By LOU KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- Having played a combined 1,400-plus regular season and playoff games, Monday will be one of those rare firsts for Blues goalie Martin Brodeur.
Brodeur, who spent his entire 21-year career with the New Jersey Devils before signing with the Blues recently, will play his first home game when the Blues host the Florida Panthers at Scottrade Center.
Brodeur only encountered this occasion one other time when the Devils played at the Meadowlands, so it's been a while in that regard.
"I'm looking forward to it; I think it's an advantage to play in your home building," said Brodeur, who is 40-16-2 in 65 career games against the Panthers. "Fans are always a big component and a reason the guys have success in their building. It'll be interesting to see how it is."
Brodeur, who earned career win No. 689 on Saturday and first with the Blues when he relieved Jake Allen in a come-from-behind 6-4 win on Long Island against the New York Islanders, will look across the ice and see a familiar face in Roberto Luongo, a teammate at the international level with Canada many times.
"I got to play with him in the (Winter) Olympics and World Cup and World Championships," Brodeur said of Luongo. "He's from my hometown back home, St. Leonard (Quebec). We had the same goalie coach playing Midget AAA. We got a lot of good action.
"He's a good goalie, good guy. I think for him, it was a tough situation in Vancouver and finally went back to Florida. I'm sure he's happy about that."
Blues coach Ken Hitchcock was reminded of the times Brodeur and Luongo spent as teammates and that there will be an all-Canadian matchup Monday.
"You've got 80 years of matchup," Hitchcock joked, noting Brodeur's (42) and Luongo's (38) respective age. "Never mind the All-Canadian. Two really good friends, two guys that have had a lot of success as a tandem at the international stage.
"Two really interesting guys, easy-going, make their teammates really comfortable. Both guys for me have similar personalities. You really can't tell if it's an exhibition game or you're fighting for a gold medal. Both guys seem to have the same disposition about themselves."
Brodeur, who earned an extra $20,000 for the win (a bonus clause in his contract that he earns $10,000 per point the team earns while he's in goal), apparently hasn't relayed that message to some of his teammates.
When asked about the jostling from a reporter after the win Saturday, David Backes shot back: "In all honesty, I have no idea what the (heck) you're talking about, so if you want to fill me in, I can answer the question more intelligently."
When explained more detailed, Backes seemed quite amused.
"Oh really? Well, we hadn't given him grief yet, but starting now, we'll definitely do that," Backes joked.
"You get a guy like that playing his first home game, he'll be ready, the fans will be ready and we'll see what kind of performance we can put on tonight," Backes added.
- - -
The Blues' 6-4 victory culminated what Hitchcock called a continuation of the 4-3 loss Thursday at Nashville and despite being down 3-0 on Long Island, the Blues' coach felt his team was playing the right way.
"I think it's just a continuation of what happened in the last two periods in Nashville," Hitchcock said. "This is really five periods where we've started to really play a strong game. I think when we play the way we've played the last five periods, even though we were down in the Islanders game, I thought we were in control of our own destiny because we had done a lot of good things.
"If we can eliminate the big mistakes where we allow easy scoring opportunities and continue to build on some of the stuff we've been doing, we're getting better now. Starting to really show marked improvement throughout the lineup."
It all started with checking, an area Hitchcock stresses adamantly.
"That's how you create offense in the league," Hitchcock said. "You create it from your puck management and your checking. The last five periods, we started to do a good job of both. That's how you create zone time, that's how you create opposition out, that's how you get them on a three-quarter ice game where they're changing and you're going back at them. That's how you score, that's how you create in this league. It's a hard way to play, but the teams that buy in ... look at the difference. A team like Chicago, they've really bought into that formula, they've bought into it again and they've had good success. The more teams that do it, you can really see it in their game."
Backes and T.J. Oshie, who both had strong games Saturday, both were catalysts in the checking game.
"That's what we need," Hitchcock said. "Doesn't matter who's playing with those two guys, whether it's (Alexander) Steen, (Patrik) Berglund, at the end (of Saturday), it was (Steve) Ott. They have to lead us in the way we need to play.
"When your leaders do that, then it forces other people to follow suit and that's what's happening. Not only are they getting scoring opportunities, they're able to impose their will on the opposition, and when they do that, it creates matchup problems for us in a more positive sense down the line. We're not asking them to do every job. We're not asking them to do every job. They do a lot of the heavy lifting, which opens up space underneath and that's the strength of our hockey club. Now they're starting to do the heavy lifting."
- - -
The Blues will be without defenseman Carl Gunnarsson (upper body) and Steen (lower body) for tonight's game against the Panthers (7 p.m. on FS-MW and KMOX 1120-AM).
Gunnarsson took an apparent elbow/shoulder to the jaw/head area from the Islanders' Anders Lee in the second period and is believed to be suffering from concussion-like symptoms is being evaluated this afternoon by team doctors, and Steen, who took part in warm-ups Saturday but did not play, will miss a second straight game.
"Gunny's got problems from the hit and we'll evaluate that later today and see what the doctors say and Steen is not ready to play, so we held both guys off the ice today for maintenance issues," Hitchcock said. "We'll get a further update on Gunnarsson and give it to you after the game."
The NHL Department of Player Safety announced Monday afternoon that Lee will have a hearing today regarding the hit to Gunnarsson.
Defenseman Jay Bouwmeester (groin) will miss his eighth consecutive game.
"He's skated once in the last three days," Hitchcock said of Bouwmeester. "We'll give you a further after the game."
- - -
With three assists in the win Saturday, Joakim Lindstrom doubled his point total for the season (six).
Lindstrom, who was a late addition to the lineup when Steen could not play, was a healthy scratch in the previous two games and four of eight games.
When asked to describe what he saw in Lindstrom, Hitchcock said, "Puck patience."
"When you come from a big-ice game, you always think you're rushed here, you always think you don't have time, you always think you've got more pressure than you do," Hitchcock said. "He's starting to realize that he's got way more time on the ice than he thinks. He's got patience in his game. Now all of the sudden, the player that we saw at the World Championships is now starting to show his way. You can see it starting to come about two weeks ago at practice, but it wasn't moving into the games yet, and now you see a guy who's got patience on the ice. He's moving his feet, he's strong on the puck. He's a lot bigger guy than people think and he's a lot stronger guy than people think, but now all of the sudden, he's got the patience in his game, the disposition on the ice where he's not thinking he's rushed so much. Now he's able to make the plays that we've seen for two years at the world stage."
- - -
Hitchcock is very impressed with Panthers rookie defenseman Aaron Ekblad, the top overall pick of this past summer's NHL Draft.
Ekblad, who is on a four-game point streak, has six points in that span and is playing like a boy among men.
He's only 18.
"I think he looks like he's 25 years old," Hitchcock said of Ekblad. "Maturity in his game, maturity in his play, his composure, it's really impressive. You saw flashes of it at the worlds last year. The stage doesn't seem to scare him and he makes very composed plays under pressure. ... You've got a guy like that that young that plays with that kind of maturity, that's a huge bonus."
- - -
The Blues have held the Panthers scoreless for 166:53, including two shutouts in both meetings last season. The last goal allowed was to Mike Santorelli on Nov. 17, 2011. They've won four in a row against Florida, with the last loss coming on Oct. 31, 2009 (4-0 in St. Louis).
