(2-13-10) Capitals-Blues Gameday Lineup

By LOUIE KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- Talk about a whirlwind of opponents in a 24-hour span. That's what the Blues face here tonight.

After facing the Eastern Conference's worst in the Toronto Maple Leafs here on Friday, the Blues (27-25-9) will entertain the East's -- and the NHL's -- top squad when the Washington Capitals (41-13-7) and arguably the game's best player in Alex Ovechkin come calling on Scottrade Center. The drop of the puck is 7 p.m.

But as the Blues went through an optional skate in which only a handful or two participated in and then went through player meetings, the message was the same: whether it's Toronto or Washington, two crucial points are up for grabs.

"That's our focus," Blues coach Davis Payne said. "We know we've got a different animal in here tonight. Obviously they've been playing some great hockey and are on top of the league for a reason. We've got some particular players we've got to pay attention to."

A guy wearing No. 8 might be a focal point.

"I've seen enough of him," Payne said of Ovechkin, who leads the league in goals (42), points (89) and plus-minus (43) in 53 games. "I'll get to see him up close and personal tonight. Let's not forget that that list starts with him and it moves down pretty deep. You can go 19 (Nicklas Backstrom), you can go 28 (Alexander Semin), you can go 52 (Mike Green), you can go on and on about this hockey club."

The Blues would love nothing more than to head into the Olympic break on a three-game winning streak. Friday night's 4-0 win over Toronto provided plenty of positives, but one area of concern is the amount of penalties the Blues took.

With Washington holding the top-ranked power play unit in the league, converting on 25.4 percent of its chances, the Blues would be far-pressed to ask themselves to kill off eight opportunities like they did against Toronto Friday.

"We've talked about the penalties that we've had to kill and our killers have done a great job, but there's no reason we have to put ourselves under that kind of pressure and the type of pressure we've put ourselves in the last four or five games," Payne said. "We've got to decrease that for sure."

* * *

Tonight's lineup will remain the same, and that means Keith Tkachuk (upper-body), D.J. King (healthy scratch) and Darryl Sydor (healthy scratch) are out.

Paul Kariya-David Backes-T.J. Oshie

Andy McDonald-Patrik Berglund-David Perron

Alex Steen-Jay McClement-B.J. Crombeen

Brad Winchester-Brad Boyes-Cam Janssen

The D-pairings will also stay the same:

Barret Jackman-Roman Polak

Eric Brewer-Erik Johnson

Carlo Colaiacovo-Mike Weaver

Chris Mason, who earned his second shutout of the season and 20th of his career, stopped 30 shots in Friday's win. He'll start again tonight.

"I thought he was extremely solid," Payne said of Mason, who is on call as a reserve for the Canadian Olympic team. "Not just the saves he made but the saves he didn't have to make based on his control of the puck. It certainly looked like a performance we can take into tonight."

- - -

The Capitals are enjoying a banner season thus far under head coach Bruce Boudreau, who took a similar route to get behind an NHL bench as Blues coach Davis Payne.

Both are products of the American Hockey League, and Boudreau endorses the Blues' choice of bringing up one of their own to replace Andy Murray.

"I was saying last night that I think it's a really good thing that the coaches that have been with the minor league affiliate get a chance," Boudreau said. "They know the players better than anybody coming in. I'm not sure a reputation as a coach is a real good one in the middle of the season. The people that know the players the best are the guys on the farm because they hear all the stories on whether it's good or bad going on. They can come in and usually you have a different relationship if you're the minor league coach as an NHL coach.

"I think it's a good thing that he came in here and he's done a great job. Andy Murray's a tremendous friend of mine and I hate to see him gone. It's a good thing to hire from within."

The stop in St. Louis is Boudreau's last of the NHL venues as a head coach. He was last here as a player with the Chicago Blackhawks when the Blues played at The Arena.

"I used to love playing here," Boudreau said. "I played in the old building. It's the first time I've ever been here and it's beautiful. The other building always had a good atmosphere and they had great teams.

"I remember the one time I played for Chicago and got on for one shift, and Denis Savard pulled me off after four seconds of my shift and that was it for the game. That was a memory, I don't know why I always thought of that one."

The Capitals coach took in Friday's Blues victory over Toronto and was impressed.

"They're very good," he said. "I was impressed with Chris Mason. He looked square to the puck all the time. He was in total control. Their young players that you read a lot about are really good as well. They play with a lot of energy. We played them last year one time and I was really impressed by their work ethic. I think they had eight players out of their lineup at one time, so I think we wore them down at the end, but I don't think that'll be a situation that would happen today."

