Unsung heroes help Blues end mini skid, top Blackhawks 3-2

Jaskin nets game-winner, Reaves chips in 

with goal to help team regain some of its form

By LOU KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- They were searching for their identity, searching for their game, and in essence when it comes to the game they love so much, searching for their souls.

The Blues were in dire need of a pick-me-up. 

Touted as one of the Western Conference's top teams heading into 2014-15, the Blues skidded out of the gates at 2-3-1, including a pair of lackluster losses to Anaheim and Vancouver.

(St. Louis Blues photo)

The Blues' Patrik Berglund (middle) celebrates Dmitrij Jaskin's goal late in

the second period of a 3-2 victory against the Chicago Blackhawks. 

Was the opposition catching up or were the Blues just out of whack? And trying to rid themselves of a wicked bacterial infection that's spread throughout the locker room compounded matters worse. 

But if there was one team that could bring out the Blues' best, it was the Chicago Blackhawks, and true to form, although the Blues weren't perfect, there was a semblance of their game.

Ryan Reaves and Dmitrij Jaskin scored 1:45 apart in the final two minutes of the second period to lead the Blues to a 3-2 victory against the Blackhawks on Saturday before 19,434 at Scottrade Center. 

"We took some steps today," Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said. "We took some sound steps. We gave up really one obviously odd-man rush and I thought for the first two periods after we got through the 5-on-3, 5-on-4 [in the first minute of the game], we had probably 36-37 really good minutes. 

"We took some steps today that look a litte like our team, look like the way we can play. We've got something to build on now. We've got a foundation that we can draw information from that we can show the players. We've got some stuff that we can work with now."

Jaden Schwartz also scored a goal, Brian Elliott stopped 22 shots, and Alex Pietrangelo had two assists for the Blues, who improved to 3-3-1.

The Blues have hit a stretch of early-season games where opponents are formidable. But when it comes to the Blackhawks, nobody brings out more from the  Blues than their neighbors from the North.

"Right when you get up from your pre-game nap, you're raring to go and get in here," Elliott said.

Chicago (4-2-1), which got a goal and an assist from Patrick Sharp and a goal from Kris Versteeg, dropped its second straight game in regulation after earning points in five straight to open the season. Antti Raanta made 28 saves.

"The parity in our division is so close that it comes down to one or two plays a game," Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith said. "We all need to be better." 

With the game tied 1-1, Steve Ott picked the puck off the stick of Blackhawks defenseman Michal Rozsival at the Chicago blue line and came back toward the Blackhawks net before feeding Maxim Lapierre in the slot. Raanta stopped Lapierre's shot, but Reaves somehow knocked in the rebound with 1:51 left in the second period. The goal was upheld by video review.

"I know they didn't play much, but I was happy with Lappy's line," Hitchcock said.

"I don't know what camera angle they had, but thanks to whoever put that camera there," Blues captain David Backes said.

Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville didn't agree.

"I disagreed with the interpretation of how they described what happened," Quenneville said of the officials. "We've given up some late goals in periods, couple turnovers in middle of ice that didn’t need to happen."

Raanta thought he was interfered with.

"I don’t now how the rules are, but I made a save and (Reaves) came and pushed me into the net and then the puck came over the line," Raanta said. "I think that was a little bit like goalie interference or something. You cant say anything but of course that was a little bit like a bad call by the refs. Its hard to say what they were seeing."

The Blues fed off the emotion of gaining the lead, and Jaskin, who was recalled from the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League on Friday, corralled Pietrangelo's shot from the right boards and beat Raanta with a wrist shot from the slot with five seconds left in the period to make it 3-1.

Jaskin has two career goals -- both against Chicago.

"You've just got to feel it. It's all it is," Jaskin said. "I told you it's just a game, I love it. Just love the game. 

"I was there probably two seconds on the ice. It was a good job by the other guys and Schwartzy had a good change. I just tried to watch Petro shooting it and I go to the net."

The two goals came down to what makes the Blues best in their execution.

"We funneled the puck seven times at the net and got it back seven times," Hitchcock said of Jaskin's goal. "That's the fight for identity. That's how we create offense and we scored two goals because of that. We put it on the net, found it again, put it on the net, found it again and scored two goals because of it. That's what needs to happen with this team. That's the way you score in the National Hockey league, and we needed to find that way rather than make the next play or play sideways. That's the fight for the identity that the team has to win."

The Blues got off to another inauspicious start. Jay Bouwmeester (hooking) and Barret Jackman (roughing) were in the penalty box less than a minute into the game, giving Chicago 1:22 with a 5-on-3 advantage. 

The Blackhawks needed were only eight seconds, though. Sharp one-timed from close range off a snappy Patrick Kane pass from the right half-wall to the far post 1:02 into the game to give Chicago a 1-0 lead. 

It was the third straight game the Blues surrendered a goal within the first two minutes. They fell behind 1-0 to the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday 1:37 into that game, and on Thursday, the Vancouver Canucks scored 41 seconds in to grab a 1-0 lead.

"Tough start, but we talked about overcoming adversity here the last couple days," Pietrangelo said. "When you're down 1-0 in the first five minutes, that's adversity and I thought we did a fantastic job of overcoming that and kept our heads on straight and played great from that point on."

Added Elliott: "Even though we went down early, guys showed amazing response to kind of calm things down. The first five minutes were a little bit of a whirlwind. Everybody kind of calmed things down and we got our game going. That's the way we need to play. Just that even-keeled mentality in a high intensity game against a good opponent like that. We responded from our last couple games."

Schwartz scored his team-leading fifth goal after the Blues were able to keep an errant clear in the zone. Schwartz skated into the slot and fired a shot through Raanta's five-hole as David Backes was screening the Blackhawks goalie. The goal at 12:15 of the first period tied it 1-1. 

It was the Blues' first even-strength goal in the past 151:20 and their first goal scored with Elliott in net in the past 170:05. 

Versteeg got the Blackhawks back in the game early in the third, taking a feed from Sharp and beating Elliott from the slot 2:37 into the period to cut the Blues lead to 3-2. 

(St. Louis Blues photo)

Maxim Lapierre (40) gets a shot off on Chicago goalie Antti Raanta (left) as

Michal Rozsival hooks Lapierre right before a goal by Ryan Reaves in the

Blues' 3-2 victory Saturday night. 