- - -
The Blues' projected lineup:
Patrik Berglund-David Backes-T.J. Oshie
Jaden Schwartz-Jori Lehtera-Vladimir Tarasenko
Steve Ott-Paul Stastny-Joakim Lindstrom
Chris Porter-Maxim Lapierre-Ryan Reaves
Chris Butler-Alex Pietrangelo
Petteri Lindbohm-Kevin Shattenkirk
Barret Jackman-Ian Cole
Martin Brodeur will get the start in goal. Jake Allen will be the backup.
The healthy scratch includes Magnus Paajarvi. Injuries include Alexander Steen (lower body), Brian Elliott (knee), Jay Bouwmeester (groin) and Carl Gunnarsson (upper body) and they are out.
- - -
The Panthers' projected lineup:
Jonathan Huberdeau-Nick Bjugstad-Tomas Fleischmann
Sean Bergenheim-Jussi Jokinen-Brad Boyes
Brandon Pirri-Vincent Trocheck-Jimmy Hayes
Tomas Kopecky-Dave Bolland-Derek MacKenzie
Willie Mitchell-Dmitry Kulikov
Brian Campbell-Aaron Ekblad
Dylan Olsen-Erik Gudbranson
Roberto Luongo will start in goal. Al Montoya will be the backup.
Injuries include Scottie Upshall (ankle) and Aleksander Barkov (hand). Scott Thornton is a healthy scratch.
Monday, December 8, 2014
Thursday, December 4, 2014
Blues fall in Brodeur's debut
Breakdowns in own zone result in 4-3 loss to Predators
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- It was supposed to be the storybook finish to a second opening chapter in Martin Brodeur's illustrious career when he donned another NHL jersey for the first time in 22 years that didn't have a New Jersey Devils logo on it.
However, the Blues apparently loaded their defensive zone miscues from Chicago Wednesday night and brought them on board the charter plane to Nashville 24 hours later.
Two days against the top teams competing with them for the Central Division lead, the Blues came away empty-handed while the Blackhawks and Predators continue to gain steam.
 |
| (St. Louis Blues photo)
Blues goalie Martin Brodeur (middle) makes a left pad save of a shot by
the Predators' Craig Smith (right) Thursday night in Nashville.
|
Mike Ribeiro's three-point night -- his first with the Predators -- highlighted Nashville's 4-3 victory against the Blues Thursday night at Bridgestone Arena.
Despite Vladimir Tarasenko's two goals, the Blues (16-8-2) had too many shortcomings in the defensive zone once again, and didn't give the necessary support for the 42-year-old Brodeur, who stopped 20 shots and had a decent night for his first NHL game in eight months.
"I felt pretty good," Brodeur said. "It's like anything, it was new. I got a lot of work right from the get-go, too, so that helped to get me in the game. I'd like to make that one save in the third on the breakaway and got away from me there. That could have made the difference.
"We played decent. We just turned the puck over in big fashion. They took advantage of it. They score a breakaway goal, they score a tic-tac-toe goal early in the second there, but apart from that, especially in the second and third, we were pretty dominant defensively. We had the puck most of the night. We just couldn't get an extra goal."
Colin Wilson's breakaway goal was the difference midway through the third period as the Predators (17-6-2) jumped past the Blues in the division with a game in hand.
"I think we're playing good teams and we're making big errors," said Blues coach Ken Hitchcock, whose team went 0-for-3 on the power play and is 0-for-17 spanning five games. "The mistakes we make are big errors. Breakaway to start the hockey game, fourth goal's a breakaway ... big errors. You're not going to win in the league no matter how hard you try.
"We had a lot of try in us today. We had a lot of good things, especially in the offensive zone. When you make the big mistakes we're making on on our half of the red line ... we made huge mistakes in Chicago and we made big mistakes here today and they cost us, again."
The Blues came out flying early, forcing turnovers and getting quality chances. But they were only able to get ahead 1-0 on Tarasenko's team-leading 15th of the season after he stole a puck at center ice from Calle Jarnkrok.
Tarasenko and Alexander Steen worked a give-and-go and Tarasenko finished at 5:46 of the first period for a 1-0 lead.
Predators coach Peter Laviolette called a time out and the Predators began dictating play.
That's when the tide changed, and Nashville started to dictate and the Blues started making those mistakes.
"They're going to come back with a push, but still, I thought we did a lot of good things," said left wing Jaden Schwartz, who was reunited with fellow STL Line members Tarasenko and Jori Lehtera. "... They started playing better after the time out. It's not like they were dominant. We had our pushes back, too."
Filip Forsberg scored his third in three games against the Blues to tie it 1-1 with 5:50 remaining in the first after picking Lehtera's pocket near the blue line and knocking in a backhand of a Mike Ribeiro backhand that Brodeur stopped.
Then with 53 seconds left in the first, Ribeiro won a loose puck this time from Schwartz, who was trying to jump the play and fanned and Ribeiro set up an open Nystrom in the slot. Nystrom, who was open, one-timed a shot between Brodeur's pads for a 2-1 Nashville lead.
"The second goal, I don't think he was aiming there," Brodeur said of Nystrom. "I think he was going top glove and he fanned on it. I took it away from him and he went through my legs. Any time a goal goes through you, it's never a fun goal to allow."
The defensive leaks continued early into the second period when Ribeiro got his third point of the game and first goal of the night on an easy empty-net goal 1:25 into the period for a 3-1 lead off a cross-ice feed from James Neal.
The Blues settled into the period and got to within 3-2 on Tarasenko's second of the game and 16th of the season off a faceoff win by Paul Stastny, and Tarasenko ripped a shot past Rinne 3:51 into the period.
After Wilson's goal, a goal in which the Blues got caught with defensemen Chris Butler and Alex Pietrangelo on a risky pinch in the offensive zone, Schwartz cut the Nashville lead to 4-3 when he wired a wrist shot past Rinne with 7:28 remaining. And the Blues had more sustained pressure in the ladder portions of the game with opportunities to tie the game but couldn't net the equalizer.
"I thought we played a better overall game," defenseman Barret Jackman said. "Just a couple breakdowns that cost us the game. I thought we had a lot of pressure, I thought we were moving our feet. Better throughout the game today, and I think it was a much better game. I'm a lot happier about tonight. Unfortunately it wasn't a win.
 |
| (St. Louis Blues photo)
Despite two goals from Vladimir Tarasenko (pictured), the Blues dropped
their second in as many nights, 4-3 to the Nashville Predators.
|
"I don't think it was really a bad case of turnovers or missed plays. It was a couple missed communication and nothing that we can't clean up."
The Blues played the game with seven defensemen and sat an extra forward. Petteri Lindbohm, recalled earlier in the day, joined the group of six that played Wednesday in Chicago. Jay Bouwmeester missed his sixth straight game.
"We had some banged up guys," Hitchcock said. "Thank God we did have seven because we were playing five at the end."
Ian Cole, who only played 9 minutes, 31 seconds, was one of them. Cole took an upper body shot, and presumably Carl Gunnarsson, who played 12 fewer shifts than partner Kevin Shattenkirk.
Brodeur, who faced eight shots in the final two periods after seeing 16 in the first, was strong early with a breakaway save on Wilson, then back-to-back stops on Jarnkrok and Craig Smith in splendid fashion.
Not enough to get career win No. 689.
"You never know how it's going to start," Brodeur said. "But getting in some work from the get-go, I was happy. Just feel the puck and feel the pressure and see how the game's coming at me.
"... Glad it's over and now I got it under my belt and we're going to stop talking about it and just play hockey."