Washington has dropped two in a row (0-1-1) after winning an amazing 14 games in a row and 17 of 18.

It was a fun ride but one the Caps knew would end sometime.

"It was good. It was the result of all-around good play and a lot of things coming together," Capitals forward Mike Knuble said. "Great goaltending, penalty killing was great, power play was clicking, all that stuff.

"We're still scoring the goals, but we're giving up too many right now. It's stuff you can focus on. It was a good run, but we knew it had to end at some point."

The Caps will throw out a line resembling this:

Alex Ovechkin-Nicklas Backstrom-Mike Knuble

Brooks Laich-Brendan Morrison-Alexander Semin

Tomas Fleischmann-Dave Steckel-Eric Fehr

Quintin Laing-Boyd Gordon-Matt Bradley

John Carlson was recalled from AHL Hershey and will play tonight.

The D-pairings will feature:

Jeff Schultz-Mike Green

Karl Alzner-Brian Pothier

Shaone Morrisonn-John Carlson

Jose Theodore will get the start in goal.

Pair of shorthanded goals fuel Blues' 4-0 win over Leafs

Mason earns 20th career shutout; Blues

move within four points of eighth place in west

By LOUIE KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- On paper, the Blues had a decisive advantage on the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday night.

The Leafs came into Scottrade Center last in the Eastern Conference with 49 points and 11 games under .500. But as Blues goalie Chris Mason put it after a 4-0 victory over Toronto, "We have no right to underestimate anybody."

The Blues, who moved within four points of eighth-place Calgary for the final playoff berth in the Western Conference, did not underestimate an opponent that has played drastically well since making a pair of major trades within the last two weeks.

The Blues got two shorthanded goals in a game for the first time since Jan. 16, 2007 from T.J. Oshie and Alex Steen -- a former Leaf, Mason stopped 30 shots for his second shutout of the season and 20th of his career and the team's penalty killing unit was a perfect 8 for 8 in the game.

"It was a pretty good night by that crew," Blues coach Davis Payne said of his PK unit. "Jay McClement, (B.J.) Crombeen, Weaves (Mike Weaver), Jax (Barret Jackman) obviously and Mase obviously -- the main crew. They did a pretty good job as far as executing. (Assistant coach) Brad Shaw's got them under that direction, obviously did a fantastic job not only got through the eight but scoring two shorthanded goals."

Andy McDonald also got his team-leading 19th goal of the season as the Blues jumped into 12th place in the conference and improved to 27-25-9, good for 63 points.

And it was two shorthanded goals that fueled a critical game where anything but two points was not good enough.

Oshie and Steen scored shorthanded goals 4 minutes, 40 seconds apart in the second period to give the Blues a 3-0 lead that all but deflated a Toronto team that has had a hard time winning games throughout the season.

"You try and not to focus on exactly what that's done to the other team," Payne said "You expect a response, and we expected them to come out sharp. We wanted to make sure we got through the rest of the kill. It's always the focus coming off the bench. It's great we scored a shorty, but we still have some time to work on here."

Oshie converted a good forecheck by David Backes, who picked off an errant pass from Toronto's John Mitchell along the right boards, skated in and wrapped a shot around the goal that Leafs goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere got a piece of but Oshie was on the doorstep for an open side at 9:07 of the second.

"That was all (Backes) there," said Oshie, who scored his 12th of the season. "I was just kind of the guy standing there."

Steen was also able to win a battle from Toronto's Luke Schenn and beat Giguere, one of the Leafs' acquisitions on Jan. 31 along with defenseman Dion Phaneuf. Steen, traded to the Blues along with Carlo Colaiacovo on Nov. 24, 2008 for Lee Stempniak, wrapped a shot through the pads of Giguere at 13:47 as the Blues were on their fifth penalty kill.

"We certainly got to be careful with (the penalties) tomorrow night," said Oshie, referring to facing the high-flying Washington Capitals. "We were lucky our penalty kill was playing pretty well tonight, and we were playing in their end a little bit. We were fortunate to get those two goals, two hard-working goals."

Mason did the rest, and he was particularly good in the third period when he stopped half of the 30 shots he faced.

"For the most part, we did a pretty good job of clearing the shooting lanes," Mason said. "Just seeing the puck pretty good.