The Blackhawks lost Daniel Carcillo with what appeared to be a right-knee injury after a hip check from T.J. Oshie with 13:54 left in the game. Carcillo appeared to hyperextend his knee after reaching for a puck.

It was that kind of game, as Oshie once again was involved in some physical activity when he rocked Keith with a hit as the two were pursuing a puck in the third period.

It's the Blues. It's the Blackhawks. What else could be expected?

"There's enough pent-up energy, spite and feelings ... if you can't get up for the Blackhawks in your home building on a Saturday night when you really need a win, then you're in the wrong business," Backes said.

And that's saying enough, as the Blues have won four straight regular season games against the Blackhawks for the first time since March 3, 1998-Jan. 7, 1999.

(10-25-14) Blackhawks-Blues Gameday Lineup

By LOU KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- Dmitrij Jaskin will get throw right into the fire of the rivalry between the Blues and Chicago Blackhawks, who renew their acquaintances today at 7 p.m. (FSN, KMOX 1120-AM).

It's the first meeting since the ill-fated first-round playoff series from last spring that saw the Blues go up 2-0 before falling in six games.

Jaskin, who scored his first NHL goal last season when these two teams met last season, was recalled by the Blues Friday when center Paul Stastny (shoulder) was placed on injured-reserve.

Jaskin will play with Patrik Berglund and Joakim Lindstrom on a line tonight after being tied for the points lead with the Chicago Wolves (four on one goal and three assists in four games).

When the Blues made their final cuts, Jaskin was one of them and general manager Doug Armstrong said he took the news hard.

"It's never good when you get sent down, but it is what it is," Jaskin said Saturday after the morning skate. "You go with it and just try to do my best to keep it going.

"That's the only thing you can do and only thing you have to do. Just keep doing your stuff and do your best down there and keep waiting for your chance here. It's a huge opportunity, big game. Can't be happier."

Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said it's a deserved opportunity to play immediately, saying Jaskin, "Weight on the puck, heavy on the puck, strong on the puck. 

"Look, out of training camp, he deserved to be on the team," Hitchcock added. "So sure, it's going to take him a couple games to get ramped up here and get back up to speed, but he went down to the American (Hockey) League with a great attitude. If you put everything into perspective, he deserved to be on the 20-man roster. So this is his opportunity. We're hoping he takes advantage of it."

Jaskin played with Ty Rattie and Philip McRae the first couple games but recently, had Gergo Nagy as a center iceman.

"I'm going to try and do my best and do everything I can to stay here," Jaskin said. "I don't want to be that guy traveling back and forth. I'm going to do everything I can.

"We did a lot of good things in the summer to get ready. It's what it is. The situaton here is there are a lot of guys here. Can't really think about it. Just play. It's a huge game, big opportunity for me."

- - -

The Blues have gotten off to a rocky start at 2-3-1, but the team has been dealing with a bacterial infection that's affected players in the locker room.

It started with center Jori Lehtera, who felt sick after a 6-1 victory against the Arizona Coyotes last Saturday that caused him to miss the team's 3-0 loss against the Anaheim Ducks the following night.

Lehtera missed practice Tuesday but was back at practice Wednesday and played in a 4-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday, a game in which multiple Blues players played after contracting the infection.

But Hitchcock said Saturday things are looking up.

"We're better. Today's the best we've been since (last) Saturday," Hitchcock said. "We're better today. This is a lot better."

Blues right wing Ryan Reaves, one of the players affected, said it's been a rough time.

"I think it's more just frustrating you've got a bunch of guys getting sick, but it's not really an excuse," Reaves said. "I think a lot of teams go through it. One team gets it, a couple guys are going to get it. You've just got to find a way to play smarter and conserve your energy when you can, take short shifts and leave your teammates in a good spot."

The Blackhawks (4-1-1) come in off their first regulation loss against the Nashville Predators. They won't look at the Blues as a team struggling to stay healthy but one that's a formidable opponent.

"They have a good team," defenseman Duncan Keith said of the Blues. "They have a good organization with great coaching and good players. They’re a tough team to play against. They play hard, they compete hard and they play their system well. It just makes for a challenging game playing those guys. It’s fun at the same time."

Teammate Brent Seabrook, who stirred the pot between the teams during the playoff series last season with a hit to Blues captain David Backes in Game 2, agreed.

"They’re a hard, big, physical team," Seabrook said of the Blues. "They do a good job of playing tight defensively so it’s tough for our forwards. It makes it more of a grinding, physical-type game and you’re trying to get to the net and trying to get shots through."

Look for some spark between the fourth lines, with Reaves, Maxim Lapierre and Steve Ott leading the charge if fans need a pick-me-up.

"I think it's a pretty big rivalry between the two teams," Reaves said. "We seem to not like each other the last couple years. Obviously they beat us out last year. We're looking to make a statement. It's early, but I think our season hasn't gone how we want it. This is a big statement game for us.

"When we're slumping or the team needs a little spark, teams look to their fourth line and I think with Lappy and Otter, all three of us can do that job. Tonight when we need it, we're going to do it. Hopefully it works."

- - -

Hitchcock switched some line combinations around, moving Jaden Schwartz to the top line with David Backes and T.J. Oshie and putting Alexander Steen with Jori Lehtera and Vladimir Tarasenko. Although the Schwartz-Lehtera-Tarasenko line has been strong, Hitchcock feels some people need a jump-start to their game.

"Quite frankly, we've got to get more people involved in good play," Hitchcock said. "We've got to get more people playing better. That line's been tremendous, but we've got to get more people involved in having success on our hockey club because we're goinbg to become easy to play against when there's one line getting all the scoring chances. That's pretty obvious to any coach who's watching the tape. We've got to get some of our key players playing better so why not share the wealth a little bit? Our left wings are going to get rotated a little bit, but we need to get some help for some people so they can feel better about themselves and contribute a little more.

"Regardless of the score tonight, I want us to see us play our game and I want to see a lot of good minutes out of it. If we get that consistent play from our team, that consistent behavior, then I just know whether it's tonight or a week from now, we're going to really get on a roll here. You don't want to be continually searching for it trying to find it and be in scramble mode." 

