(12-13-14) BLUES NOTEBOOK

Steen's offense coming around; Allen in goal; 

Cole appears set to return; Gunnarsson skates

By LOU KORAC
HAZELWOOD, Mo. -- Alexander Steen's first words during his postgame interview after the Blues' 6-3 victory was that he didn't feel like he had his legs.

Not bad for a guy who had a pair of goals, including the go-ahead tally in the third period, and three points.

What would Steen have done had his legs been up to par?

Hard to think he would have done any more after missing two games with a groin injury.

Playing on a line with familiar linemates David Backes and T.J. Oshie, the trio dominated play to the tune of seven points, as Oshie also had a three-point night.

"I thought 'Backs' and 'Osh' played really well and helped me along," Steen said, when Patrik Berglund walked by and playfully chimed in, "Bergy too."

"And Bergy too," Steen said, laughing. "They (Backes and Oshie) really helped me along, both of them. The second goal was just an unreal play by 'Osh,' a really smart play."

Steen, who played 17 minutes, 7 seconds Thursday night, initially was injured against the Nashville Predators a week ago and didn't participate in the morning skate Thursday. He was deemed fit after a strenuous practice Wednesday.

"Pretty good, considering," Steen said. "But I think I expect more out of my legs than what I had yesterday. I obviously feel like I've had a lot better games this year, but kind of walked away from the game with really nothing to show for it.

"Then yesterday, things just seemed to find you. I could have had four or five, six goals. I had some really good chances. I've got to find a way to score some more and not let New York linger around like they did had I put a couple of other chances away, the game would have been over."

Steen, who has seven goals 19 points in 27 games, has picked up his production has picked up in recent games, with eight points in eight games.

Steen has 18 shots (six in each game) in the past three games.

"I don't know if it's so much my shot as it is actual chances," Steen said. "Last little while even before the injury, I felt like I was getting a lot more chances again."

The chemistry with Backes and Oshie cannot go unnoticed. The trio has a history, and it's no secret that the line is able to produce.

"We have chemistry from last year," Steen said. "We had a shift, I can't remember, it was an away game. We started together and right away, you sense the chemistry you have from playing with the same guys all the time. Everybody knows what to expect, not just in the details, where you place pucks and stuff like that, but what time of the game it is, who's on the ice. It's just a different presence. You kind of look at each other on the ice, and you're like, 'Ok.'"

Oshie said it's up to all three to keep the line in tact.

"It's nice to stay on the same line for a little bit," Oshie said. "The way we're going to keep it together is by all playing the same way, and that's hard working, very direct, very north hockey and playing smart and the way we check. In the past, we've tried the other way, the fancy way, and us three together, we just can't get it done that way. You know 'Backs' is going to play that way. It's up to me and Steener to follow him."

* Gunnarsson skates -- It was the first step, but defenseman Carl Gunnarsson (concussion) was able to take the ice and skate under the watchful eye of head athletic trainer Ray Barile.

Gunnarsson, who took an elbow to the head against the New York Islanders' Anders Lee, is not nearing a return, according to coach Ken Hitchcock.

"No, no good," Hitchcock said. "We haven't even entertained thoughts of putting him on the ice (with the team) yet. He's not even ready to skate or participate, even in an optional skate yet. He's out."

* Allen to start -- Hitchcock made the announcement that Jake Allen, who stopped 25 shots in the 6-3 win Thursday against the Islanders, will get the nod against the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday night.

There was some speculation that perhaps Martin Brodeur, who's won two straight games (one in relief of Allen) his previous two times out, would get the start, but Hitchcock is staying with the 24-year-old Allen, who is 9-3-1 with a 2.54 goals-against average and .907 save percentage.

"He really gave us an opportunity (Thursday) when we were killing the penalty early in the game and when we were killing a penalty late in the game," Hitchcock said of Allen. "I think he did a heck of a job. We want to reward that."

* Cole to draw in -- Ian Cole, a healthy scratch Thursday, appears set to rejoin the lineup against the Avalanche after being chosen over Petteri Lindbohm and Chris Butler.

Hitchcock has Butler, Cole and Lindbohm as an axis of three, and all are part of a group of seven until Gunnarsson's return.

"We're a group of seven until (Gunnarsson) comes back and all seven guys are going to play," Hitchcock said. "So in Colorado, you might see one guy that played last night sit out. Whether it's Cole or Butler or Lindbohm, we're going to rotate those three guys. They've all played well, so we want to keep them part of the team.

"Cole was a sit-out. he'll probably come in and play in Colorado and then we'll sit somebody out and then we'll do the same thing (against) L.A. As long as those guys are contributing and playing well, we're going to keep everybody part of the team. Until Gunnarsson gets to be upright and playing, we're going to rotate all those guys to keep them all engaged."

The Blues are assigning Lindbohm to the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League, likely for the weekend, since the Blues won't play again until Tuesday. Lindbohm will likely be back on recall then.

* Captain quiet? -- After taking a deflected puck to the mouth on Monday against the Florida Panthers, a shot taken originally by Oshie, Backes had been in much discomfort.

Despite missing two practices, Backes was back in the lineup Thursday after taking part in the morning skate prior to facing the Islanders.

Backes had an assist in the game and played with a full face shield. Communicating with familiar linemates Oshie and Steen might have been a little difficult.

"He came up to me yesterday morning and he goes 'Hey, if you don't hear me talking tonight, it's because I can't — it's not because I'm mad at you or anything,'" Oshie joked. "I said, 'Thank you, thanks for telling me that. 