"Our penalty killers did a great job tonight. Every chance they had to get it down and clear the zone, they did. That's so important. It's a lot harder than it looks. ... Power play players will tell you how frustrating that is to go back and forth the whole time and that's what we made them do."

Payne said Mason is at his best when he's able to come out and challenge shooters.

"I think that's his most effective style of play," the Blues' coach said. "He knows he has to be in those areas, he knows he has to get to those spots in order to challenge people. We can talk about when a certain part of a guy's game goes, we certainly have some keys to look forward to with Chris and that's one of them."

The Leafs (19-31-11) came out flying in the third despite trailing 3-0, but the Blues put the game on ice when Crombeen was able to convert Jay McClement's backhand feed at 13:47.

"I think we were getting a little giddy in between periods, and Jax had to sit us down and say, 'Hey, we still have 20 minutes to go here. Let's focus and do what we talk about,'" Oshie said.

"You saw the first five minutes (of the third period)," Backes said. "They stepped their game up to another level and we needed to respond. It took us a second to kind of get slapped in the face that they're going to come out, they're not going to quit and we need to respond and keep playing our game. I think we finished well."

The Blues had to kill off two penalties in the game's final four minutes, but just like the previous six, the Leafs were stuck on zero.

"If we weren't sharp on the PK that game, it's ugly in a hurry," Backes said. "I don't have the numbers, but I'd say seven or eight minors we had to kill off. We were out there long enough that we were bound to have a few chances shorthanded. Obviously Osh capitalized on one and Alex Steen did a great job on winning one on two or three behind the net and comes around and stuffs one in their net."

The Blues will go from playing the East's worst to the East's best when Alexander Ovechkin and Capitals come calling at 7 p.m. Then the team convenes for the Winter Olympics.

"Ovechkin, (Alexander) Semin and (Nicklas) Backstrom ... it goes all the way down the list," Backes said of tonight's opponent. "They're a team with a ton of firepower, a ton of speed. It's going to be a great test for all 20 guys in the lineup tomorrow night to get a job done and have a good streak and have a good reason to celebrate during this break."

* NOTES -- Blues forward Keith Tkachuk missed the game because of an upper-body injury suffered in Tuesday's shootout win over Detroit. He's listed as day-to-day but will likely miss tonight's game as well. ... Tkachuk was replaced in the lineup by Cam Janssen, who had an eventful night with Toronto tough guy Colton Orr. The two scrapped twice and accumulated 54 of the game's 76 penalty minutes. ... Forward D.J. King and defenseman Darryl Sydor were healthy scratches. ... Jamal Mayers and Dallas Drake were the last two to score shorthanded goals in the same game for the Blues when they won 6-2 at Anaheim.

(2-12-10) Maple Leafs-Blues Gameday Lineup

By LOUIE KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- It was Nov. 24, 2008, a day that changed the lives of three young hockey players.

Lee Stempniak had just finished practice for the day with the Blues when general manager Larry Pleau called Stempniak into his office to deliver the news that he had been traded to Toronto.

Coming to the Blues was a young but promising forward named Alex Steen and another young defenseman who had the talent but developed the reputation of someone who was injury-prone and could never stay on the ice in Carlo Colaiacovo.

Fifteen months later, the three will face their former squads tonight when the Blues entertain the Leafs at Scottrade Center, but for all intents and purposes, the luster has worn off for Steen and Colaiacovo.

Most of the teammates they played with on the roster have either moved on via trade or free agency or in Mats Sundin's case, retired.

"Yeah, there's not a lot of guys there," Steen, 25, said Friday morning. "Obviously the organization went through a lot of changes. I, myself, was a part of it. It's going to be fun. Kabby (Thomas Kaberle) and Poni (Alexei Ponikarovsky) are still there, I played a long time with them. I spent a brief time with some of the other guys, so it's going to be fun though."

For Colaiacovo, a native Toronto son, who has since thrived mostly during his time in St. Louis minus a few minor ailments, made it academic that this is just another game after the Leafs dealt away two of his best friends recently (Matt Stajan and Ian White) to Calgary in the Dion Phaneuf trade.

"Somebody asked me (Thursday) if I was going to be nervous playing this game, and I said, 'Why would I be? I really don't recognize three-quarters of that team over there,'" Colaiacovo said. "It's an organization that I previously played with, so there is going to be that extra motivation.

"They're going through some serious changes over there. Obviously, we read about it and pay attention to it through the TV and stuff, but at the end of the day, it doesn't really matter to me anymore. I'm here and I couldn't be more happy."