(12-4-14) Blues-Predators Gameday Lineup
By LOU KORAC
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- After all of his accomplishments and accolades, Martin Brodeur was still able to crack jokes prior to making his first start with the St. Louis Blues on Thursday.
Brodeur, 42, was asked how does it feel to be in a Blues uniform.
"More and more comfortable," Brodeur said, before joking. "I think if they gave me a jersey that fits me, it would be perfect."
Is it too big?
"Yeah, it's too big," Brodeur said with a big grin that got the surrounding media to laugh. "They gave me Panger's practice jersey."
Such was life for Brodeur in the morning and early afternoon hours before making an NHL appearance for another team other than the New Jersey Devils when the Blues play the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena.
Brodeur, has a record of 688-394-105-71 in 21 seasons with the Devils. His 124 career shutouts are first in NHL history. He won the Stanley Cup three times, the Calder Trophy in 1993-94 and the Vezina Trophy four times.
Now he will wear a Blues jersey looking to make a mark and write another chapter in his illustrious career.
"I feel good," Brodeur said. "It's important for me to go out there and feel a game situation and how I'm going to go through this thing. My expectations are always the same, to do as good as I can with myself. There's a lot of things you can't control in hockey. The only thing you can control is how you prepare yourself and the effort that you put out there. That's the way I've been playing all my career. It won't change because of the situation."
The Blues, who lost against the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1 on Wednesday, were in a position to start Brodeur on Thursday after a tough game against a tough division opponent the previous night and another one facing them with the Predators on Thursday.
"I think we have to be cautiously optimistic that he's going to play well and more importantly, we're going to play committed in front of him," said Blues coach Ken Hitchcock, who told Brodeur on Wednesday afternoon when he would play. "I think it's two-fold. He's going to want to play well, but we've got to play well and really hard in front of him because we've got a rested opponent, we've got a heck of a hockey club we're playing, a team that's been in first place in the division really since the first week of the schedule and everybody's been chasing them. They've got a great home record (10-1-1), so we know we've got to be on top of our game no matter who's in goal just to win it.
"I think it's more about us than it is about Marty. There's going to be times when you don't play for a lot and for extended period of time, it's everything. It's traffic, it's timing, all that stuff. We're just going to have to live through that stuff and get his first game under his belt and move on."
"I've thought about this for a week now," Hitchcock added. "I looked at this is a very significant game, and I felt like yesterday was going to be very hard on the goalie, which it was. There were a lot of challenges for both goaltenders and I knew mentally it would be a tiring game and I looked at that we needed a fresh goalie in today. It turned out that way."
Blues teammates expect Brodeur to bring a calming influence onto the ice.
"I think for a guy like him, he's almost going to be more comforting for us," defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk said. "He's probably going to feel more comfortable in there than we're really expecting and I think that'll put us at ease. It's not really trying to do too much. It's not trying to block every shot for him. You want him to see everything and take away those second chances. Those are the ones that fall on us.
"I grew up watching him practice on the weekends at Southbound Arena [in New Jersey]. To see him here in the same locker room and be able to play with him is going to be a blast."
The Predators, tied for the Central Division lead in points (34) with the Blues, will give the proper attention to who the opponent in goal is.
"When a guy like Marty and his career comes back and enters the game ... I guess the story will be written on the ice tonight as to the outcome," Predators coach Peter Laviolette said. "Certainly we've got a lot of respect for him."
What does Brodeur expect? He knows he will have a better idea at the conclusion of the game Thursday.
"Until I play a game, I'll have a better judge of where I'm at," Brodeur said. "It's a great opportunity for me tonight.
"There will be adjustments. I've never played beside ... I think I played with Jax and Bouw a little bit in different competitions, but nothing like NHL hockey and nothing like Hitch's system also. For me, it's going to be patience, especially early on just to look at the routes the guys are taking defensively because I like to play the puck, But if we're going to cause chaos all the time because there are two guys in the corner playing with the puck, I'm going to kind of have to adjust myself and watch a couple tapes and talk to some of the coaches about it. I don't want to change my game, but I think I'm going to need to adjust a little bit."
Does bringing Brodeur into a locker room that has a plethora of younger players that may be more in awe of a teammate and his accolades rather than treat him as just "one of the guys?" Hitchcock doesn't think so.
"Any time you can bring rings into your locker room, it's a big advantage," Hitchcock said. "I think rings and championships really quantify why we play the game. Any time you can bring in a guy like that or anybody that's won before has a huge impact in a positive direction inside your locker room.
"I think the players appreciate the joy of playing when you see a guy like that that has so much fun just being part of a team. An older player, you can hardly wait to get off the ice. He stays on forever. First day on the job, he picks up pucks. It makes you want to play for the guy. I think the players really appreciate when you see a veteran player that has so much fun in all the other parts of the game other than the actual competition and the game between seven and nine-thirty. There's other things that he brings that you see in elite players that are impressive and I think that rubs the players the right way."
And for those Devils fans that will see something surreal Thursday that tune in, Brodeur again joked: "I think they're going to recognize me. I'm not going in hiding."
- - -
The Blues (16-7-2) held an optional skate Thursday before facing the Predators (16-6-2).
The only skaters were forwards Chris Porter, Magnus Paajarvi and Joakim Lindstrom and defensemen Jay Bouwmeester and Ian Cole as well as goalies Brodeur and Jake Allen.
Defenseman Petteri Lindbohm, who was recalled Thursday from the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League, will be inserted into the lineup.
Bouwmeester, who's missed five games with a groin injury, skated aggressively but will miss his sixth consecutive game.
- - -
Hitchcock had some very telling comments regarding center Paul Stastny, who began the season fast before sustaining an injured shoulder that caused him to miss eight games.
Stastny, who signed a four-year, $28 million contract as an unrestricted free agent, has three points (two goals) in 13 games since returning from injury.
"He needs to play better," Hitchcock said of Stastny when asked if his slow start.
Hitchcock was asked in what areas. He didn't respond to anything specific. "He needs to play better. We need more from him."
Is it frustrating as a coach: "No. We just need more from him. It's not frustrating. It is what it is. We just need more from him."
- - -
The Blues' projected lineup (there will be changes so this will be updated during warmups):
Alexander Steen-David Backes-T.J. Oshie
Jaden Schwartz-Jori Lehtera-Vladimir Tarasenko
Patrik Berglund-Paul Stastny-Ryan Reaves
Steve Ott-Maxim Lapierre
Barret Jackman-Alex Pietrangelo
Carl Gunnarsson-Kevin Shattenkirk
Chris Butler-Ian Cole
Petteri Lindbohm
Martin Brodeur will make his Blues debut and start in goal. Jake Allen will be the backup.
Healthy scratches are Magnus Paajarvi, Joakim Lindstrom and Chris Porter. Lindbohm gives the Blues seven defensemen tonight. Brian Elliott (knee) is out but on the trip rehabbing. Jay Bouwmeester (groin) will miss a sixth straight game.
- - -
The Predators' projected lineup:
Filip Forsberg-Mike Ribeiro-James Neal
Colin Wilson-Calle Jarnkrok-Craig Smith
Olli Jokinen-Mike Fisher-Matt Cullen
Eric Nystrom-Gabriel Bourque-Taylor Beck
Roman Josi-Shea Weber
Anton Volchenkov-Seth Jones
Mattias Ekholm-Ryan Ellis
Pekka Rinne will start in goal. Carter Hutton will be the backup.