"Taking a puck to the mouth, you're not going to look your best. But he's definitely gotten a lot better over these past couple of days and he's definitely a warrior for getting in there."

Steen returns with three-point night, fuels Blues' 6-3 win against Islanders

Backes plays, Bouwmeester returns as team 

wins third in a row; top line combined for seven points

By LOU KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- Alexander Steen's return to the lineup for the Blues came just in time Thursday against the New York Islanders, a team Steen has success against. 

Steen scored two goals, including the tiebreaker 4:32 into the third period, and had an assist in a 6-3 Blues victory at Scottrade Center. He missed the previous two games with a lower-body injury.

Adding Steen to a top line with David Backes and T.J. Oshie saw the trio combine for three goals and four assists.

(St. Louis Blues photo)

Alexander Steen (20) returned to the Blues lineup tonight and scored twice

and had a three-point night against former teammate Jaroalav Halak (41).

"We've been put together maybe one or two games this year and seemed to break up in the middle of the game, but tonight, we found that chemistry that we left off with last year," said Oshie, who had a goal and two assists. "All three guys were working and when we're doing that, that's when we get all our success."

The Blues weren't sure Wednesday whether they'd have Steen, Backes (facial lacerations) or Jay Boumweester (groin) for the game, but all three made triumphant returns and helped the Blues' cause.

Steen has 18 points (five goals, 13 assists) in 17 games against the Islanders. 

"I thought all the guys that came back in gave us some structure and some continuity in our lineup," Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said. "... I thought (Steen) was real good; I thought that line was real good. They set the tempo early in the hockey game, set the tempo in the third period. That's what we need. 

"To me, the points are coming because of it. Points aren't coming because they're just playing hockey. They're playing hockey the right way and it's a big line that can compete. They're getting it everywhere. They're looking more and more like they did last year to be honest with you, which is real good for us."

The Blues (19-8-2), who blew a two-goal lead, got a goal and an assist from Barret Jackman, Kevin Shattenkirk had two assists giving him six points (five assists) in five games, and Jake Allen made 25 saves. 

With the game tied 2-2, Backes threw a puck high off the glass in his zone, Oshie won it at center ice to create a rush into the Islanders zone, fired a shot at former Blues goalie Jaroslav Halak, and Steen knocked in the rebound.

"I was shooting for a rebound there," Oshie said. "I tried high blocker once and then I don't know if I tried five-hole on [Halak] already, but I figured I'd shoot for a rebound. I saw guys coming from the weak side. Luckily, Steener was there."

Oshie took Patrik Berglund's behind-the-net pass in the slot and beat Halak high glove side with 4:13 remaining to make it 4-2. 

Paul Stastny's power-play goal, the Blues' fifth in seven tries against the Islanders this season, made it 5-2 with 2:12 left. Jaden Schwartz scored into an empty net with 1:04 to play. 

Stastny has a four-game point streak (four goals, one assist). 

The victory was the Blues' third in a row and their second against the Islanders in six days. St. Louis has defeated the Islanders five straight times and seven of the past eight. 

The Islanders (19-10-0) got second-period goals from John Tavares and Mikhail Grabovski to tie the game 2-2. Kyle Okposo scored with 1:44 to play. 

Halak, playing in his first game in St. Louis since being traded by the Blues last season, made 27 saves. He faced the Blues for the first time Saturday in a 6-4 loss.

But it was New York's third consecutive loss, their second such streak this season, and the Islanders have given up 17 goals.

Tavares scored with 3:57 remaining in the period after the Islanders won an offensive-zone faceoff, and Tavares' shot dribbled through Allen's legs. 

Late in the period, Frans Nielsen poked a faceoff win forward, and Grabovski caught the Blues and Allen napping with a wrist shot from the high slot with 5.3 seconds remaining. 

The goal had the Blues reeling a bit.

"We just let our foot off the gas for three minutes," said Allen, who improved to 9-3-1 on the season. "A team like that that's so offensive, they took advantage of the opportunities. 

"It's tough letting a goal in with five seconds of a period. But the guys came out strong in the third, which to me, is pretty impressive to watch that."

It's the fifth time this season the Blues have seen a team overcome a 2-0 deficit on them to tie the game. But the Blues are 4-0-1 in those games because of the ability to regroup and dictate play.

"I don't know which part is the killer instinct," Hitchcock said. "This is like the fifth row evaluation, but I think one of the things that we have to get into our game is we get trapped a lot when the other team gets behind and then they amp up the risk. We go with the risk, so they're risking, we're risking, but it's going in either net. It's going in  our net as much as it's going in their net. 

"We've got a team where we don't need to amp up the risk, but you look at the second period, it's 2-0, we got a breakaway, we've got two 2-on-1's, we can hammer it home, but then they start adding extra players on the attacks, then we start adding extra players and all of the sudden, you've got this track meet going back and forth and then they end up tying the game up. What I'd like to see is understand score, and then play the game properly. That's the instincts that I'd like to have. ... If we didn't have a killer instinct, we wouldn't have done what we did in the third period. We've done that a lot in the third period. We've got that element. I just think we've got to know when the other team is starting to apply the risk, and then we've got to make them pull it 200 feet, take their chances and that's when we'll get more odd-man rushes."

With Islanders defenseman Brian Strait off for interference, the Blues were able to get good movement on their first power play. Steen stepped into a slap shot from straight away that beat Halak 5:58 into the game for a 1-0 lead. 

Jackman made it 2-0 at 14:18 of the first when Steen found the defenseman with a cross-ice pass, and Jackman stepped into a slap shot from the top of the left circle that went in off the right post. 