Colaiacovo, 27, admitted that when the date got closer and closer, he was looking forward to playing against his two close friends.

"I was really looking forward to this date to play against those guys and have a night with them last night, but obviously they've moved on, too," Colaiacovo said. "Tonight's just another game for is, and it's obviously a huge game for us considering where we sit in the standings and with Calgary losing last night. They're playing real well and we can't overlook them.

"It is a former team of mine, and I'd like to get the win a little more, but at the end of the day, it's all about the team inside here. We need this win for us in here."

* * *

As for Stempniak, 27, things have also changed for him since the last time he walked through the Scottrade Center doors, but much is still the same.

"Obviously where you get started, it's really special," Stempniak said. "I made a lot of friends away from the rink and a lot of good teammates. There are a lot of guys I still keep in touch with and it's definitely going to be a fun night tonight.

"I talked to big Walt (Keith Tkachuk) a little bit yesterday just over the phone. I keep in touch with Jay McClement. Other than that, it's sort of tough. I didn't want to make it a big deal coming back here. I just went to dinner last night with a few of the guys from the Leafs. I just try and look at it as another game. Obviously, it's a little different being back in here on the other side being in Scottrade Center. But at the same time, you've just got to approach it as another game."

The trade was quite a shock to Stempniak, who has 14 goals and 29 points in 60 games for the Leafs this season. But looking back on it now, it may have been best for everyone. Stempniak has a few more responsibilities since the switch to the Eastern Conference.

"I spend three and a half years here," Stempniak said. (Former Blues coach) Mike Kitchen gave me an opportunity to play. When Andy (Murray) came in, he really gave me an opportunity to grow in my role, play the point on the power play and things like that. I grew a lot as a player.

"I think I've become a more complete player. I play a lot on the penalty kill now, I've played the point on the power play at times throughout the year, even a little defense late in games, which is something new for me. I've played in a lot of different situations. That's what you want as a player. The coach has faith in you, your teammates have faith in you to be out there whether you need a big goal on the power play or whether you're killing a penalty late or protecting a lead late in the game. It's been great so far."

* * *

Tkachuk (upper-body) will not play tonight and Blues coach Davis Payne said his gritty veteran is day-to-day.

Tkachuk, 37, took a puck up high against Detroit Tuesday. He didn't skate Thursday and was not on the ice Friday morning.

Cam Janssen will return to the lineup, while forward D.J. King and defenseman Darryl Sydor will be healthy scratches.

Payne said to expect Brad Boyes to "see some time at center" tonight.

Line combinations today at practice looked like this:

Paul Kariya-David Backes-T.J. Oshie

Andy McDonald-Patrik Berglund-David Perron

Alex Steen-Jay McClement-B.J. Crombeen

Brad Winchester-Brad Boyes-Cam Janssen

The D-pairings remained the same:

Barret Jackman-Roman Polak

Eric Brewer-Erik Johnson

Carlo Colaiacovo-Mike Weaver

Chris Mason will get the nod in goal.

- - -

The Maple Leafs (19-30-11) come in 11 games under .500 but since acquiring Phaneuf and goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere, they have gone 2-2 and both losses were by one goal against New Jersey and San Jose.

"We talked this morning about how big a mistake it would be if we were just looking solely at the record," Payne said. "We go back and look at the kind of games they've put up there the last three or four games. They've had some success and they've played some pretty good teams. We have to make sure that our opponent isn't adjusting our level. We make sure we bring our level and it's ready to go, because we know how crucial points are."

The Leafs sported the following lines at the skate this morning:

Alexei Ponikarovsky-Tyler Bozak-Phil Kessel

Viktor Stalberg-Christian Hanson-Lee Stempniak

Fredrik Sjostrom-Rickard Wallin-Nikolai Kulemin

Wayne Primeau-John Mitchell-Colton Orr

Their defensive pairings will feature:

Thomas Kaberle-Dion Phaneuf

Francois Beauchemin-Carl Gunnarsson

Garnet Exelby-Luke Schenn

Giguere will get the start in goal, Toronto's final game before the Winter Olympics.

Blues set to tango with new, improved Leafs

Toronto playing much better since trades

that brought them Phaneuf, Giguere

By LOUIE KORAC
HAZELWOOD, Mo. -- When the Blues were faced with a seven-game stretch of games that would lead them into the Olympic break, the Toronto Maple Leafs was one of those games that one would classify as a must-win.