- - - 

The Blues' probable lineup:

Jaden Schwartz-David Backes-T.J. Oshie

Alexander Steen-Jori Lehtera-Vladimir Tarasenko

Dmitrij Jaskin-Patrik Berglund-Joakim Lindstrom

Steve Ott-Maxim Lapierre-Ryan Reaves

Jay Bouwmeester-Alex Pietrangelo

Ian Cole-Kevin Shattenkirk

Barret Jackman-Jordan Leopold

Brian Elliott will start in goal. Jake Allen is the backup.

LW Chris Porter and LW Magnus Paajarvi are healthy scratches. C Paul Stastny (shoulder) was placed on injured-reserve Friday and D Carl Gunnarsson (hip) has yet to play this season.

- - -

The Blackhawks' probable lineup:

Patrick Sharp-Jonathan Toews-Marian Hossa

Kris Versteeg-Andrew Shaw-Patrick Kane

Bryan Bickell-Brad Richards-Brandon Saad

Daniel Carcillo-Marcus Kruger-Ben Smith

Duncan Keith-Brent Seabrook

Johnny Oduya-Niklas Hjalmarsson

Trevor van Riemsdyk-Michal Rozsival

Antti Raanta will start in goal. Scott Darling will be the backup.

Healthy scratches include F Jeremy Morin and D David Rundblad. G Corey Crawford (upper body) is day-to-day.

(10-25-14) BLUES NOTEBOOK

Bacterial infection affecting Blues players; 

Blackhawks on deck to renew rivalry; Oshie honored 

By LOU KORAC
HAZELWOOD, Mo. -- What was originally though to be a flu virus spreading throughout the Blues' locker room has been confirmed by coach Ken Hitchcock to be a bacterial infection.

It started with Jori Lehtera, who started to feel sick after the 6-1 victory at Arizona Saturday that caused him to miss Sunday's 3-0 loss at Anaheim.

Lehtera missed Tuesday's practice but was back at practice Wednesday and played in Thursday's 4-1 loss to Vancouver, a game in which multiple Blues players played after contracting the infection.

"It's a bacterial infection; that's what it is," said Hitchcock, who said previously it was a bacterial ailment. "It's not viral, it's (a) bacterial infection. ... It starts with one person and then it's passed very quickly through water bottles, or a towel, or whatever ... the shower floor. It just goes zipping through your team."

Hitchcock said it's spread to a handful or two of players throughout the locker room the past week and could wind up affecting every player until it's completely eliminated.

"We sent (Lehtera) home for the flu and then found out it was bacterial, and then that's when everybody else who we thought had the flu, we went, 'OK, just a second.' That's when we started checking everybody, and it was 'OK, these four guys have it, these three guys got it, these two guys got it.' Then it just started going. Everybody is rolling through it now.

"... It rolls through the team. You've got to hope it rolls through quickly and get out the other side and get healthy again."

Nobody's making excuses for the Blues' past two games (both losses that's dropped them to 2-3-1), but it's affecting the players' energy on the ice, where their facial glands are swollen. Hitchcock did say it's not a respiratory issue that team doctors have concluded, but it is affecting the players' stamina.

"It really zaps your energy, so you've got nothing," Hitchcock said. "You're not running a fever, so you can play (games). Once we found out what it was, guys could play with medication. They're not feeling great, but they can play."

There was an optional skate that was expected to be a full practice, according to Hitchcock. Those that didn't skate were forwards David Backes, Vladimir Tarasenko, Patrik Berglund, and Ryan Reaves and defensemen Alex Pietrangelo, Jay Bouwmeester and Jordan Leopold. Goalies Brian Elliott and Jake Allen experienced symptoms Thursday but appear to have alleviated them.

"I hope everyone's feeling better," said forward Steve Ott, one of the players who hasn't been affected by the infection yet. "... They're not feeling sorry for us to get going. The onus is in here. We have to play better; we know that. We have to give ourselves a better chance to win the games."

* Winning formula -- When Blues players and coaches start to talk about not playing the right way and getting away from what makes them successful, it begs the question of why that happens.

"The worst mistake you make in hockey is you assume," Hitchcock said. "You assume that everybody knows, you assume that everybody's going to get on the same page again. Players change, even the same players change. Some players want more, allotment of ice time changes and some players mature. Some of the players who were role players the year before are prime players the next year. Things change. Dynamics change. 

"These are all the same struggles that a lot of teams go through. It's not just us. It's a lot of teams; it's the evolution. The key is to grab it. That partnership between coaches and players, you want to grab it because as I said to the guys today, we've got more in the tank and more to come to help us, but it doesn't matter. They're not going to help us if we're not playing the right way. We just want to get back to playing the right way so that the elements that we've added to the team can help us win those hard-fought, close games we expect every night."

Players don't assume. They tend to try and find the easy way towards winning.

"Winning is hard, no question about it," right wing Joakim Lindstrom said. "Winning is extremely hard. We've got to get back to doing the hard stuff. It might not be the fun stuff all the time, but we need to do the hard stuff and do it for the team to get back on track and get successful again.

"We're not satisfied with the way we've played in these two losses. We've got to respect the game better. We play for hope-for plays and eventually it sometimes works out, but we have to dig in and make plays happen and respect the opponent too. We can't just try to out-skill them from the get-go. We've got to put in the hard work first."

"It shows how hard it is to do and how easy it is to let things go quickly," goalie Brian Elliott, Saturday's starter, said. "The type of game we play, everybody has to be on the same page. If you have a couple guys who aren't or don't or aren't feeling it that night, other guys have to pick them up." 

* Blackhawks on deck -- With the Blues mired in this two-game slide and the competition not getting any easier, here come their rivals from the North, the Chicago Blackhawks, who are coming off their first regulation loss, a 3-2 loss Thursday night in Nashville.

But who better to try to get well against than not only your Central Division nemesis, but the team that eliminated you from the postseason the previous season?

"No better time to get ourselves going," forward Steve Ott said. "Our division rival, our biggest rival and you want to have a good game against them. You expect all 23 guys -- whoever's playing -- ready to go. If your number gets called, it's a big night to turn this page.

"I think it's been all the years (having a rivalry). Those are the type of years that you made these type of rivalries. You want to play hard against those guys. You know that's probably who you're going to have to go through in the playoff time. But bigger picture is right now and you want to start getting yourself going, getting this team going in the right (direction)."