(St. Louis Blues photo)

T.J. Oshie (right) moves past Islanders forward Kyle Okposo Thursday. The

Blues won 6-3 as Oshie had three points with a goal and two assists.

It was Jackman's first multipoint game since March 13, 2013 against the San Jose Sharks.

"Steener has got great vision and he sucked three guys to him and sauces one far side and I just had to get the shot off and a little knuckler beat Jaro," Jackman said.  

The win for the Blues was enough to keep pace with the red-hot Chicago Blackhawks and Nashville Predators in the Central Division. All three teams won.

"There's a lot of elements to like," Hitchcock said of his team's game. "This is the likes and dislikes of our season. Tonight's game is a microcosm of our season. We've got great spirit, which is stuff you love, but understanding and managing the game the right way, I think it's going to be important that we figure out when the other team's got the push, then that's when we've got to have the right push back." 

(12-11-14) Islanders-Blues Gameday Lineup

By LOU KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- There will be an infusion in the lineup for the Blues when they host the New York Islanders on Thursday.

Three players who appeared not to have a shot at playing tonight all will be in the lineup when the puck drops at 7 p.m. (FS-MW, KMOX 1120-AM).

The Blues (18-8-2) will have captain David Backes (facial lacerations), Alexander Steen (lower body) and Jay Bouwmeester (groin) in the lineup ready to go when the Blues and Islanders play for the second time since Dec. 6.

Backes, who took a puck to the mouth that required 12 stitches and did some damage to his lower lip, was wearing a full face cage Thursday after not practicing the past two days. Steen, who's missed two games after sustaining an injury against the Nashville Predators, practiced in full Wednesday but was not part of the morning skate. Bouwmeester, who's missed the past eight games since injuring his groin Nov. 22 against the Ottawa Senators, has taken part in the past three days' worth of skates and all are deemed fit to play.

"Both guys participated at practice, had no ill effects today," Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said of Bouwmeester and Steen. "Both feel good enough to play today. Backes will give us what he's got.

"It's huge. I mean it's three experienced players that were really playing well before they got hurt, especially the Backes-Steen-(T.J.) Oshie  line, which was very effective for us, so it's huge. Obviously Bouwmeester and (Alex Pietrangelo) were really having a good run there. I think it's made us deeper ... it's forced us to play more guys, but it's made us deeper. [Chris] Butler's come in, played very well. (Petteri) Lindbohm's come in and added to our group, too. So all of the sudden, our group has gotten deeper. It's allowed a guy like (Chris) Porter to move the ladder. He's had good games for us, and especially (Joakim) Lindstrom, who's been forced up the ladder because of it. We've got more people involved in the game now and we've got better play from people who've had to play better to absorb these guys being out of the lineup, so it's win-win right now."

Bouwmeester was activated from injured reserve, and the Blues put Carl Gunnarsson on IR.

Backes avoided serious injury and was back on the ice Thursday in his customary position: in front of the net working on tipping shots from teammates, including Oshie, who's shot caromed off a deflected stick and struck Backes in the mouth.

"I don't think he would call it that, but that's the price you pay for playing the game he's playing and it's a high price," Hitchcock said. "I think all of us appreciate it because he's not a guy to jump out of the way on those shots. He absorbs those shots, he hangs in there until the last possible minute. That's why he leads our team in power play goals, that's why he's led the league in power play goals the last three years scoring the same type of goal. He's led the league in being able to do the things he does at net-front. I don't think it's going to change. I know he took a shot there and you've got to admire that."

Oshie has seen this happen to a teammate before. 

"I still get chills about hitting Walt back in the face five, six years ago," Oshie said of Keith Tkachuk, who lost teeth in that incident. "That one wasn't tipped. This one was tipped. 

(Backes) is the type of guy that's going to go right back out there and stand in front of the net and not think twice about it. He's a absolute leader; he's a warrior. I'm never not going to feel terrible about that puck coming up and hitting him in the face. ... It's an unfortunate part of the game that happens. But it goes to show you how tough hockey players are. He's out there (Thursday) and he threw me 10-15 pucks and went and sat in front of the net and told me to rip 'em by him. It made me feel better that he's right back out there and he's taking it the right way."

Hitchcock was non-committal on who would come out of the lineup in favor of Steen and Bouwmeester, but Porter and Lindbohm are the likely candidates.

"I don't know. I've got to think about that. I'm not sure yet, but somebody's got to go out," Hitchcock said. "Whoever it is, we're going to sit out a good player. That's what happens when you've got depth. Hopefully that player understands that and when it's his turn, he'll take advantage of it."

Bouwmeester said it's been a cautious approach to making sure his injury is properly healed but a frustrating one also.

"That's why you do things the way you do them," Bouwmeester said. "You kind of ease into things and test it a little bit. That's the process. 

"It was different. Obviously everyone wants to play. It's not fun sitting out, but it is what it is. Guys miss different games for different reasons. I probably aggravated it a couple times, but you never know. They're funny things. Sometimes they're quick, sometimes they take more time."

- - -

Oshie had a bust night Wednesday night. Oshie was named the 2014 winner of the Missouri Athletic Club’s (MAC) "Sports Personality of the Year." 

Oshie was honored at the MAC’s Jack Buck Sports Awards presented by Maryville University on Wednesday night.

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

Hull was on hand to present Oshie the award.

"It was amazing," Oshie said. "I don't know if I've really ever won an award. I've definitely haven't had to speak in front of so many people before. But to have Hullie get up there, I don't know if many people saw it, but the things he said were very humbling. It gave me the chills. Made me more nervous after Hullie spoke. At one point, he said if he could go back, he would like to be little more like me. If I could do something different, it would be a lot like him out on the ice. He's a great friend. It's amazing that I'm even on nickname basis calling him "Hullie." It's great and it meant a lot more that he was there for it."