With teams like Chicago, Washington, San Jose, Colorado and Detroit all bearing down on the Blues with above .500 records, the Leafs were sticking out like a sore thumb.

But that was before Leafs general manager Brian Burke pulled off a pair of blockbuster deals that brought defenseman Dion Phaneuf from Calgary and goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere from Anaheim to bolster a team searching for an identity.

Giguere, who led the Ducks to a Stanley Cup in 2007, has earned shutouts in each of his first two starts with his new team.

"It certainly looks that way as far as how they're playing and the energy they're playing with," Blues coach Davis Payne said of the Leafs, who face the Blues tonight at 7 p.m. "They've had some pretty good hockey games at New Jersey and home against San Jose."

The Leafs are 19-30-11 on the season, but they are 2-2 since the trades but both losses have been by one goal against New Jersey (4-3) and San Jose (3-2).

"We have to be worried about how high a level we need to bring," Payne said. "Our opponent shouldn't necessarily dictate that. We have standards, we know they're playing well, we know they've added pieces, so with their good results lately, we should understand we've got a tough game coming up and those two points are crucial to us."

* * *

Searching for their own identity -- The Blues, who come into tonight's game with a 26-25-9 mark, are six points out of the eighth and final Western Conference playoff berth. But as they get set to face the Leafs in Game No. 61 on the season, it's a team that is also in search of its identity.

"It seems this year, we've come out on different nights and been completely different teams, which you can't win without a constant identity and that's something that we definitely haven't completely established," Blues goalie Chris Mason said. "I think we're in the process of doing that. I think we've been a lot more consistent lately, but we still have some consistency issues.

"I thought it was something we established last year, but you get a couple guys and new guys and the team changes and ice time is allocated differently. It just changes and we've been struggling what our identity is missing."

Mason, who was instrumental in fueling the Blues' second-half charge that vaulted them all the way from 15th to 6th in the Western Conference, doesn't feel like it's from a lack of effort but rather just being out of sync.

"It's not the effort, because guys work hard but just the structure hasn't always been there," Mason said. "We're just not in sync as much as we've needed to be this year. Sometimes, it seems like we get running around or we get caught out of position. Last year, we were solid, we were grinding games out and we understood that we're going to be in a lot of one-goal games. That's been the case this year, but last year, we found ways through our structure and our grit and things like that to get those wins and get those points. This year, we've given way too many away."

Games earlier in the season the Blues feel like they gave away is a big reason why they are still on the outside of the playoff picture and looking in.

"If you look back, there's probably at least 10 games or so where we just gave away points or we lost leads and things like that, but you can't do that," Mason said. "It's over now. If it takes us to the end of the year to learn it, that's what it's going to have to take. We won't be in the playoffs if that's the case. We just have to get the points when they're there and not give any away."

* * *

Olympic banter -- With an array of players that are American- and Canadian-heavy, it would be easy to understand why players would kid each other regarding who will win the upcoming Olympic ice hockey gold medal.

But in the Blues' locker room ...

"That's been pretty quiet around here," said forward Brad Boyes. "A lot of Americans, a lot of Canadians here, so that's pretty much the split."

Asked whether he'll watch the Olympic games, Boyes said, "If it's around, I'll see it. Most are for bragging rights I think right now. Go against Americans and Swedes ... a little Czech, too. But I want them to do well."

* * *

The Olympic trading freeze kicks in today and lasts through Feb. 28, so many teams will likely make deals in order to have new pieces in place once the Olympics are done.

The Blues, who are expected to be quiet today, made a minor move Thursday, sending minor-league defenseman Steve Wagner to Pittsburgh in exchange for minor-league defenseman Nate Guenin.

Guenin, 27, played in 41 games this year for the Penguins' American Hockey League affiliate in Scranton for Wilkes-Barre and he recorded three goals and two assists.

He was originally drafted by the New York Rangers in 2002 and will report to Peoria immediately.

Blues players looking forward to Olympic break

Team faces Toronto tonight, Washington Saturday,

will take time off aside from three Olympians

By LOUIE KORAC
HAZELWOOD, Mo. -- With a condensed schedule that is all too familiar in Major League Baseball, the Blues and the rest of their National Hockey League peers are more than looking forward to a two-week break.

With the 2010 Winter Olympics about to unveil its glory on Sunday -- ice hockey competition begins Tuesday -- there is a plethora of NHLers that will leave the grind and gruel of what is the 2009-10 season to allow the mind and body to heal, retool and reenergize.