Elliott, who will start in goal for the Blues, said: "If you can't get up for that one, just go home. 

"It's going to be -- right off the bat -- a hard-fought, end boards to end boards type of game. I don't think any team is going to give an inch."

Others are looking forward to jumping into the foray.

"I heard a lot about the rivalry and the playoff series that these guys had," right wing Joakim Lindstrom said. "It's a tough opponent, one of the top teams in the league. We really need to have a better performance than the last two games to even put us in a chance to beat them."

* Oshie honored -- Blues right wing T.J. Oshie  has been named the 2014 winner of the Missouri Athletic Club’s "Sports Personality of the Year."

Oshie will be honored at the MAC’s Jack Buck Sports Awards on Wednesday, Dec. 10. The event is open to the public with admission available for $135 per person.  The night begins with a cocktail reception at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 7 p.m. and the program at 8 p.m.

Oshie becomes the sixth Blues player to win the award, joining Al MacInnis (1999), Brendan Shanahan (1995), Curtis Joseph (1993), Brett Hull (1990) and Mike Liut (1981).

Last season, Oshie posted a career year in points (60), goals (21), assists (39) and plus/minus (+19).

Oshie will forever be remembered for his accomplishments for the United States men's hockey team against Russia at the 2014 Sochi Olympics when he  converted on 4 of 6 shootout attempts to lead the USA to a 3-2 victory.

The “Sports Personality of the Year,” an award Jack Buck established in 1970 to annually honor the top St. Louis sports figure, is voted on by members of the MAC.  The Jack Buck Sports Awards Banquet is regarded as the premier sports dinner in St. Louis and has honored some of the biggest names in sports history including Bob Gibson, Joe Torre, Lou Brock, Ozzie Smith, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Jimmy Connors, Marshall Faulk and Albert Pujols.

To make reservations, call 314-539-4470. The banquet will be broadcast on KMOX 1120-AM, while FOX Sports Midwest will air a one-hour recap show.

* Gunnarsson/Stastny update -- Blues defenseman Carl Gunnarsson was among the skaters at practice today but hasn't let the Blues' coaches know that he's feeling 100 percent and ready to play. 

Center Paul Stastny, who injured his left shoulder at Arizona last week, has skated the past two days but hasn't shot any pucks, according to Hitchcock. Stastny is listed as week-to-week and removed the sling on Wednesday that he wore the first couple days. 

The club announced Friday afternoon that Stastny was placed on injured reserve and recalled forward Dmitrij Jaskin from the Chicago Wolves. Jaskin had a goal and is tied for the team lead in points with four in four games.

Listless Blues drop second straight, 4-1 to Canucks

Vancouver scores three times on four third-period 

shots to give St. Louis third regulation loss in six games

By LOU KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- This is a similar script from the recent past when the Blues played poorly, a culmination of a listless 4-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday.

No puck possession, a plethora of turnovers, lack of communication, poor positioning on the ice, giving up odd-man rushes ... and as coach Ken Hitchcock put it, "It's a recipe for disaster."

And the Blues, who dropped to 2-3-1 on the season with their second straight loss, right now are playing like a disaster waiting to happen.

(St. Louis Blues photo)

Blues' Alexander Steen (20) and Kevin Shattenkirk celebrate Shattenkirk's

tying goal Thursday against the Vancouver Canucks. The Blues lost 4-1.

It started from the first minute of the game when Alex Pietrangelo mishandled a puck in the neutral zone and Vancouver's Chris Higgins converted a rebound off a 2-on-1 just 41 seconds into the game.

The Blues were down 1-0 and fighting from behind once again, just like Sunday in Anaheim when the Blues fell behind 1 minute, 37 seconds into a 3-0 loss.

"We're not playing the right way," Hitchcock said. "We've made a heck of a run here playing the right way; no odd-man rushes, no forced offense, don't give the puck away and make hope-for plays offensively. We've had a shoot-first mentality that's allowed us to be top-five in the league in scoring goals, but we don't want to play the right way. We want to play a different game right now, so until we buy into that, we're going to have some rough water we're going to have to go through, and that's what we're in right now. We're in rough water."

Which begs the question if the players right now are on the same page.

"We're on the same page," defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk insisted. "It's just we're not playing detailed. We're not playing disciplined and following our structure and doing what makes us good. We always hear 'Hitch' say it, put skill ahead of work and these are the results you get and that's a clear example of what we're doing right now."

The Blues, who have a handful of players dealing with sickness (they weren't using it as an excuse), were listed for four giveaways on the night, but Hitchcock said the coaching staff could count at least 20 turnovers between the blue lines. 

The Blues seemed to play hot potato with the puck. They didn't want it, and they didn't manage it well when they had it.

"We've given up more odd-man rushes in six hockey games than we did in two months last year. You can't win like that," Hitchcock said. "This is a wake-up call. The alarm bell is going off, but you've got to make sure that you can't have half the group buying in and the other half not. It's a real good eye-opener for us.

"When you show healthy respect for the three lines on the ice, good things happen, which is what we did in the second period, until we gave up a 2-on-1 (for the game-winning goal)."

The Blues, who fired 32 shots at former teammate Ryan Miller -- at times making him look like a Vezina trophy candidate, were on the wrong end of 23 shots blocked and another 12 mising the net.

But it wasn't so much the missed opportunities, including Jori Lehtera's effort that could have given the Blues a 2-1 lead in the third and led to the ensuing odd-man rush goal by Vancouver's Nick Bonino. It was the way the Blues defended when they didn't have the puck and the way they had to regroup after giving up pucks so easily.

"When you force offense and you play careless with the puck, you have defensemen that want to play ahead of the forwards, you end up with a recipe for disaster," Hitchcock said. "You look at the last two hockey games, that's a recipe for disaster. Odd-man rushes, breakaways against, forced activity rather than pushing up from behind the play. We're forcing the activity and it's costing us points. 

"The way we have to play for success, it's tough. It's hard playing that way. It's really hard playing that way ... but very successful. So the decision that the coaches have to sell and get the players to buy into is to play the right way. This isn't skill ahead of work. We're guilty of that sometimes. This is an attitude about making the next play, forcing the next play. This is really forcing offense and putting yourself in a very vulnerable position defensively because what happens is you're not on the same page. We need to get onto the same page and value checking. A big part of checking is managing the puck the right way. When we put the value system in that like we did in the second period, we were very good."