Does he remember what he said?

"I don't know. I don't know what I said," Oshie said. "I don't remember anything that was said up there. I know I made a little joke that wasn't even written down. A couple people giggled, so that was nice. When it was over, I sat down and was just happy someone was clapping."

Last season, Oshie posted a career-year, setting new high marks in points (60), goals (21), assists (39) and plus/minus (plus-19). 

The Everett, Washington native was also the star of the United States' matchup with Russia at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, converting on four of six shootout attempts to lead the USA to a 3-2 victory.

The “Sports Personality of the Year,” an award Jack Buck established in 1970 to annually honor the top St. Louis sports figure, is voted on by members of the MAC. 

The Jack Buck Sports Awards Banquet is regarded as the premier sports dinner in St. Louis and has honored some of the biggest names in sports history including Bob Gibson, Joe Torre, Lou Brock, Ozzie Smith, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Jimmy Connors, Marshall Faulk and Albert Pujols.

- - -

With Jake Allen in goal tonight, Blues teammates want to help the 24-year-old redeem himself after Allen was pulled after the first period when the Blues and Islanders met this past Saturday.

Allen allowed three goals on 12 shots as the Blues fell behind 3-0 but rallied for a 6-4 victory.

"A lot of times when a goalie gets pulled, in my opinion, it's very rarely his fault," defenseman Chris Butler said. "We didn't do a good job in front of him. You hang out to dry and give up backdoor chances and empty nets. It sucks for him to have to come out of the game that the coach feels he needs to pull a guy to get everyone else going. That's the unfortunate part of being a goaltender. We all know he's going to be ready for tonight. Last game certainly wasn't indicative of his play. It was more on the team game."

- - -

The Blues' projected lineup:

Alexander Steen-David Backes-T.J. Oshie

Jaden Schwartz-Jori Lehtera-Vladimir Tarasenko

Patrik Berglund-Paul Stastny-Joakim Lindstrom

Steve Ott-Maxim Lapierre-Ryan Reaves

Jay Bouwmeester-Alex Pietrangelo

Chris Butler-Kevin Shattenkirk

Barret Jackman-Petteri Lindbohm

Jake Allen will get the start in goal. Martin Brodeur will be the backup.

Healthy scratches are likely Chris Porter, Magnus Paajarvi and Ian Cole. Brian Elliott (knee) is on injured reserve but he did skate at the optional today. Carl Gunnarsson (upper body) is out.

- - -


The Islanders' projected lineup:

Nikolay Kulemin-John Tavares-Kyle Okposo

Anders Lee-Brock Nelson-Michael Grabner

Mikhail Grabovski-Frans Nielsen-Kyle Clutterbuck

Matt Martin-Ryan Strome-Eric Boulton

Thomas Hickey-Lubomir Visnovsky

Brian Strait-Nick Leddy

Calvin de Haan-Matt Donovan

Jaroslav Halak will get the start in goal. Chad Johnson will be the backup.

Cory Conacher and Griffin Reinhart are the healthy scratches. Josh Bailey (lower body), Matt Carkner (back), Johnny Boychuk (upper body), Travis Hamonic (upper body) and Casey Cizikas (upper body) are out with injuries.

(12-11-14) BLUES NOTEBOOK

Steen, Bouwmeester status TBA after skating; Backes 

visits, not on the ice; Allen focuses on future after being pulled

By LOU KORAC
HAZELWOOD, Mo. -- With a list of injured players growing for the Blues, two of them skated Wednesday in hopes of a return to game action, perhaps as soon as Thursday.

Alexander Steen (lower body) and Jay Bouwmeester (groin), suited up and took part in a full practice. The Blues (18-8-2) face the New York Islanders (19-9-0) Thursday at Scottrade Center.

Steen, who's missed two games since playing at Nashville, skated on a line with Patrik Berglund at center and T.J. Oshie on right wing. He had fun with the media afterwards when asked how he felt, can he play, etc.

So you skated today ... 

"Yep, I skated today," Steen said with a grin. "That's all I got today boys. 

"I laced them up and I was out there. It was fun. We had a good time. That's where we are in the progression. It's been a few days without, so I did it today. It felt good. I felt pretty good. I felt like I was moving pretty good. ... We'll leave that for a little bit. Right now, I was happy I was out there with the boys. It's been too long."

Bouwmeester has missed eight games since injuring his groin Nov. 22 at Ottawa. He's been able to skate, then level off and sit, skate and so forth. But never to the point where he could return to a game after ramping up his practices on occasion.

"I haven't really skated a whole lot lately," Bouwmeester said. "It was good just to be a part of a practice and move along.

"At first, it's frustrating. I've had a couple little setbacks, I guess. It's just one of those things where it takes time and hopefully we're over the hump now. ... Today was the best I felt. It's been getting better lately. Now it's a day to day sort of thing."

"It's one of those things where you just don't know how it's going to respond," Bouwmeester added. "Sometimes you have to test it at first and see. But I think it's progressed to the point now where we can get through a practice. That's all positive."

Blues coach Ken Hitchcock erred on the side of caution.

"We'll get a better medical update later on here," Hitchcock said. "Hopefully they both can come in and play, but we'll see. Neither one of them's going to play unless they're comfortable and they can start finishing games. We'll see how they do. We won't know anything really until later on tonight and even in the morning. Keep everybody on board and get everybody ready. Get to 20 tomorrow.