The Blues, who conducted a lengthy practice Thursday at St. Louis Mills in preparation for home games Friday against Toronto and Saturday against Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals, will send three Olympians (David Backes and Erik Johnson for Team USA) and Roman Polak (Czech Republic) to Vancouver but for the rest, it will be time to rest.

Some players will partake in some sun and fun at exotic resorts, some will just go home (wherever home is) and get away from the frozen water and get themselves refocused for the stretch run.

For the Blues, that means 20 more games of battling for a berth in the Western Conference playoffs, but for the time being, once the clock strikes midnight on Saturday night, hockey will be the furthest thing for most of these guys.

"With the way our schedule's been and the travel, it's kind of welcomed," said goalie Chris Mason, a Red Deer, Alberta native who will grab his wife Courtney and daughter Avery and head down to Cancun. "It's been a pretty tough month-and-a-half with the schedule, but I think we're planning on going down to Cancun for a few days. It'll be weird not doing anything in the middle of the season."

Brad Boyes is also among those that wants to enjoy the sun in Mexico, but the Mississauga, Ontario native will also spread his time between Mexico and Canada.

"I'm going down to (Riviera Maya) Mexico," Boyes said. "And then my girlfriend and I are going back to Toronto for a couple days.

"A little warmth, (then) the freezing and back down here."

Then, there's T.J. Oshie, who wants nothing to do with sunburns and sandy beaches. He's going home to North Dakota.

"Just go back home -- just relax," Oshie said when asked what his two weeks will consist of. "No beaches, no Florida, no Mexico. Just hang out.

"I think everyone's looking forward to it. Kind of a win-win. You get a good break and you get to relax and come back strong in a couple weeks or you play in the Olympics."

Count Blues coach Davis Payne among the those looking for a little R&R. He'll go back to Peoria to spend time with wife Jane and two daughters. They've all been shuffling back and forth between St. Louis and Peoria since the 39-year-old was named to replace Andy Murray as coach on Jan. 2.

"I'm going to apply that theory as well. I've got some reconnect with the family," Payne said. "It's been six weeks I haven't been home. We've had our visits back and forth and lots of phone conversations, but that reconnect and family time is what I'm looking forward to."

Payne doesn't necessarily think that the Blues (26-25-9) will benefit from having so much time off. He feels this is the time all teams grin and bear the grind of the season as teams jockey for postseason position or fight for their playoff lives.

"I don't know if you can look at that as good, bad or indifferent," Payne said regarding the time off. "I always think that the grind of the season is what forges your mental toughness. Everybody has to go through games 50-65 and get into the 70s, that positioning that starts to kind of boost up your awareness going down the stretch. The teams that are able to grind through that part of the schedule and have success usually set themselves up for a pretty good positioning and obviously a pretty good spot mentally for the last 10-, 15-, 20-games."

Payne added, "I think everybody will be in the same boat. Everybody should come back refreshed (and) recharged. It won't be something that you have to deal with. It'll be everybody hitting the ground full speed, recharged. It should make for some pretty good tempo. To me, that mental challenge of grinding through that part of the season is something you want to take some pride in, you want to face head-on, you want to deal with it, you want to consider it to be something your team gets stronger with."

The Blues can only hope they have positive results moving forward from this weekend, then they'll worry about the home stretch.

"Our season's on the line. That's it for us," Mason said. "We've got to get our eggs in our basket. ... We've got to put efforts on the line every single night because we can't afford to give any more points away."

Blues in a similar spot as last season

Team looking to make the necessary push for playoff run

By LOUIE KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- It was around the middle of February when the Blues began to approach every regular season game last year like it was a playoff game, a must-win mentality, if you will.

Well, look at the time.

Look at the date.

It's 2010.

It's February.

It's desperation mode once again for this hockey club.

The Blues (26-25-9) have 61 points on the season after Tuesday night's 4-3 shootout victory over Detroit. They sit six points in back of eighth place Calgary in the Western Conference with two more games left before the Winter Olympic break and 22 games remaining in the 2009-10 season.

Every moment is crucial, every period is critical, every point earned is a must, and every win from here on out means the Blues are closer to where they would like to be.

"Every game is the most important game of the season," said forward Paul Kariya, who scored twice Tuesday, his first home goals since Oct. 25, 2008. "Last year, we went through it. We're in a similar spot this year. I think we've got a lot of resiliency in this room and we know that we can do it, too."