The healthy scratch is Victor Bartley. Former Blue Derek Roy (upper body), Viktor Stalberg (lower body) and Paul Gaustad (lower body) have injuries and won't play.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- After all of his accomplishments and accolades, Martin Brodeur was still able to crack jokes prior to making his first start with the St. Louis Blues on Thursday.
Brodeur, 42, was asked how does it feel to be in a Blues uniform.
"More and more comfortable," Brodeur said, before joking. "I think if they gave me a jersey that fits me, it would be perfect."
Is it too big?
"Yeah, it's too big," Brodeur said with a big grin that got the surrounding media to laugh. "They gave me Panger's practice jersey."
Such was life for Brodeur in the morning and early afternoon hours before making an NHL appearance for another team other than the New Jersey Devils when the Blues play the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena.
Brodeur, has a record of 688-394-105-71 in 21 seasons with the Devils. His 124 career shutouts are first in NHL history. He won the Stanley Cup three times, the Calder Trophy in 1993-94 and the Vezina Trophy four times.
Now he will wear a Blues jersey looking to make a mark and write another chapter in his illustrious career.
"I feel good," Brodeur said. "It's important for me to go out there and feel a game situation and how I'm going to go through this thing. My expectations are always the same, to do as good as I can with myself. There's a lot of things you can't control in hockey. The only thing you can control is how you prepare yourself and the effort that you put out there. That's the way I've been playing all my career. It won't change because of the situation."
The Blues, who lost against the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1 on Wednesday, were in a position to start Brodeur on Thursday after a tough game against a tough division opponent the previous night and another one facing them with the Predators on Thursday.
"I think we have to be cautiously optimistic that he's going to play well and more importantly, we're going to play committed in front of him," said Blues coach Ken Hitchcock, who told Brodeur on Wednesday afternoon when he would play. "I think it's two-fold. He's going to want to play well, but we've got to play well and really hard in front of him because we've got a rested opponent, we've got a heck of a hockey club we're playing, a team that's been in first place in the division really since the first week of the schedule and everybody's been chasing them. They've got a great home record (10-1-1), so we know we've got to be on top of our game no matter who's in goal just to win it.
"I think it's more about us than it is about Marty. There's going to be times when you don't play for a lot and for extended period of time, it's everything. It's traffic, it's timing, all that stuff. We're just going to have to live through that stuff and get his first game under his belt and move on."
"I've thought about this for a week now," Hitchcock added. "I looked at this is a very significant game, and I felt like yesterday was going to be very hard on the goalie, which it was. There were a lot of challenges for both goaltenders and I knew mentally it would be a tiring game and I looked at that we needed a fresh goalie in today. It turned out that way."
Blues teammates expect Brodeur to bring a calming influence onto the ice.
"I think for a guy like him, he's almost going to be more comforting for us," defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk said. "He's probably going to feel more comfortable in there than we're really expecting and I think that'll put us at ease. It's not really trying to do too much. It's not trying to block every shot for him. You want him to see everything and take away those second chances. Those are the ones that fall on us.
"I grew up watching him practice on the weekends at Southbound Arena [in New Jersey]. To see him here in the same locker room and be able to play with him is going to be a blast."
The Predators, tied for the Central Division lead in points (34) with the Blues, will give the proper attention to who the opponent in goal is.
"When a guy like Marty and his career comes back and enters the game ... I guess the story will be written on the ice tonight as to the outcome," Predators coach Peter Laviolette said. "Certainly we've got a lot of respect for him."
What does Brodeur expect? He knows he will have a better idea at the conclusion of the game Thursday.
"Until I play a game, I'll have a better judge of where I'm at," Brodeur said. "It's a great opportunity for me tonight.
"There will be adjustments. I've never played beside ... I think I played with Jax and Bouw a little bit in different competitions, but nothing like NHL hockey and nothing like Hitch's system also. For me, it's going to be patience, especially early on just to look at the routes the guys are taking defensively because I like to play the puck, But if we're going to cause chaos all the time because there are two guys in the corner playing with the puck, I'm going to kind of have to adjust myself and watch a couple tapes and talk to some of the coaches about it. I don't want to change my game, but I think I'm going to need to adjust a little bit."
Does bringing Brodeur into a locker room that has a plethora of younger players that may be more in awe of a teammate and his accolades rather than treat him as just "one of the guys?" Hitchcock doesn't think so.
"Any time you can bring rings into your locker room, it's a big advantage," Hitchcock said. "I think rings and championships really quantify why we play the game. Any time you can bring in a guy like that or anybody that's won before has a huge impact in a positive direction inside your locker room.
"I think the players appreciate the joy of playing when you see a guy like that that has so much fun just being part of a team. An older player, you can hardly wait to get off the ice. He stays on forever. First day on the job, he picks up pucks. It makes you want to play for the guy. I think the players really appreciate when you see a veteran player that has so much fun in all the other parts of the game other than the actual competition and the game between seven and nine-thirty. There's other things that he brings that you see in elite players that are impressive and I think that rubs the players the right way."
And for those Devils fans that will see something surreal Thursday that tune in, Brodeur again joked: "I think they're going to recognize me. I'm not going in hiding."
- - -
The Blues (16-7-2) held an optional skate Thursday before facing the Predators (16-6-2).
The only skaters were forwards Chris Porter, Magnus Paajarvi and Joakim Lindstrom and defensemen Jay Bouwmeester and Ian Cole as well as goalies Brodeur and Jake Allen.
Defenseman Petteri Lindbohm, who was recalled Thursday from the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League, will be inserted into the lineup.
Bouwmeester, who's missed five games with a groin injury, skated aggressively but will miss his sixth consecutive game.
- - -
Hitchcock had some very telling comments regarding center Paul Stastny, who began the season fast before sustaining an injured shoulder that caused him to miss eight games.
Stastny, who signed a four-year, $28 million contract as an unrestricted free agent, has three points (two goals) in 13 games since returning from injury.
"He needs to play better," Hitchcock said of Stastny when asked if his slow start.
Hitchcock was asked in what areas. He didn't respond to anything specific. "He needs to play better. We need more from him."
Is it frustrating as a coach: "No. We just need more from him. It's not frustrating. It is what it is. We just need more from him."
- - -
The Blues' projected lineup (there will be changes so this will be updated during warmups):
Alexander Steen-David Backes-T.J. Oshie
Patrik Berglund-Paul Stastny-Ryan Reaves
Steve Ott-Maxim Lapierre
Barret Jackman-Alex Pietrangelo
Carl Gunnarsson-Kevin Shattenkirk
Chris Butler-Ian Cole
Petteri Lindbohm
Martin Brodeur will make his Blues debut and start in goal. Jake Allen will be the backup.
Healthy scratches are Magnus Paajarvi, Joakim Lindstrom and Chris Porter. Lindbohm gives the Blues seven defensemen tonight. Brian Elliott (knee) is out but on the trip rehabbing. Jay Bouwmeester (groin) will miss a sixth straight game.
- - -
The Predators' projected lineup:
Filip Forsberg-Mike Ribeiro-James Neal
Colin Wilson-Calle Jarnkrok-Craig Smith
Olli Jokinen-Mike Fisher-Matt Cullen
Eric Nystrom-Gabriel Bourque-Taylor Beck
Roman Josi-Shea Weber
Anton Volchenkov-Seth Jones
Mattias Ekholm-Ryan Ellis
Pekka Rinne will start in goal. Carter Hutton will be the backup.