"We made the decision last night that they were going to skate today. I'll get a read from the trainers to see if they're available for us."

Captain David Backes (mouth) was a non-participant Wednesday and would be classified as highly questionable/doubtful against the Islanders after taking a puck to the mouth, an injury that is recurring from past incidents.

"We'll see how David is," Hitchcock said. "David showed up today, but we didn't want him practicing so we'll see how he feels tomorrow to see if he can skate. ... He just came in, visited, said hello to everybody and left."

"He's not great. It's the same place two or three times. Same injury. Add the lower lip to what happened to the upper lip and it's very painful. Once that subsides and you can take jars and physical play ... he's obviously going to have to wear a face shield and stuff like that. We'll see where it goes. He's going to have to play with a shield for a little while I think, but you can't play when you're not comfortable pain-wise. It's not fair. It's not fair to the player. We've got enough players to play right now anyways."

Defenseman Carl Gunnarsson, who has sustained concussion symptoms stemming from a high hit against the Islanders' Anders Lee, was on hand at the practice facility but when asked if Gunnarsson was any better, Hitchcock was to the point.

"No. Out," he said. "No good."

* Allen regroups -- Jake Allen's last go in goal didn't go according to plan.

Allen was lifted after the first period Saturday against the Islanders, after allowing three goals on 12 shots as the Blues fell behind 3-0 before rallying to a 6-4 victory after Martin Brodeur came on and backstopped the victory.

Allen is anxious to just play and not really gain a measure of redemption when he opposes the Islanders on Thursday.

"It's not really a chip on my shoulder towards the team or anything," Allen said. "I didn't even feel like I played bad except for that last goal. I'm just looking forward to get back in the net. It doesn't matter what team it was. I get to have another challenge, another opportunity. It feels like it's been a while since I played, but I'm looking forward to it. I'll be excited for tomorrow."

Allen, who is 8-3-1 with a 2.50 goals-against average and .908 save percentage, wasn't about to fret over the benching. 

"I guarantee I'm going to get pulled 15 or 20 more times during my career," Allen said. "I can't get too worried about it. It's one game. Hopefully there will be hundreds and hundreds more than I play."

"They had the bounces in the first. I don't think we even played a bad first period from a team standpoint. We picked our game up in the second and got the bounces. It was just a great comeback and took it over in the third."

This is the very reason Hitchcock will go back to Allen in goal Thursday.

"He's moved on. He had a great practice today," Hitchcock said of Allen. "He's moved on, focused, excited. I think they're in a great situation. They're learning from Marty. 

"If I had Scotty Bowman or Toe Blake sitting and hovering over me and it was my chance to learn from that, man it would be like gold. They have the right attitude towards what Marty can help them (with) and teach them and show them. It's really important because this is going to be everlasting. This is going to be stuff that they're going to remember forever. Having the right attitude towards getting a chance to learn is really important."

Blue collar Porter gives Blues reliability, stability

Left wing never complains about lack of ice time, just ready when called upon

By LOU KORAC
HAZELWOOD, Mo. -- When the assembled media show up for a Blues practice or morning skate a little early and nobody would be on the ice for the Blues yet, more times than not, No. 32 will normally be the guy that pops out.

It's not some sort of omen or superstition, that's just who Chris Porter is.

Always one of the first to arrive, one of the last to leave.

The 29-year-old Toronto native and ninth round pick in 2003 by the Chicago Blackhawks is not going to be mistaken with Sidney Crosby-like skill or Alex Ovechkin's power-packed one-timer, nor does he try to be. But what Porter will give the Blues on a nightly basis is someone who will put their work boots -- or blades -- on with a plumber-like mentality.

(St. Louis Blues photo)

Chris Porter (pictured) gives the Blues a grab-the-lunch pail, strap-on-the-workboots type of

player when he steps onto the ice.

That means forecheck in both zones, back-check defensively, retrieve loose pucks in corners, cycle pucks, sacrifice the body with blocked shots, and in Porter's case as he did Monday in a 4-2 victory against the Florida Panthers, chip in some offense with a goal and assist, his first points of the season.

It was Porter's 10th game of the season, and it's not that he isn't good enough to crack the Blues' lineup, but as a role player, it's part of the job. Be ready when called upon and work hard in between.

"There's obviously going to be times during the year where there's injuries and guys need to come into the lineup," Porter said Tuesday after practice at the St. Louis Mills Outlet Mall's Ice Zone. "During the course of my career, I've been one of those guys that's come in and out. I've learned to deal with the ups and downs. You've got to always show up and work hard. (Monday) night was nice to contribute to get the two points. Hopefully can continue to do that throughout the year.

"... Any competitor wants to play every game. I'm no different. I want to play in every game that I can. It (stinks) coming out of the lineup, but it's one of those things where you can't sulk about it. You've got to show up and work hard. There's obviously somebody else out there that wants to take your job just as bad as you want it, so that's the mindset I take."

For every Vladimir Tarasenko the Blues have in their lineup, there's always the need for a Chris Porter; the guy that will muck and grind for his linemate just so your shift can be spent with some freedom with the puck.

Porter, a University of North Dakota graduate who was a college teammate of current Blue T.J. Oshie, has the appreciation of his teammates and coach.

"He's one of those guys that works so hard off the ice," fourth-line teammate Maxim Lapierre said. "Every day he works hard. He's the first guy at the rink. He's unbelievable for our team. I don't think he gets the credit he deserves. He's an unreal player, doesn't make many mistakes out there. He's physical and blocks shots. I'm really glad to see that for him (Monday)."