The Blues finally solved Miller in the second on their third power play when Shattenkirk wired a wrist shot from above the left faceoff dot high short side on Miller. They got it back to 1-1 and carried play in spurts looking to get the lead that never materialized.

"I don't think we can fool ourselves into thinking that we got it back," Shattenkirk said. "We got a power play goal that made it 1-1. We had some momentum, but we were still making some mistakes that are very uncharacteristic of our team. It's not good right now ... it's not good enough.

"Puck movement, puck support, communication. We have to really harp on these things tomorrow in practice and get it ready for Saturday because we're facing an even scarier opponent on Saturday. We won't be as fortunate to be coming out of that first period 1-0 against the (Chicago) Blackhawks if we play that way."

Lehtera took a terrific feed off a give-and-go with Vladimir Tarasenko, but Miller kicked out his left pad and thwarted the Blues' bid. The Canucks broke back as the Blues got caught out of position. A 2-on-1 ensued and Bonino snapped a wrister past Jake Allen, who stopped 19 shots, at the near post 4:54 into the third period.

The Canucks, who got a power play goal from Linden Vey and an empty-netter from Jannik Hansen later in the third, scored three goals on four shots in the final period.

"To me, the second goal is a perfect example of what we've done in the last two games," Hitchcock said. "To give up a 2-on-1 from that distance, that's not us. We don't give up breakaways. We don't force plays into the middle of the ice. We play a very wide offensive game and it's very effective, but we want to bring the puck into the middle and play flat-footed. You force the issue and become very easy to check. That's what we're doing right now."

It all started from the drop of the puck.

"Any time you have slow starts, it's you're not being prepared for whatever reason," defenseman Jay Bouwmeester said. "Letting things kind of snowball sometimes when something bad happens early. If you don't correct it right away or have a good shift after something, it kind of snowballs. We haven't done a very good job of just regrouping and really just playing the way we can at the start of games.

"Tonight was a frustrating night in the fact that we really didn't give ourselves a chance, even though we were in the game. Tied in the third period, that's not the way you want to end it at home."

Added Allen: "It's a 60-minute game and every minute counts. We started the game slow and found it a little bit, found it in the second and sort of tailed off again in the third. It's teams like that that can capitalize quick if you don't play a 60-minute game. It's tough to come out on top.

"The start's crucial. The first five minutes of every hockey game is big, big momentum swings. You want to be on the side of momentum. Unfortunately we had a bad break there, they capitalized on it and put us behind the Eight-ball quick."

So with practice Friday and the mighty Blackhawks coming to town Saturday in a foul mood off a 3-2 loss at Nashville Thursday, the Blues need a wake-up fast, or it might be more of the same.

"It's imperative that everyone watches your shifts, look in the mirror, see what they can do to help us have more success," captain David Backes said. "That's how we get better. Everyone needs to do a good self-evaluation, starting with myself for sure and see whatever else we can do to help the team starting with the puck drop on Saturday.

(St. Louis Blues photo)

Former Blues goalie Ryan Miller came back to St. Louis to bite the hand

that once fed him with a 31-save performance in a 4-1 victory for the

Vancouver Canucks on Thursday.

"I think we're focused a little bit too much on that skill element that we think we all of the sudden have. We're a Blues hockey team ... we're going to play the way that the Blues play to be successful and that's hard-nosed and simple and hard and let our skill kick in when we get those chances in the hard areas; getting our noses dirty. We haven't found that game yet and the results have been some unsatisfying performances."

The Blues didn't drop their third game in regulation last season until Nov. 17 (19 games) when they started 13-3-3. But this 2014-15 team is not playing nowhere near last year's squad.

"We've been having a lot of meetings, and now it's enough time for talk and just getting to it and just doing it," Shattenkirk said. "It's a matter of taking actions now and going out there and setting examples, especially as leaders. We're not doing it and unfortunately, we have to realize when our top guys are having an off-night, which is going to happen, we all have to stand by them and other guys have to step up. That's something that we need to work on and get better at."

(10-23-14) Canucks-Blues Gameday Lineup

By LOU KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- A familiar face is expected to face the Blues on Thursday.

Vancouver Canucks goalie Ryan Miller, who was acquired by the Blues from the Buffalo Sabres prior to the NHL Trade Deadline last season, will face his former teammates when the Canucks and Blues battle at Scottrade Center (7 p.m. on FSN, KMOX 1120-AM).

Miller, who was 10-8-1 with a 2.47 goals-against average and .903 save percentage in 19 regular season games for the Blues, was expected to be the missing piece for a deep Stanley Cup Playoff run. But after the Blues went up 2-0 in their first round series against the Chicago Blackhawks, they went on to drop the next four games and lose the series in six.

Miller was 2-4 with a 2.70 GAA and .897 save percentage in the series against the Blackhawks and took a lot of heat from fans in St. Louis for the playoff failure.

The Blues informed Miller, 34, he would not be offered a contract and he went on to sign a three-year, $18 million contract with the Canucks on July 1.

"It's a team game," Blues right wing T.J. Oshie said, citing fan criticism as being unfair. "Maybe there's some pucks that he'd like to stop, but there's a lot of pucks that we would have liked to go in. You can look at our top guys, our core guys and put the blame just as much on us for not putting the puck in the net as much as for him letting them go in."

Miller, who is 3-1-0 in four games with the Canucks with a 3.20 GAA and .884 save percentage, was pulled from the Canucks' 6-3 loss to the Dallas Stars on Tuesday in the second period after allowing five goals on 13 shots.

The Blues are expecting a motivated Miller Thursday night.

"He knows us," Blues center Patrik Berglund said. "It's obviously going to boost him a little extra. We know he's one of the best goaltenders in the world. We need to have a lot of traffic in front of him so he can't see the shots.

"It was nice to just catch up and all that, but tonight we want the two points, they want the two points. It's just 100 percent going for it. Doesn't matter who plays for them or who doesn't." 

The key to beating Miller?

"We've got to take his eyes away as much as we can and just shoot the puck, keep shooting," said Oshie, who also was Miller's Olympic teammate in Sochi, Russia. "I'm sure coming in here tonight, he's going to bring his 'A' game. We have to elevate our game. ... When he sees the puck, he can make some really good saves. He makes it look really easy. Traffic and second and third opportunities are going to get us some goals tonight."