The healthy scratch is Victor Bartley. Former Blue Derek Roy (upper body), Viktor Stalberg (lower body) and Paul Gaustad (lower body) have injuries and won't play.
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Blackhawks blitz listless Blues 4-1
Three third-period goals enable Chicago to seize control of tie game
CHICAGO -- The game was there for the taking, but when it comes to this building, the Blues just never seem to come up with the right answers.
An inept power play, which went 0-for-6, cost the Blues in a big way, and despite a tie game with 20 minutes remaining unraveled in the third period.
The Chicago Blackhawks scored three times in a 4:20 span, with Patrick Kane scoring twice to lead the Blackhawks to a 4-1 victory against the Blues Wednesday at United Center.
 |
| (St. Louis Blues photo)
Blues defenseman Ian Cole (left) and goalie Jake Allen (right) defend a
shot with Chicago's Joakim Nordstrom looking to tip a puck in front. |
The Blues -- who got 41 shots but not many on the interior off Antti Raanta -- lost puck battles, they had no direction on a power play that gave them an opportunity to seize control of the game that never materialized.
"Power play lost us the game, plain and simple," forward Alexander Steen said. "The power play lost us the game early and then the third period, they dialed it up and they got one right at the end of one and that was the difference in the game."
And in the end, Chicago (16-8-1) pulled within a point of the Blues (16-7-2) and Nashville, who both gave 34 points and face off Thursday night at Bridgestone Arena.
"The game's 1-1. You're in perfect position on the road," said Blues coach Ken Hitchcock, who confirmed Martin Brodeur will make his Blues debut against the Predators. "We just gave it to them. We made some checking mistakes ... we just gave them the hockey game. Bottom line.
"We put ourselves at 1-1 in a great spot where you want to be on the road."
Jake Allen stopped 29 shots but was not given much help in the third period.
"It's 1-1 on the road against a great opponent, a good spot to be," Allen said. "They took it to us about the first five, seven minutes. It made a difference."
The Blues had the better of the opportunities in the first 10 minutes of the first period but came away with nothing after Ian Cole and Alex Pietrangelo both rang pucks off the bar.
And a lost puck by Cole resulted in the opening goal by Marcus Kruger, after Saad stripped Cole of the puck, then took off with Kruger on a 2-on-1. Kruger kept the puck and snapped a shot past Allen's stick with 4 minutes, 3 seconds left in the opening period for a 1-0 Blackhawks lead.
Cole was able to make up for his mistake by getting the equalizer.
With the Blues having a skater on for a delayed penalty, Patrik Berglund was able to slide a short pass to Cole at the right post and he beat Raanta with 7:22 remaining in the second to make it a 1-1 game.
Chicago scored 59 seconds into the third on a goal by Kris Versteeg, who had a goal and two assists, to grab a 2-1 lead. Kane would score at 2:47 and again at 5:19 to salt the game away.
"We didn't get the penalty killing done," Hitchcock said of Versteeg's goal. "It was an even-strength goal; we didn't get it done. We did a poor job checking down low. We did a poor job in slot coverage. We can't give that away.
 |
| (St. Louis Blues photo)
Blues defenseman Carl Gunnarsson (left) gets tangled up with Chicago's
Marcus Kruger in the Blackhawks' 4-1 victory against the Blues.
|
"We turned a 3-on-3 into a 3-on-2 and it's 3-1, game over. We just gave them the hockey game. That's what we did."
But Blues came undone and there was no stopping the Blackhawks.
"You can't let a skill team like that get those chances," Allen said. "It was only a five-minute span, but they took advantage of it. ... You can't let a team like that with offensive threats get their chances.
"We took our foot off the gas. It's a lesson learned."
(12-3-14) Blues-Blackhawks Gameday Lineup
By LOU KORAC
CHICAGO -- The news of the passing of Montreal Canadiens icon Jean Beliveau has affected everyone in the hockey world.
And for a pair of French-Canadian Blues (Martin Brodeur and Maxim Lapierre), the shock of the loss of Beliveau obviously struck them.
"He was an icon in Montreal for years," Brodeur said. "Every hockey player tried to model himself the way he acted on and off the ice. We definitely have a special connection with Mr. Beliveau through my Dad (Denis Brodeur) through all the years that he worked with and played with him. It was just a nice relationship to have an icon like that being so close to our family, so definitely it's something that's always sad.
"I lost my Dad last year, so I know how everybody feels."
Beliveau, who wore No. 4 with the Canadiens during his playing days (1950-71), was a player that won an incredible 10 Stanley Cup titles and another seven as a member of the organization.
"That's unbelievable," Lapierre said. "I don't know if somebody's going to do that again. It's a lot and I know it means a lot to people, but for people from Montreal, it's even a bigger deal. I didn't grow up watching him because I was too young but for sure heard a lot about him.
"It's sad. We all know from Montreal what he's done for the league and the team. It's obviously a big loss. I remember talking to him maybe once or twice going to the games and always a positive man that was telling the young guys coming in to have fun and enjoy the challenge. It's a big loss; it's sad."
Blues coach Ken Hitchcock classified Beliveau, who scored 507 goals in 18 seasons, as one of the all-time greats.
"That whole crew from Jean to Gordie (Howe) to Alex Delvecchio, that's kind of everybody's hero that grew up in hockey," Hitchcock said. "Everybody had their own player or players that they loved and appreciated. For me, it's Gordie and Alex and for other people, it's Jean or Pocket (Henri Richard) or Maurice (Richard) or whatever.
"Tough news. They came from a special time when you knew every player on every team and you knew who's team you were cheering for and who your heroes were on that team."
- - -
Jake Allen was cheered in this very same city just a season ago.
As a member of the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League, Allen was named the AHL goalie of the year when he went 33-16-3 with a2.03 goals-against average and .928 save percentage with seven shutouts.
But when the Blues (16-6-2) drop the puck against the Chicago Blackhawks (15-8-1) at 7 p.m. (NBCSN, KMOX 1120-AM), Allen will become one of the villains Blackhawks fans will come to hate.
"To me, it's just another game in another building," said Allen, who's 8-2-1 with a 2.16 GAA and .928 save percentage. "It's a great rivalry, very intense matchup, but I'm looking forward to just getting on the ice and getting another game under my belt. Big test for us tonight.
"The Wolves was just a team in the same city. No relation, no affiliation. Part of our organization. It's cool to be back here, but playing on the bigger stage is the one I want to play on. I had a great year last year but looking forward to tonight."
Hitchcock, who gave Allen his first NHL start in Detroit against the Red Wings during the lockout-shortened season, will get a good feel for Allen's performance and whether he could withstand the atmosphere he will face tonight after the game.
"Don't know," Hitchcock said. "Who knows what (Antti) Raanta's going to do. It's new for both guys.
"This is why you play young guys, to get used to this type of stuff, but I don't really know until we can evaluate after. He's had some big starts already this year, which is a good sign, but this is a significant opponent who's on top of their game. He's going to get challenged offensively at the net and in the offensive zone more than he's probably got challenged in the last month, so we're going to get to see. I can tell you I don't know that we can get outplayed any more than we did against Minnesota in the first period and he held us in there, so we're hoping that he can hold us in there the same way again."
Chris Porter, who will draw back into the lineup again tonight, has seen both ends of the Chicago hockey teams firsthand.
"He probably had to get the people from the suburbs to come and see him," Porter joked about Allen. "I'm sure he's well-liked all throughout Chicago."
Is it a whole different animal?