The Blues' current campaign is a mirror image of what they went through a year ago up to this point. They were dead last in the conference as late as Feb. 18 but amazingly leapfrogged nine other teams to get as high as sixth in the conference and earn a postseason berth for the first time since 2003-04.

They sit in 13th place today, and have home games with Toronto (Friday) and Washington (Saturday). The climb will be just as difficult if not harder to make. But for the players that take the ice, they know there's nobody to blame but themselves for the position they're in, and it will take every guy in the locker room to be able to collectively work their way back to where they feel they belong.

"We need the points right now," said forward Brad Boyes, who scored the shootout winner against Detroit, giving him six goals in nine attempts this season.

The Blues, after getting in late following Monday's 5-2 loss at Colorado, played with a sense of urgency and desperation for much of Tuesday night's game. But a common theme occurred: they allowed the lead to dissipate, which is something that's cost the Blues precious points in the standings and at one time, led to the firing of coach Andy Murray.

"I've come in here with a mindset of making sure these guys understand that we want to correct as we go," Blues coach Davis Payne said. "We've got to win hockey games, but we also know things aren't going to go our way all the time and it's how you respond to those situations."

For one night, the Blues responded accordingly, as did goalie Chris Mason, who was below his standards in allowing five goals on 15 shots Monday in Denver.

Payne informed Mason with a text message after the team touched down that he was coming back with him against the Red Wings, and the veteran netminder responded with a 39-save effort which included a game-saving stop on Henrik Zetterberg to help the Blues gain the extra point.

"I'm really thankful for the opportunity," Mason said. "(Monday) night was one of those nights where nothing seemed to go right. It was a tough game, but it was good to get back in there and kind of redeem yourself."

For Payne, the decision seemed like a no-brainer despite backup Ty Conklin stopping all 18 shots he saw in relief of Mason Monday.

"I've got all the belief in the world in Ty, but also wanted Mase to know, 'Hey, it didn't go your way last night, but we need you to get back in there and have a healthy kick at it for us,'" the Blues' coach said. "He responded well."

So did Mason's teammates against the Red Wings, who the Blues are 4-0-1 against this season, a rare feat.

"Detroit's the kind of team where you've got to go at them," Boyes said. "We've played them a lot over the last couple years. We know them pretty well. They've had their team the last couple years, pretty similar and the same as us, so we know what to expect.

"With them, they're a team if you sit back and let them dictate how it's going to be, they'll make you look silly. For us, it was go at them, be physical, be smart, try to limit them as much as you can."

The Blues can only hope those smarts can parlay into victories and in the end, the necessary points needed for the postseason.

Blues blow another third period lead, down Red Wings in shootout

Boyes nets winner; Kariya scores at home for first time

in over a year as St. Louis wins after losing 3-1 lead

By LOUIE KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- With each passing game and their playoff lives hanging in the balance, the Blues were in all likelihood down to their final life -- if they were given nine lives.

And after blowing another third-period lead in which the Blues frittered away a point to the opposition, the hush in the 19,150 at Scottrade Center must have been saying, 'Here we go again!'

But the Blues, fresh off a disheartening 5-2 loss at Colorado Monday, touched down at 2:45 a.m. Tuesday morning and it was easy to question where would they be able to come up with the legs with the talented Detroit Red Wings waiting for them.

Not only did the Blues find a gear or two, they really turned it up in overtime after squandering a two-goal lead and grabbed the extra point in the shootout.

Brad Boyes' goal in the third round against Jimmy Howard, which was followed up by a Chris Mason save on all-world Henrik Zetterberg preserved a 4-3 Blues victory over the Red Wings, with the Blues taking the shootout 2-1.

The Blues (26-25-9) are in full playoff mode, and a loss here with two days off while teams ahead of them jockey for points would have been crippling. But somehow, they seem to draw themselves and their loyal fans back in and now sit six points back of seven-place Nashville and eighth-place Calgary for a postseason berth.

Paul Kariya, who hasn't lit the lamp in a meaningful game here since Oct. 25, 2008, scored twice -- he initially was credited with one goal but was awarded the first Blues goal by off-ice officials that was originally awarded to David Perron -- and Andy McDonald tallied a third-period power play goal. Boyes and T.J. Oshie scored shootout goals and Chris Mason, who was pulled from Monday's loss to the Avalanche after allowing five goals on 15 shots, stopped 39 shots to gain a win.