- - -

The Blues are dealing with the flu bug going around the locker room the past few days. Coach Ken Hitchcock called his lineup Thursday "fluid."

"We'll dress 20; we'll let you know who they are," Hitchcock said. "We don't know right now.

"We'll figure it out once we get to the game and see who can play and who can't."

Alexander Steen, who missed practice Wednesday because he was under the weather, briefly skated before players took the ice for the optional skate and then departed.

Jori Lehtera, who missed Sunday's 3-0 loss at Anaheim and did not practice Tuesday, was back on the ice Wednesday and was one of 15 skaters to practice Thursday morning, so he looks like he'll be ready to play tonight.

Hitchcock said Wednesday as many as 5-6 players were affected by the flu, and that number could have increased by Thursday morning.

"It's probably going to be like this throughout the whole year," Berglund said. "People get hurt. They're gone for a few days or a long time, people get sick. It's just something everybody has to deal with."

As for players who are injured, Paul Stastny (shoulder) was not wearing a sling on Wednesday at the team's practice facility. He'd been wearing it the first couple days. Hitchcock said they would reevaluate his status over the weekend.

Defenseman Carl Gunnarsson skated again Thursday and is in line to make his season debut whenever he's ready, according to Hitchcock. 

- - -

It's early, but one area the Blues would like to see improvement on is the team's goal production in the 5-on-5 game.

Coming into Thursday, the Blues are tied for last (with Florida and Carolina) for fewest goals scored 5-on-5 with six.

But compared to the goals for and goals against in 5-on-5, the Blues are tied for fifth with the Ducks at 1.50 because they've only allowed four 5-on-5 goals (behind Minnesota's two and Chicago's three).

"We've played five hockey hockey games; it feels like we've barely started," Hitchcock said. "Some teams are at eight already.

"We've played four great hockey games, and one we were a step behind. They were rested. They were waiting and they were ready (Anaheim) and we were a step behind. It took us half the game to get caught up. It's hard to argue. We haven't given up a lot of goals. I guess our concern is can we get more 5-on-5 goals? We don't want to sit there and rely on the power play like we did for the first half of last year to score all our goals for us. I think we need to be better with the puck 5-on-5, but our play without the puck has been really exceptional." 

- - -

The Blues' probable lineup:

Steve Ott-David Backes-T.J. Oshie

Alexander Steen-Patrik Berglund-Joakim Lindstrom

Jaden Schwartz-Jori Lehtera-Vladimir Tarasenko

Magnus Paajarvi-Maxim Lapierre-Ryan Reaves

Jay Bouwmeester-Alex Pietrangelo

Ian Cole-Kevin Shattenkirk

Barret Jackman-Jordan Leopold

Jake Allen will start in goal. Brian Elliott is the backup.

Chris Porter will be the healthy scratch. Paul Stastny (shoulder) and Carl Gunnarsson (hip) are out.

- - -

The Canucks' probable lineup:

Daniel Sedin-Henrik Sedin-Radim Vrbata

Chris Higgins-Nick Bonino-Alexandre Burrows

Shawn Matthias-Brad Richardson-Zack Kassian

Derek Dorsett-Linden Vey-Jannik Hansen

Dan Hamhuis-Kevin Bieksa

Alexander Edler-Christopher Tanev

Yannick Weber-Luca Sbisa

Ryan Miller will start in goal. Eddie Lack will be the backup.

Healthy scratches include Frank Corrado and Tom Sestito. Ryan Stanton (lower body) is out.

(10-23-14) BLUES NOTEBOOK

Allen feeling good about his game; Oshie's slow 

offensive start; Steen sits practice, Lehtera returns

By LOU KORAC
HAZELWOOD, Mo. -- With a 4-2-0 career mark, 1.86 goals-against average and .933 save percentage on Scottrade Center ice, it's only logical that Blues coach Ken Hitchcock gets goalie Jake Allen in a game at home.

That game will come Thursday at 7 p.m. (FSN, KMOX 1120-AM) when the Blues (2-2-1) host Ryan Miller and the Vancouver Canucks (3-2-0).

Allen, who stopped 24 shots Saturday in a 6-1 victory against the Arizona Coyotes, was impressive in his season debut after missing all of 2013-14 while playing for the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League, where he was goalie of the year.

"I think it's important that Jake plays at home," Hitchcock said after practice Wednesday. "I think he's got to get a home game in sooner or later. Obviously (Brian Elliott) is going to play against Chicago (Saturday), so then we're going to be waiting even further.

"Jake played really well for us in Phoenix. I don't want to see him wait too long to get his next start, so this is an opportunity."

Allen, who is 10-4-1 with a 2.36 GAA and .908 save percentage in 16 career games, last played a meaningful game on home ice April 5, 2013, a 3-1 victory against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

"It was exciting to get my first game in at Arizona, but to be able to come back in front of our fans and play that first game in a while at Scottrade's going to be fun," Allen said. "I'm looking forward to it.

"That was my goal, to get into it as early as possible. It's been a little while before I played. I tried to touch the puck as much as I can, keep communicating with my D-men and get  a good feel there and feel comfortable. The guys made it easy for me, but it was  a good first game and it was just a building block. Tomorrow's a big test for our team."

With the quirkiness to the Blues' early-season schedule where they had four and three days off, respectively, sandwiched around three games in four nights, it's important to keep both Allen and Elliott fresh and involved in game activities and not just get in practice reps.

"The schedule's going to pick up the pace eventually, but right now, I think that would probably be the mentality of everyone, try to get everyone in the game, get a good feel for it, get confident moving forward," Allen said. "... I try to treat my practices like my games when I wasn't playing the first few. I feel good in practice and I feel ready.  Hopefully those translate into my games."

Allen, 24, said the help he's received from Elliott and veteran goalie coach Jim Corsi is immeasurable to his progress.

"He brings such a good attitude to the rink," Allen said of Corsi. "He makes it fun to get on the ice and fun to work with. He's been great since Day 1 for me and Brian. 

"You can get better every day, but I feel the foundation of my game's pretty solid right now. I feel good about it. There's always things you can improve on. No one's ever perfect but still got a long way to go and I'll just try to give the team a chance tomorrow night."