"Yeah probably, but they don't have the fireworks show like they had at the Wolves arena," Porter joked. "I think they're lacking there, but I think the crowd speaks for itself."
- - -
Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeester will miss his fifth straight game tonight with what has been a lingering groin injury sustained Nov. 22 against the Ottawa Senators.
Bouwmeester, who skated the past two days but was removed early Tuesday, rode the bike as players were on the ice for an optional skate.
"We kept him off the ice by design," Hitchcock said of Bouwmeester. "We worked him to a certain level. We wanted to rest him today, skate him again tomorrow and then we'll see. We'll see if he's ready to go. If we've got to hold him out to the weekend, then we'll do that. Today was a designed non-compete day because we pushed him so hard yesterday. We'll do a lot of in-zone stuff with him tomorrow and see how he feels.
"We don't want this thing to be a hindrance. We're opting to go on the safety side. If this were a game where it was a playoff game, we might consider something different, but we've opted to stay until it's 100 percent. We'll give it another real hard test tomorrow, see how he feels and evaluate from there."
- - -
After missing Saturday with what Hitchcock called a groin injury, Steve Ott returns to the lineup and Joakim Lindstrom is a healthy scratch for the third time in the past seven games after playing 17 of the first 18 games.
- - -
The Blues' probable lineup:
Alexander Steen-Jori Lehtera-Vladimir Tarasenko
Jaden Schwartz-Paul Stastny-T.J. Oshie
Steve Ott-Patrik Berglund-David Backes
Chris Porter-Maxim Lapierre-Ryan Reaves
Barret Jackman-Alex Pietrangelo
Carl Gunnarsson-Kevin Shattenkirk
Chris Butler-Ian Cole
Jake Allen will start in goal. Martin Brodeur will be the backup.
Healthy scratches include Joakim Lindstrom and Magnus Paajarvi. Brian Elliott (knee) and Jay Bouwmeester (groin) are out.
- - -
The Blackhawks' probable lineup:
Brandon Saad-Jonathan Toews-Marian Hossa
Kris Versteeg-Brad Richards-Patrick Kane
Bryan Bickell-Andrew Shaw-Daniel Carcillo
Joakim Nordstrom-Marcus Kruger-Ben Smith
Duncan Keith-Brent Seabrook
Johnny Oduya-Niklas Hjamlarsson
Michal Rozsival-David Rundblad
Antti Raanta will get the start in goal. Scott Darling will be the backup.
Jeremy Morin and Adam Clendening will be healthy scratches. Corey Crawford (lower body), Patrick Sharp (knee) and Trevor van Riemsdyk (patella tendon) are out with injuries.
Crawford will miss 2-3 weeks after sustaining a non-hockey related lower-body injury to his left foot while attending a concert. Crawford was wearing a walking boot on his left foot and said he was leaving a concert the other night and "missed a step."
CHICAGO -- The news of the passing of Montreal Canadiens icon Jean Beliveau has affected everyone in the hockey world.
And for a pair of French-Canadian Blues (Martin Brodeur and Maxim Lapierre), the shock of the loss of Beliveau obviously struck them.
"He was an icon in Montreal for years," Brodeur said. "Every hockey player tried to model himself the way he acted on and off the ice. We definitely have a special connection with Mr. Beliveau through my Dad (Denis Brodeur) through all the years that he worked with and played with him. It was just a nice relationship to have an icon like that being so close to our family, so definitely it's something that's always sad.
"I lost my Dad last year, so I know how everybody feels."
Beliveau, who wore No. 4 with the Canadiens during his playing days (1950-71), was a player that won an incredible 10 Stanley Cup titles and another seven as a member of the organization.
"That's unbelievable," Lapierre said. "I don't know if somebody's going to do that again. It's a lot and I know it means a lot to people, but for people from Montreal, it's even a bigger deal. I didn't grow up watching him because I was too young but for sure heard a lot about him.
"It's sad. We all know from Montreal what he's done for the league and the team. It's obviously a big loss. I remember talking to him maybe once or twice going to the games and always a positive man that was telling the young guys coming in to have fun and enjoy the challenge. It's a big loss; it's sad."
Blues coach Ken Hitchcock classified Beliveau, who scored 507 goals in 18 seasons, as one of the all-time greats.
"That whole crew from Jean to Gordie (Howe) to Alex Delvecchio, that's kind of everybody's hero that grew up in hockey," Hitchcock said. "Everybody had their own player or players that they loved and appreciated. For me, it's Gordie and Alex and for other people, it's Jean or Pocket (Henri Richard) or Maurice (Richard) or whatever.
"Tough news. They came from a special time when you knew every player on every team and you knew who's team you were cheering for and who your heroes were on that team."
- - -
Jake Allen was cheered in this very same city just a season ago.
As a member of the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League, Allen was named the AHL goalie of the year when he went 33-16-3 with a2.03 goals-against average and .928 save percentage with seven shutouts.
But when the Blues (16-6-2) drop the puck against the Chicago Blackhawks (15-8-1) at 7 p.m. (NBCSN, KMOX 1120-AM), Allen will become one of the villains Blackhawks fans will come to hate.
"To me, it's just another game in another building," said Allen, who's 8-2-1 with a 2.16 GAA and .928 save percentage. "It's a great rivalry, very intense matchup, but I'm looking forward to just getting on the ice and getting another game under my belt. Big test for us tonight.
"The Wolves was just a team in the same city. No relation, no affiliation. Part of our organization. It's cool to be back here, but playing on the bigger stage is the one I want to play on. I had a great year last year but looking forward to tonight."
Hitchcock, who gave Allen his first NHL start in Detroit against the Red Wings during the lockout-shortened season, will get a good feel for Allen's performance and whether he could withstand the atmosphere he will face tonight after the game.
"Don't know," Hitchcock said. "Who knows what (Antti) Raanta's going to do. It's new for both guys.
"This is why you play young guys, to get used to this type of stuff, but I don't really know until we can evaluate after. He's had some big starts already this year, which is a good sign, but this is a significant opponent who's on top of their game. He's going to get challenged offensively at the net and in the offensive zone more than he's probably got challenged in the last month, so we're going to get to see. I can tell you I don't know that we can get outplayed any more than we did against Minnesota in the first period and he held us in there, so we're hoping that he can hold us in there the same way again."
Chris Porter, who will draw back into the lineup again tonight, has seen both ends of the Chicago hockey teams firsthand.
"He probably had to get the people from the suburbs to come and see him," Porter joked about Allen. "I'm sure he's well-liked all throughout Chicago."
Is it a whole different animal?
"Yeah probably, but they don't have the fireworks show like they had at the Wolves arena," Porter joked. "I think they're lacking there, but I think the crowd speaks for itself."
- - -
Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeester will miss his fifth straight game tonight with what has been a lingering groin injury sustained Nov. 22 against the Ottawa Senators.
Bouwmeester, who skated the past two days but was removed early Tuesday, rode the bike as players were on the ice for an optional skate.
"We kept him off the ice by design," Hitchcock said of Bouwmeester. "We worked him to a certain level. We wanted to rest him today, skate him again tomorrow and then we'll see. We'll see if he's ready to go. If we've got to hold him out to the weekend, then we'll do that. Today was a designed non-compete day because we pushed him so hard yesterday. We'll do a lot of in-zone stuff with him tomorrow and see how he feels.
"We don't want this thing to be a hindrance. We're opting to go on the safety side. If this were a game where it was a playoff game, we might consider something different, but we've opted to stay until it's 100 percent. We'll give it another real hard test tomorrow, see how he feels and evaluate from there."