Porter went 43 regular season games without a goal (his last came on April 7, 2013 at Detroit), and Monday's goal was the 11th of his career. But when coach Ken Hitchcock utilizes the 6-foot-1, 206-pound left wing, he knows what he's going to get.

"He's a low maintenance guy," Hitchcock said of Porter. "When you're a depth player, you're trying not to make mistakes. We're always trying to encourage him to play like he does in the American (Hockey) League. He's a dominant 200-foot player at the American League level. So we're thinking if he could ever get some of that -- which we're starting to see now quite frankly -- confidence with the puck, ability to make plays, he's a guy that I think everybody on this staff, if the game's tied or if we're up a goal, he's a real trustworthy player. But he's able to score at the American League on a very, very regular basis. We're hoping that he can do some of that stuff up here, which if he could do that a little bit up here, it probably makes him a real solid third-line guy."

Porter was moved up to the third line out of necessity Monday when David Backes went down with a facial injury. And with the Blues already missing Alexander Steen, there was no hesitation who's name would be summoned to take the responsibilities with Paul Stastny and Joakim Lindstrom.

"I try not to play differently," Porter said. "I think in the American (Hockey) League, you're put in a little bit different situation than I play up here. ... It goes with just playing the right way. Down there, you're playing a lot more minutes usually than you are up here. I'm just trying to make the most out of the ice time that I get. Hopefully good things continue to happen."

Porter's numbers (11 goals and 27 points in 159 NHL games spanning six seasons) won't wow anyone. Porter just wants to be known as that guy that works hard for his teammates and plays the game the right way.

"I like to work hard and that's my MO and that's not going to change, whether I'm here, the American League, or wherever it is," Porter said. "... I think I learned it from my dad. He always taught us hard work and it'll always pay off. Even though it doesn't seem like things are going to happen, they always usually do. It's been true so far."

Porter's goal Monday was the game-winner with 1 minute, 54 seconds remaining as the Blues went on to a 4-2 victory. He redirected a Barret Jackman shot from inside the left circle in the high slot area, and it was just the perfect example of what type of hand-eye coordination is needed to pull off that play.

"He's got decent hands," Hitchcock said of Porter. "He can make plays, too. I think sometimes your mindset changes. I think you're out there trying not to get scored on, but when David went down, we used a lot of guys here. We had some big minutes. We had a lot of guys play big-minutes today.

"I thought Porter played a really good game. I think everybody on the bench was really happy for him." 

(St. Louis Blues photo)

Chris Porter (32) gets congratulated by teammates after scoring with 1:54

remaining of a 4-2 victory against Florida on Monday at Scottrade Center.

"He played an unbelievable game," teammate Ian Cole said of Porter. "He was all over the ice, like always. But he's such a good player, I think such an underrated player in the sense of going to the net. ... Great tip. Just an unbelievable way to finish a game."

And apparently Porter has taken a new role at the morning skates in recent games: being the guy that shoots pucks first at future Hall of Fame goalie Martin Brodeur, who joined the team last week and has been in uniform for four games. 

"I think I've just been dragged into that," Porter joked. "I guess I'm out there early and Jimmy (goaltending coach Jim  Corsi) just grabs me. 

"I don't mind shooting on a Hall of Fame goaltender. I'll do that all day. ... Maybe I'm a good luck charm for him or something."

(12-10-14) BLUES NOTEBOOK

Elliott speaks; no suspension for Lee; Backes, Bouwmeester, 

Steen, Gunnarsson all ailing; Allen to start; Butler, Lindbohm filling in well

By LOU KORAC
HAZELWOOD, Mo. -- Martin Brodeur and Jake Allen took up their usual spots at the optional practice the Blues conducted Tuesday.

Brian Elliott, out since sustaining an MCL knee sprain two weeks ago, took to the ice to do some light work with teammates. Elliott had been skating off and on by himself and has been riding the bike. 

He spoke for the first time to the media since being injured against the Ottawa Senators on Nov. 25.

The last visual Blues fans had of Elliott was him skating off -- on his own power -- and chucking his goal stick down the runway leading to the locker room.

"You know when something happens, but I was able to skate and walk off on my own power so it wasn't as bad as it could be," Elliott said. "But it's still frustrating and that's why I probably threw my stick. I think anybody can understand that one. You're having a good game first of all in a good season. You just want to keep in there and keep playing. It's frustrating to get out, but luckily something like this happened at the start of the year and not at the end."

Although Elliott is not near a return, his rehab is going according to schedule, and for an injury he's sustained previously, he knows when to push the buttons and when not to.

I've had the same injury twice before, one on both knees," Elliott said. "It's not something you can't come back from. Like I said right after I did it, last time this happened, I came back and we won a national championship. It's something you can come back strong from. Everything like this that happens, it makes you a little bit more mentally tough. You try to take that positive away.

"I've had some good days, some bad days and that's to be expected. That's just a part of the healing process. We just need to try and take care of it as much as we can. ... It's just all about trying not to push it too far but trying to take it to the edge where you're getting better."

Elliott has been able to travel with the Blues to their away games and take part in any rehab process scheduled. 

I don't feel too left out," he said.

When Elliott might practice is a different story.

"I have no idea," he said. "It's how you feel every day. It's a day to day thing you have to take into account. You just go from there.

"... Part of the healing process is feeling that pain and kind of letting everything kind of heal itself up."

Elliott, who's 8-4-1 with a 1.84 goals-against average and .931 save percentage, is doing his best to return as quickly as possible. The Blues have gone 4-2-0 since he departed the lineup and doesn't know what to make of the situation when the Blues have three available, healthy, NHL-ready goalies.