"I was very pleased," Blues coach Davis Payne said. "I was displeased with (Monday) night's performance, and you have to right your wrongs. Even with travel, we knew we had to get ourselves back on track and I thought we did that tonight. We had pretty good engagement from all our lines on the ice tonight."

The Blues, who trailed 1-0 after one on a Kris Draper goal that went on off Erik Johnson's skate, got a Kariya goal off a deflection following a shot from Perron, who skated into the high slot after serving an interference penalty and fired a puck that Wings goalie Jimmy Howard 12 minutes, 20 seconds into the second period.

It would take the Blues' winger roughly six minutes later (18:10) to get his second of the night, knocking in David Backes' centering feed to give the Blues a 2-1 lead.

"It was good to get the win, first, but it was nice to get that monkey off my back at home," Kariya said. "I don't know what happened there, but it's behind us. Hopefully, they start flooding in now.

"It feels good to contribute. I don't really think about where I'm playing. It's a game. We've struggled at home. Obviously, I've struggled at home. We have to get that record up at home and it helps scoring goals like that."

The Blues got a big goal from McDonald, his 18th, in the third 6:57 into the period when he redirected Johnson's centering feed from the right circle to make it 3-1.

The Blues, who fired 45 shots at Howard, carried play much of the night -- including 20 shots in the first period -- and were poised to get the necessary push at the end.

But Detroit (27-21-11) would get goals from Pavel Datsyuk with 5:34 remaining to make it 3-2 and then another from Valtteri Filppula with 2:20 to play to tie the game.

It's been a familiar scene at home for the Blues, who improved to 9-16-5 at Scottrade Center.
However, the players did not have that eerie feeling.

"I don't think that was the thought," Boyes said. "At times it's been like that this year, but tonight, I don't think it was like that. It was weird, that third period. Obviously, we gave up the two goals, but in saying that, we still found a way to win, which is huge for us. We need the points right now."

"The last couple goals, we had opportunities to make different plays," Payne said. "We obviously have to get better in that area to force some situations out. But we had a pretty consistent effort coming off of five games in seven nights and putting up 45 shots."

The Blues didn't flinch in overtime, as Johnson's rocket off the cross bar with 2:10 to play nearly won it, and Eric Brewer was robbed by Howard on a redirection with 1:39 left off a feed from Alex Steen.

"I think it was just a collective determination that we came to play, we came to play 60-plus minutes and if it took 65, we were going to do that," Payne said. "I thought we had the majority of the scoring chances in overtime and could have ended it early."

But it took three rounds of a shootout, and after Howard stopped McDonald, Datsyuk mishandled his attempt.

Oshie beat Howard with a shot five-hole, but Detroit came back with Jason Williams, who beat Mason with a backhand and it came down to the final attempt.

Boyes, who went against Howard earlier in the season and was stopped, used a different move, going to his backhand before pulling the puck back to his forehand and beating Howard.

"I was looking to do what I did," said Boyes, now 18 for 41 in his career in shootouts. "I shot on him earlier this year, and I tried to go high glove. ... I just tried to change it up. I tried to fake glove, but I didn't think that would work real well, so I kind of tried to draw him to the backhand (and go forehand) a little more. I've used it a couple times."

Detroit needed Zetterberg, who came in 11 for 26 in his career, but Mason was up to the challenge and kicked out his right pad to end it.

"I haven't seen that shot from (Zetterberg) too much," Mason admitted. "He usually dekes, but he decided to shoot. Fortunately for me, I got the pad on it.

"I sometimes watch those guys (in the shootout), but they change it up so often. Guys with top-end skill have about three or four different moves. There's always some sort of deception."

The Blues, who snapped a three-game losing streak and improved to 4-7-2 in the second of back-to-back games, were pleased that there was no letdown after the loss in Denver 24 hours earlier.

They felt like it was time to step up and give themselves an opportunity, which is what they did in improving to 4-0-1 against the Wings this season.

"I thought we had great energy," Kariya said. "Maybe we need to get less sleep the night before games, but we certainly had good energy and carried it in. They certainly got some lucky goals and lucky bounces. It was a disappointing they got a point out of there, but we'll take the two points obviously.

"We just wanted to stick with our game. If it takes 65 minutes and the shootout to get the two points, it takes that. Boysie and Osh had two terrific goals in the shootout and got us the two points."

* NOTES -- The Blues' healthy scratches were defenseman Darryl Sydor and enforcers Cam Janssen and D.J. King. ... Detroit forward Johan Franzen (knee) returned to the lineup after missing the previous 55 games. He last played on Oct. 8.