- - -
After missing Saturday with what Hitchcock called a groin injury, Steve Ott returns to the lineup and Joakim Lindstrom is a healthy scratch for the third time in the past seven games after playing 17 of the first 18 games.
- - -
The Blues' probable lineup:
Alexander Steen-Jori Lehtera-Vladimir Tarasenko
Jaden Schwartz-Paul Stastny-T.J. Oshie
Steve Ott-Patrik Berglund-David Backes
Chris Porter-Maxim Lapierre-Ryan Reaves
Barret Jackman-Alex Pietrangelo
Carl Gunnarsson-Kevin Shattenkirk
Chris Butler-Ian Cole
Jake Allen will start in goal. Martin Brodeur will be the backup.
Healthy scratches include Joakim Lindstrom and Magnus Paajarvi. Brian Elliott (knee) and Jay Bouwmeester (groin) are out.
- - -
The Blackhawks' probable lineup:
Brandon Saad-Jonathan Toews-Marian Hossa
Kris Versteeg-Brad Richards-Patrick Kane
Bryan Bickell-Andrew Shaw-Daniel Carcillo
Joakim Nordstrom-Marcus Kruger-Ben Smith
Duncan Keith-Brent Seabrook
Johnny Oduya-Niklas Hjamlarsson
Michal Rozsival-David Rundblad
Antti Raanta will get the start in goal. Scott Darling will be the backup.
Jeremy Morin and Adam Clendening will be healthy scratches. Corey Crawford (lower body), Patrick Sharp (knee) and Trevor van Riemsdyk (patella tendon) are out with injuries.
Crawford will miss 2-3 weeks after sustaining a non-hockey related lower-body injury to his left foot while attending a concert. Crawford was wearing a walking boot on his left foot and said he was leaving a concert the other night and "missed a step."
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
(12-3-14) BLUES NOTEBOOK
Bouwmeester gametime decision; Berglund OK;
Brodeur ready when called upon; Binnington assigned to AHL
CHICAGO -- With all the Martin Brodeur hoopla surrounding the Blues on Tuesday, as the future Hall of Famer signed a one-year, $700,000 pro-rated contract filled with incentives, the Blues resume what amounts to be a four-game trip with a showdown with the rival Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday.
However, the Blues (16-6-2) will not know if Jay Bouwmeester will play after the defenseman appeared to aggravate a lower-body injury during practice on Tuesday.
Bouwmeester, who skated on his own Sunday and with the team Monday and Tuesday, left towards the end of practice and has been deemed a gametime decision by coach Ken Hitchcock.
"'Bouw' is fine. He'll be a game-time decision tomorrow," Hitchcock said."
Also, center Patrik Berglund was hit with an errant puck towards the end of practice and left the ice early but is expected to play after Hitchcock said he received seven stitches on his chin.
* Brodeur ready when called upon -- Brodeur will back up Jake Allen in goal against the Blackhawks, and then will make his Blues debut either Thursday at Nashville or Saturday at New York against the Islanders.
Hitchcock wasn't forthcoming when the 42-year-old will play, but after Brodeur went 19-14-6 with three shutouts, a 2.51 goals-against average and .901 save percentage last season, it's hard to place expectations when all he's done is practice.
"The adrenaline rush of being in a competition is something that ... it's hard to let go," Brodeur said. "I think it's probably one of the most difficult things for me, not having that in my life. I'm happy for that.
"I feel good in the net. Until I get to play games, it's going to be hard to tell before that, but I'm going to prepare myself for that until I get that first start."
Hitchcock, who coached with Brodeur for three Olympic teams with Canada as well as the 2004 World Cup of Hockey and against Brodeur during the 1999 Stanley Cup Final, won't lower his opinion.
"It's hard to lower your expectations on such a special athlete," Hitchcock said. "I'm not lowering them. I expect him to go in and help us win hockey games. I think he feels the same way. ... I don't care how much he's missed or age or anything like that. He's got moxey like any winning athlete does. I think Marty has high expectations of himself as do we."
Blues general manager Doug Armstrong agreed.
"Our expectations are that when he gets put in the net, he has to give us an opportunity to win," Armstrong said of Brodeur. "Great stories are great stories, but that's not my job responsibility -- it's to help the team put players on the ice that give us a chance to win. We believe that he gives us the best opportunity to win when he goes in there."
* Binnington assigned -- With Brodeur on board, the Blues made it a formality and officially assigned goalie Jordan Binnington to the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League.
Binnington, 21, backed up Allen the past two games -- both wins against Edmonton and Minnesota. He is 6-2-1 with a 1.89 GAA and .925 save percentage with the Wolves this season.
* Blues to miss Crawford -- The Blues will not see Corey Crawford when the Blues and Blackhawks clash at United Center on Wednesday. Instead, it will be Annti Raanta, who also was in goal when the Blues defeated the Blackhawks 3-2 earlier this season when Crawford was nursing another injury.
Coach Joel Quenneville told reporters Tuesday that Crawford sustained an undisclosed lower-body injury off the ice, sometime between the Hawks' last game Saturday during their annual 'Circus Trip' on Saturday against the Los Angeles Kings and practice Tuesday.
Crawford is 11-2-3 with a 2.26 GAA and .914 save percentage in 16 career games against the Blues. Raanta is 0-1-1 with a 3.88 GAA and .857 save percentage in two games against the Blues.
Also, Patrick Sharp (knee) will not play against the Blues, nor will defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk, who is out 3-4 months with a fractured left patella.
Monday, December 1, 2014
(12-2-14) BLUES NOTEBOOK
Brodeur could sign as early as Tuesday;
Oshie fine; Shattenkirk surprised; injury update
HAZELWOOD, Mo. -- Martin Brodeur spent a full practice with the Blues on Monday. It was the future Hall of Famer's first true test on the ice to see if his 42-year-old body can hold up to NHL standards.
All indications pointed towards Brodeur, who leads the NHL in several statistical categories, towards signing a contract on Tuesday and perhaps getting a game in on the Blues' upcoming three-game trip, either Thursday at Nashville or Saturday at the New York Islanders.
"I felt good," Brodeur said after practice at the Ice Zone. "It's was a little different, more hockey-like. It went really well for me anyway.
"I'm happy to get this opportunity to maybe stay on with the team. I'm working hard, I'm enjoying it. For me, it's also to gauge how I feel about coming back into the NHL and so far, so good. I'm happy with what's going on the last few days."
Brodeur skated with the team on Friday and Saturday but both were morning skate situations. He skated by himself Sunday before taking the ice Monday with a full team and will do so again on Tuesday before the team departs for the start of the trip in Chicago.
"He's fine," Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said of Brodeur. "Looked just like a normal goalie to me. I don't know how much more we can go at him.
"I think it's now how he feels with what we (did) today and (do) tomorrow. We'll put more heat on him tomorrow, but he looked fine today. He looked like just a normal goalie that's been OK in the NHL for a few years. ... He looked like a guy that's well in tune with what's going on. I think he was a little bit rusty when he first came here, but the fluidness to the things he does, this looks like a guy that I've known for a long time."
Asked if he could play against the Predators or Islanders, since Jake Allen has been declared the starter against the Blackhawks, Hitchcock said, "That's very realistic. We'll see. If he's here, he's going to play. We'll figure out what game it is, what games it is. But if he's here, he's not going to back up.