"I'm just trying to get better myself," Elliott said. "You want the team to keep winning while you're out. We've had some pretty big injuries with (Jay Bouwmeester) being out and (Alexander Steen) now. (David Backes) taking that shot to the face, like little things are gonna happen throughout the year. Any way that comes in, you want them to do well and keep the team rolling.

"... I don't think you're going to be 100 percent for a while. It's trying to get to a point where you feel comfortable getting out there playing and you're not going to hurt yourself, you're not going to hurt your team. It takes a while and you just have to mentally handle that."

For now, Elliott and Allen flank Brodeur in the Blues' locker room at the Ice Zone, something he never thought he would see.

"It's a little weird," Elliott said. "I never thought that would happen. It's kind of hard to describe. You just wanna soak as much in as possible. Soak in as much information and seeing the way he handles himself. He's been around for a while for a reason and has all those records for a reason. It's definitely pretty cool. 

"Me and Jake are watching sometimes. His way of playing is a little different than ours and a lot of guys out there, but he still gets it done, so that's fun to watch."

Defenseman Ian Cole summed it up best after the win Monday.

"We have an NHL All-Star, we have the best goalie ever and we've got perhaps a two-time All-Rookie Team goalie," Cole said. "We're very lucky, we're very spoiled. Obviously playing good team defense helps out, just like they help us out."

* Backes ailing -- Backes, who left the 4-2 victory Monday against the Florida Panthers after being drilled in the mouth by a T.J. Oshie one timer that caromed off a stick, then came back for four shifts in the second period, only to leave for the third, was not one of eight skaters (plus three goalies) on the ice Tuesday.

"He's not well today," Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said of Backes. "He's got a lot of discomfort, so he was told to stay away. Hopefully he comes back tomorrow and he's able to participate in some function, whether it's on a bike ride or whatever, but he's in no shape to participate today at all."

Backes received 12 stitches to gashes in his mouth and lower lip. He finished with 4 minutes, 41 seconds of ice time and eight shifts and wore a cage when he returned in the second period.

"He was trying, but he was gone," Hitchcock said. "He was not even remembering what was going on on on the ice and stuff like that so we needed to get him. We needed to get him out of the game."

Hitchcock ruled out any sort of concussion-like symptoms.

"No, that's not an issue," Hitchcock said. "This is strictly ... unfortunately this is three lacerations in the same place, plus now he's dealing with the lower lip, too. There's a lot of significant discomfort in that area. It's something you have to use every day, every moment. He's just in a lot of discomfort right now, so we'll see where he is in the next 24 hours.

"No, not ruling him out (for Thursday). I think we've just got to be smart and careful about this."

It's been a rash of unfortunate injuries for Backes in the past few seasons from concussions to a broken toe, facial lacerations, among others.

"That's exactly what it is. It's also the price you pay for going in the hard areas," Hitchcock said. "He's the one guy that's willing to stand in there (on) the shot. You've got to give him a lot of credit. A lot of guys would jump out of the way, try to tip it. He stands there and absorbs the shot, which has quite frankly helped us score a lot of power play goals in the last three years. This is just the downside of that happening."

It's also inspiring to his teammates.

"That's why he's our leader and we needed to find a way to win that game for him," center Maxim Lapierre said of Backes.

* Bouwmeester, Steen questionable; Gunnarsson out -- Bouwmeester skated Tuesday on his own prior to his teammates taking the ice, as he continues to work his way back from a groin injury sustained Nov. 22 against the Senators. Bouwmeester has missed the past eight games.

Steen (lower body) also missed practice and has missed two games since injuring himself at Nashville and defenseman Carl Gunnarsson (upper body) is suffering from concussion-like symptoms following a hit by the New York Islanders' Anders Lee on Saturday.

"I wouldn't count anybody in or out right now," Hitchcock said. "We had obviously Bouwmeester skated today. Our hope is that he's able to practice with us tomorrow. Steen wasn't out today. We had some various aches and bumps. 

"I think it's better to read how we do at practice tomorrow, who's on the ice, who participates and who doesn't. I would say we're right at the roster right now. The 20 that we're starting the game, our hope is to get back to that number the next game."

* No discipline for Lee -- The National Hockey League's Department of Player Safety issued their ruling for the hit to the head from Lee on Gunnarsson, and after a hearing Monday, no suspension will be involved, but Lee was fined $2,286.29, which is the maximum allowed under the Collective Bargaining Agreement for what was at the time called an illegal hit to the head. No penalty was called on the play.

"I'm not commenting on it," Hitckcock said. "The league already commented." 

Gunnarsson is out indefinitely.

"The big picture is we're missing a good player," Hitchcock said. "That's the big picture for us. The rest is not relevant. Whatever gets decided, that's up to somebody else, but the big picture for us is we're missing a real good player who was really starting to improve. That's disappointing that he's not going to be able to play."

Blues fans have criticized Hitchcock and the team for for not sticking up for hits in recent seasons against some of the team's top players. With Gunnarsson as well as T.J. Oshie both taking head shots, the Blues didn't immediately send any sort of response with someone like Ryan Reaves. But Hitchcock feels his players respond accordingly and in timely fashion.

"My take is that the season is 82 games, and you've got to be careful how you judge on that," Hitchcock said. "My view is if you just become a reactionary team, then that is what you're going to do every game. There are opportunities to react every game, and if you're continually doing that stuff, then you're going to end up dealing with a high level of frustration. 