* Oshie's offense -- If there are any hints that right wing T.J. Oshie was squeezing his stick, Oshie wasn't offering any after practice Wednesday.

Who would have thought that Oshie, who for the first time in his career (seven seasons) has started a season without a point through five games, would have more fights (one) than points at this juncture, even though it's early?

"I'm still getting opportunities," said Oshie, who has taken 13 shots on goal. "My linemates are still getting opportunities. They just haven't quite gone in yet. It's nothing that I'm worried about. It's going to come. Just have to stick with the program."

Hitchcock said it's understandable if Oshie is cognizant of the fact. The veteran coach isn't worried -- yet.

"It's probably weighing on him a little bit," Hitchcock said after practice Tuesday. "He carries the conscience of the team. Points come and go. Sometimes he's going to have a three- or four-point night. 

"I would be concerned if he wasn't playing the game the right way; he's playing the game the right way. The points would be good for him, they'd give him a better feeling so he's not frustrated. He's a guy that can pop every night and say this is how you have to play, which is significant."

Hitchcock has in the past called Oshie the "conscience of our team." When the 27-year-old plays with his motor running high and fast and furious, good things tend to happen.

"There's no more eagerness than there was in the first game," Oshie said of the lack of points. "I'm more concerned about playing the right way. It's going to come. This team has always been the kind of team where one month one line is hot and the next month another line is. Obviously, you want to score, but there's a little bit (of a) different role for me this year. Little less ice time, little less opportunity on the power play. So it's going to have to happen 5-on-5."

* (Flu)id lineup -- Alexander Steen missed practice Wednesday, with what Hitchcock is calling "a bacterial ailment," or in other words, players getting sick with flu-like symptoms.

Jori Lehtera, who sat out the 3-0 loss at Anaheim after falling sick following the win Saturday in Arizona, was back at practice Wednesday and is expected to play Thursday.

"He's like five or six guys on the team," Hitchcock said of Lehtera. "They have a bacterial ailment and we're seeing who it pops up with. We are a very fluid situation right now. 

"We're going through an interesting health time right now. We'll just see who pops up tomorrow. Two guys left practice early. It popped up early this morning and got worse, so we'll just manufacture and see what's available for tomorrow."

Steen is expected to play Thursday, but Magnus Paajarvi was skating in his place on the all-Sweden line with Patrik Berglund and Joakim Lindstrom just in case Steen is downgraded.

Lehtera was back in his familiar spot at center between Jaden Schwartz and Vladimir Tarasenko and said he feels fine.

"I had a little fever and stuff like that," Lehtera said, "but I'm fine now."

* Practice makes perfect -- With the loss of Paul Stastny (shoulder) on a week to week basis and players shuffling in and out of the lineup and practice, the Blues spent the past two days in preparation for the Canucks doing the little things to get, according to Hitchcock, more continuity.

"We needed to get better communication from transition from offense to defense and from defense to offense," Hitchcock said. "We spent two days, had some really good practices getting ready for it. That's number one. Number two is just that five-man continuity where we're five up together five back together. We had a lot of good stuff happen in the first two games (on the recent trip)  and then we got a little bit sloppy in the third game. It's just kind of rebooting all the stuff that involved communication and talk and things like that, and getting a read on our health. Our health is not great right now. Just seeing who can play and who can't play and seeing what we can get out of the next two games."

* Gunnarsson update -- Defenseman Carl Gunnarsson (hip) was a full participant in practice once again Wednesday but not part of the regular rotation of defensemen and it appears he will miss a sixth game to begin the season Thursday night.

"He's not ready yet. Closer, closer, but not yet," Hitchcock said of Gunnarsson, acquired in a draft-day trade from the Toronto Maple Leafs along with a fourth-round pick for Roman Polak. "It's really in his camp. He's got to just decide, 'OK, I'm ready to go.' 

"He feels comfortable and he's getting closer and closer. I would hope that in the not-too-distant future whether it's the weekend or not if we're going to see him."

* Facing Vancouver -- It appears the Blues will face Miller, their teammate from the end of last season, Thursday night.

Miller, who was acquired from the Buffalo Sabres days before the NHL Trade Deadline for a package that included goalie Jaroslav Halak and Chris Stewart, signed a three-year, $18 million contract July 1 after the Blues informed Miller, 33, they would not be bringing him back.

The Blues lost three one-goal decisions (3-2 in a shootout Oct. 25 in St. Louis, 2-1 on Jan. 10 in Vancouver and 1-0 on Feb. 26 in Vancouver, which was the first game after the Sochi Olympics). All were with Eddie Lack in goal.

"I think it was more Vancouver had our number," Hitchcock said. "We played some of our best hockey in Vancouver (and) couldn't score. ... It's the same thing. We've got to keep building good minutes in our game. I think it's more continuity."

(10-22-14) BLUES NOTEBOOK

By LOU KORAC
HAZELWOOD, Mo. -- Last season, it was smooth sailing for the Blues. 

Injuries were far and few between during much of the regular season until they hit an avalanche over the final six games.

It didn't take long for the injury bug to derail the Blues' plans for the start of 2014-15 as defenseman Carl Gunnarsson began on the shelf recovering from off-season hip surgery. And now with the addition of center Paul Stastny out week to week after injuring his left shoulder against the Arizona Coyotes and with center Jori Lehtera shut down the past three days with sickness, the Blues are seeing their forward depth tested early this time around.

That's why they stocked the cupboard.

"We'll kind of evaluate it here on the weekend," Hitchcock said of Stastny, who has four points in four games. "It gets better every day. ... If he's week to week, IR's what, seven days? This weekend will probably be the evaluation to see is he going to come back right away or is he going to take another few days. We'll do the evaluation here on the weekend here and see how he's doing.

"It tests (the depth) a lot. It was tough to absorb the loss of really your first and third icemen with no chance to practice. But allowing us a couple days of practice, I think we'll recover nicely. Everybody goes through this stuff, but I think with having time to practice and put your lines in and having that good practice tomorrow; hopefully Lehtera's in and that'll give us a chance to regroup and get ready."

The Blues, who host the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday before getting another crack at the Chicago Blackhawks here Saturday night, must soldier on.