"... If Marty has a good day and feels good tomorrow, then expect to see him play some games here for sure."
Brodeur, who has spent his entire 21-year career with the New Jersey Devils, wants a quick resolution one way or the other. Tuesday seems to be the deadline.
"That's what we talked about when I came here," Brodeur said. "I'm not going to stay here for three weeks, that's for sure ... and for them too. It's just a matter of another practice and we'll discuss it with the organization. We'll make a decision probably by tomorrow.
"... You'll never know until you get on the ice and play a real game. That's how you say, 'Well, I need more. I'm fine or whatever.' I don't think you can say tomorrow I'm fine. I think I'm fine now. If they ask me now, I think I would be OK to go out and play. For my first game, that's where I'll really know. Until I play a real hockey game ... when am I ready? Is it two weeks, three days ... I don't know? I've got to play a game to know that. As far as the way I feel, my quickness and my stamina is getting where I need it to be I think. But again, situations in games that you can't control what's going to happen. Right now, the progression has been really good. We're going to have another really good practice and hopefully make a decision tomorrow."
* Oshie OK -- T.J. Oshie doesn't have recent fond memories of Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn.
That's because in back-to-back regular season games, Oshie has been knocked out with head hits.
Late last season, it was Mike Rupp who delivered the blow that sidelined Oshie for roughly a week. But this one Saturday following a shoulder blow from Minnesota Wild defenseman Marco Scandella, it sent Oshie to the Blues' locker room for the concussion protocol where he missed the rest of the first period.
He did return for the remainder of the game and felt fine when he got up Sunday and took part in a full practice on Monday.
"Nose is a little crooked now, but two minutes well worth it, I guess," Oshie half-jokingly said. "Once the puck went by (Scandella), I figured he was just going to box me out, hold me out, but whatever, I guess. ...It's kind of a nose and face issue, but ... I don't know, it seems like that's the second time that's happened in a matter of three shifts that I've been in Minnesota. I don't know, seems a little targeted, but either way, we got away with the two points, so we'll take that.
"I'm good to go. I'm fine. Nose is a little crooked. I can't really breathe out of this (left) side. Other than that, we're good."
Scandella, who received a minor penalty for an illegal check to the head, was fined $2,755.38 NHL Department of Player Safety late Monday afternoon.
"I would be best not to comment on that hit right now, so we'll just leave it at that," Hitchcock said.
Oshie was ready to move on and didn't have a preference of if it was a suspendable offense.
"I don't really care," he said. "We went in there ... they might have got the best of us, but we walked away with the two points (a 3-2 shootout victory). We'll play them again.
"You don't really want to take a guy's number, but if we get a chance to get a nice, clean check on him back, then I'll do that. Otherwise, we'll keep going in there and try to get the two points."
* Shattenkirk surprised -- Blues defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk immediately stood over the Wild's Ryan Carter after pushing the Minnesota forward that caused Carter to hit the boards with his head.
It occurred late in the second period that wasn't going to be called immediately, as the official closest to the play never had his arm raised but eventually turned into a five-minute boarding penalty and a game misconduct.
"I didn't expect the push to kind of be that strong and for him to kind of go that hard into the boards," Shattenkirk said. "Whether he just wasn't expecting the push or not ... any time you see that obviously, my first instinct was hopefully he was alright. I didn't necessarily think it was a game penalty, but it happens. It was a great response by everyone, too, especially on the back end to rally around and play with five D for the second night in a row.
"I thought maybe a boarding or something like that. It's tough. The game was going at that point ... going in a way that maybe could have ... things could have gotten out of hand. I don't know if they were trying to send a message or what, but it's tough when you're on the wrong side of it. Sometimes that just happens."
To his recollection, it was Shattenkirk's first major penalty and resulting game misconduct.
"I think that was my first one, so it was a little weird," Shattenkirk said. "Not used to being out in the middle of the second period. I really didn't know what to do with myself.
"The thing that killed me was leaving them with a five-minute power play. They get one on it, but I think for the most part, we killed that penalty off really well. Even though they got one on it, it seemed like we still managed to grab some momentum off of it. The third period was really a great period by the guys. David (Backes) has a huge, huge goal there. It's a great play by Patrik (Berglund) to get him the puck and a good play by Osh on the wall. Everyone seemed to collectively rally together in the third period knowing we had a good back-to-back series and we can salvage it with the win."
As of early Monday afternoon, Shattenkirk did not expect the NHL to review the play, nor had be been told of any relating news.
"I'm not expecting to," he said. "I haven't heard anything from Army or anything. It would definitely blindside me now if it came. But who knows. I guess we'll have to wait and see. So far, so good."
* Injury updates -- The Blues got Jay Bouwmeester back for practice Monday but were missing Barret Jackman and Ryan Reaves.
Bouwmeester, who saw his streak of 737 consecutive regular season games (749 including playoffs) snapped after sustaining a lower-body injury against the Ottawa Senators on Nov. 22, has missed the past four games. But Bouwmeester was on the ice and skating freely and deemed fit by Hitchcock and is expected to play against the Blackhawks barring any setbacks.
"Bouw looked fine," Hitchcock said. "He says he feels good. Barring another setback tomorrow, he's good to go."
Jackman played both games over the weekend but was dinged up multiple times as a result of shot blocks, while Reaves also blocked a shot late in the game against the Wild.
Both are expected to practice Tuesday.
"We wanted an extra day on Jackman," Hitchcock said. "He'll practice tomorrow. Revo, from the problem he had before, we wanted another day on him, but both of those guys will be full participants tomorrow."
Alexander Steen left practice a little early after taking a shot off the hand, and the Blues just want to take the necessary precautions.
"He got that shot in the hand and we pulled him off early (to) get a precautionary x-ray just to make sure," Hitchcock said. "We'll see."
Steve Ott returned to the ice after missing the game Saturday due to a groin injury sustained Friday in a 4-3 overtime win against the Edmonton Oilers.
With Bouwmeester's return, Petteri Lindbohm was assigned to the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League.
* Line juggling, or is it jingling? -- The Blues started the game Saturday with a set of line combinations but ended it differently.
After starting it with an American line of Oshie, Backes and Paul Stastny, Hitchcock moved some players around again Monday after finishing the victory Saturday with the same group.
Jaden Schwartz, Oshie and Stastny were one group, Steen was with Jori Lehtera and Vladimir Tarasenko and Backes was skating with Berglund and Ott. Joakim Lindstrom dropped to the fourth line with Maxim Lapierre and Chris Porter.
"I think this is the combination that I jingled and juggled together and finished with (Saturday)," Hitchcock joked. "I stayed with good continuity from the last seven minutes of the game. I stayed consistent. ... You better make sure you've got your eraser coming up now."
Why?
"Just getting started," Hitchcock said, referring to line combinations. "You haven't seen anything yet. ... Just remember one thing: twosomes never change."
* Tarasenko honored -- Blues right wing Vladimir Tarasenko continues to pick up honors.
The NHL announced on Monday that Tarasenko has been named the Second Star for the month of November.
Calgary Flames defenseman Mark Giordano and Predators goalie Pekka Rinne were named the first and third stars, respectively.
Tarasenko had 10 goals and 17 points in 15 games for the Blues, who were 11-3-1 in November. The 10 goals were the most by a Blues player since Pavol Demitra netted 10 in November of 2001.
Tarasenko leads the Blues in goals (14) and is second in the NHL in plus-minus (plus-17). He is fourth in the league in goals and is seventh in points with 26.
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