Chris Stewart and Jaden Schwartz.

"I think I've got to be one of those leaders on the ice who is sticking up for teammates and making it hard for the other team to play against," Stewart said. "You watch David Backes, I think there's an element in his game that I think I can add to mine. You see him, he's tough to play against. He's finishing every check. I think it's really inspiring. A lot of things that he does goes undermined, but I think he's one of the most underrated players in the league for sure."

Projections always tend to lean on Stewart becoming that go-to 30- to 40-goal scorer for the Blues after scoring 28 goals in each of his first two seasons. Stewart won't make any projections on his goal or point total because he has one focus on mind: winning.

"If I get myself trying to think about the offense of the game, it's going to sacrifice other parts of your game," Stewart said. "I'm not too worried about (numbers). I'm worried about the team and putting together a good year here and winning a Stanley Cup. If it takes 10 goals to do it, I'm perfectly fine with that. I have a new perspective. Not to say I was a selfish guy before, but I'm definitely buying into the team atmosphere here and I'm going to do whatever it takes to help this team win.

"I'm at that point in my career where I know what I've got to do to be successful in this league. It's all about just being strong mentally."