"He's a great player," captain David Backes said of Stastny. "He's a huge addition, huge part of this team. We're going to have injuries this year. Get them out of the way maybe earlier in the year than later in the year and find ways to shed the responsibility of other guys, guys stepping up. We'll be fine. We've just got to keep it all together, make sure we're playing our game, supporting each other, picking each other up and take care of business.

"We're not going to dwell on one injury. We've got new guys, old guys ... it doesn't matter. We're a group of 23 and we've got guys in the minors that can step up and play, too. We're going to have injuries. We're going to have guys that are in and out of the lineup because they're hurt. It's an 82-game season in the best league in the world. Do we want Paul in the lineup? For sure. He'll fix his injury, he'll be back and he's a guy with his smarts and his abilities, he'll be right back in the lineup and won't miss a beat for sure."

Teammate Jordan Leopold, who also played with Stastny with the Colorado Avalanche, doesn't expect Stastny to be out very long.

"I've played with Paul in the past. I've known him for a long time," Leopold said. "He's going to bounce back from this just fine. We've got guys who are stepping in and doing the job for us. Who that's going to be night in and night out, we don't know. We have to stick to our game plan now and what we've done in the past. We have to get points. It's as simple as that. We've got a light month and we have to take advantage of it and come out on top here by the end of this month.

"It sucks for him, especially when you come to a new team. You want to make an impact, you want to be able to stay in the room and see how things work and learn what's going on.When you're injured on the outside looking in, it's really hard. He'll be at every meeting, he'll be around. It's unfortunate, but he'll be there when we need him."

But with Stastny out and Lehtera fighting the flu bug, the Blues were forced into mixing and matching lines at practice Tuesday.

"It really blew up three lines," Hitchcock said. "When you lose a winger, it's one thing, but I think when you lose a couple (of) center icemen, it blows up your lineup. 

"Today was a really good day to recover on the ice and get some continuity back in our lines and get some role definition back again, so you make the adjustments. I look at Tampa, they've got four guys down, three in the last two games. Those are the adjustments you've got to make. I think any coach knows if you just get a day or two to catch your breath, you can regroup your group and other guys will step up and make account of themselves."

The lines included an all-Swede combination of Alexander Steen, Patrik Berglund and Joakim Lindstrom.

"They were told to speak English today, which is something they were challenged with and they did a good job of it," Hitchcock joked. "... I don't know. They looked good at practice today. If you can move that onto the games ... if they look like they did today, that's a significant move for us. That really makes us dangerous when Lehtera comes back. That can really make us look dangerous right now."

Versatile Steve Ott was back on the top line with Backes and T.J. Oshie.

"Our hope is that in some period of time during the competition, we'll flip him and Magnus (Paajarvi) and see how both sides look," Hitchcock said of Ott. "We'll have Magnus practice there again tomorrow, but we'll see during the game depending on what the opponent is. I would look for him and Magnus to flip positions during the game. He's going to play in both spots."

* Back to familiar ground -- It didn't take long for Hitchcock to reunite defensemen Alex Pietrangelo and Jay Bouwmeester, the team's top defensive pairing the past season and a half.

After spending much of training camp trying to figure out a way to balance the D-pairs out by splitting up Pietrangelo and Bouwmeester, Hitchcock went back to them during the 3-0 loss against the Anaheim Ducks Sunday.

Why?

"Continuity, plus Gunnarsson's getting closer and closer to (being) ready," Hitchcock said. "Looking at the opponents coming up, we're going to need one pair that carries yeoman work 5-on-5. They're the pair that does it, so we're going to use them."

Pietrangelo's been playing with Ian Cole, and Bouwmeester has skated with Kevin Shattenkirk, who's thrived in the role. On Tuesday, Shattenkirk was skating with Cole and Barret Jackman and Leopold were on the third unit with Gunnarsson filtering in.

"That's the coach's decision. Whatever they want to do ... we played together a little bit there at the end of the Anaheim game," Pietrangelo said. "They're going to do whatever they think is right. 

"Inside and out is an understatement. I think when you play a year and a half together, go to the Olympics together ... you can go on and on about on the ice, off the ice. You come to know each other. When we get back together, it seems natural. Anybody that goes with Bouw, it's an easy transition. He's a world class player."

As for Gunnarsson, who was cleared for contact a week ago Monday, Hitchcock said, "He's getting better and better. We'll kind of have a real firm evaluation after tomorrow's practice. He did fitness again today. He passed it with flying colors, so let's see where the next step's at. A lot of it's in his hands now."

* Assessing a 1-1-1 trip -- The Blues dominated play against the defending champion Los Angeles Kings but were thwarted of a point by nemesis Jonathan Quick in a 1-0 shootout loss, then blitzed the Coyotes 6-1 Saturday as Jaden Schwartz recorded his first-ever hat trick and four-point game before the team's flattest game of the season Sunday against the Ducks.

"Three in four after a long break early in the season," Backes said. "It's not an ideal schedule, but no excuses. We played a good game in L.A. We won a game pretty handily in (Arizona) and then we came out and played pretty flat in Anaheim. Whether that's back to back or whatever happened there, that's where we needed another 60 minutes to make that a great road trip."

"I think we definitely would have liked to get that last one," said Leopold, who was a healthy scratch Sunday in favor of Petteri Lindbohm, who Hitchcock raved about. "Maybe short on gas or whatever it may be, but we look to regroup this week. We've got two good days of practice, a day off here and here comes Vancouver rolling into town and here we go again. It's been a light month for us and hopefully we can take advantage of that."

* Special teams start -- The Blues come home to play four of the next five (Jake Allen will start in goal Thursday against the Canucks). They do so tied for second in power play efficiency (6 of 20, good for 30 percent) but needing some fixing on the penalty kill, where the Blues gave up two goals in the loss Sunday.

The Blues enter Thursday tied for 17th in penalty kill efficiency at 80 percent, allowing four goals on 20 opportunities that included 2 of 3 to the Ducks.

"Our power play's been great," Hitchcock said. "Our power play, even when we don't score, I don't know ... what do we've got, six or seven goals already in the season? That's pretty significant. It's our penalty killing we're probably concerned about. We're letting too many goals go in, we're making too many errors, and we've got to get that cleaned up quick because when you let in goals on the penalty kill, that's what loses you hockey games. Power plays can help you win games, but you don't need them every night. But when you don't have your penalty killing going, you're going to be in trouble. We need to get that cleaned up."