"I've coached teams where we needed to get even the next shift or the next period, and all we did was just get messed up. In a lot of cases, we did get even, but we never won the hockey game. We never were able to create any rhythm in our season because we were just reacting to anything anybody did, and after a while, the word came out that if you touched them up, they were going to react ... right away. It's a long season. Players know who did what and you just deal with it. You move on. Players don't forget. They know. There's opportunities in different ways to get even, but I think if you're going to react to every hit out there, you're going to have a pretty unfocused hockey club, because at the end of the day, it is a long season. It's nine months, eight months. You can't lose sight of that."

With Lee coming to town with the New York Islanders on Thursday, could there be some fireworks?

"Whatever I say to them, you're going to be the last one to know that," Hitchcock joked to the media.

* Brodeur practices, Allen in goal Thursday -- After playing three games in five days after no competitive games in eight months, instead of taking a break, the 42-year-old Brodeur was skating and getting more work in looking to perfect his game.

"I think he wants to see more activity," Hitchcock said of Brodeur. "He saw a lot of activity today. Goalies that play a lot are what I call rhythm goalies. They need to get into rhythm. They need to see enough work to feel that they can just get in the rhythm. I don't think he feels like he's seen enough work yet. He needs to see more work, so he wants to get into that state where he can get into a little bit of a rhythm so he can help us out here."

Brodeur picked up career win No. 690 after his best game yet as a Blue with 32 saves Monday.

"He has the best numbers in league history for a reason," Cole said of Brodeur. "He's an unbelievable goalie, a great guy. Definitely learned so much from him. Really very, very lucky to have him here."

As for Allen, who was pulled after allowing three goals on 12 shots in the 6-4 come-from-behind win against the Islanders last Saturday, Hitchcock wants to get his 24-year-old rookie back in.

"He's just got to play. He's a good goalie," Hitchcock said of Allen, who is 8-3-1 with a 2.50 GAA and .908 save percentage. "He's had a great start to his career. He had a difficult game on the island, and he's got to get right back on the bicycle and get pedaling again. So he gets that team again, and I'm sure he's going to play well. He's a big part of our future. We've got to keep him going."

* Butler, Lindbohm filling in well -- With recent injuries to Bouwmeester and now Gunnarsson, defensemen Chris Butler and Petteri Lindbohm, recalled from the Chicago Wolves recently, both have filled the void left by two defensemen that play in the top four.

Butler, a Kirkwood native and free agent signing in the off-season from the Calgary Flames, has recently been paired with Alex Pietrangelo and Lindbohm stepped into Gunnarsson's role to play with Kevin Shattenkirk.

"He's done a great job," Hitchcock said of Lindbohm. "Butler's really started to absorb a lot of ice. Chris has to play a lot more than I'm sure he even in his wildest dreams thought he'd play. 

"Thank God we've had that depth on the back end. When we gave up Leopold, we had a lot information that Butler was playing really well and he deserved to come back in the National Hockey League, so that information looks like it's been true, and then we've always liked Lindbohm. We played him a lot in exhibition hoping that he'd make the grade or get close to it and that's what he's done. Now he's come up and exactly helping us out. We like our mix. We like our depth now. We've got eight guys who we feel comfortable playing. Unfortunately we've got a couple significant guys ... when you're missing two of your top four, it puts a lot of onus in the other areas of your team. We're much better when those two guys are back in."

Butler, who had a tough time during camp finding his role, really had grasped the system.

"When things don't go right, he's still pretty resilient," Hitchcock said of Butler. "That's what we like. He's not discouraged by a mistake or something going wrong. He's plowing through that stuff, which is a good sign for us."

What makes him a good partner for Pietrangelo? 

"Skates. They both trust each other skating," Hitchcock said. "They exit. They get by the forecheck. I think the big thing is when they're on top of their game, they stay ahead of the forecheck. That helps us a lot."

Brodeur wins home debut with 32 saves

Fourth-liner Porter nets game-winner, Lapierre, 

Cole also score in Blues' 4-2 win against Panthers

By LOU KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- The chants of "Marty! Marty! Marty!" rained down from Scottrade Center as if the Blues have known Martin Brodeur for ages.

They may know him from afar playing for the New Jersey Devils for 21 years, but now the 42-year-old is their own, and Blues fans wouldn't have it any other way.

And Brodeur's repayment for their gratitude: he still has what it takes. 

Brodeur made 32 saves, including 17 in the second period, to lead the St. Louis Blues to a 4-2 victory against the Florida Panthers on Monday. 

(St. Louis Blues photo)

Goalie Martin Brodeur (left) and Chris Porter were key to the Blues' 4-2

victory against the Florida Panthers on Monday in Brodeur's home debut.  

The 42-year-old Brodeur collected his 690th career victory, second in as many games and 41st against the Panthers. He also earned another $20,000 in bonus money as part of his contract for every point the Blues (18-8-2) earn when he's in goal.

"I didn't know what to expect coming in," said Brodeur, who received a pregame video tribute welcoming him to St. Louis prior to the game. "It's all about winning. When you win, I think the fans are able to be a little more cheerful.

"They acknowledged before the game with a little video, and I didn't expect that. A lot of good things. I'm really happy to be here. For the first visit in front of these fans, we didn't disappoint. We played well. I did my part." 

And with playing the game without Alexander Steen (lower body) and David Backes, who left the game in the first, came back but left again in the third period after he took a puck to the mouth off a teammate's stick, the Blues turned to their gritty fourth line players.

"He tried to go, but just too much pain," Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said of Backes. "That's a lot of dental work for one night. 

"The doctors pulled him out and we were in the process of going back there just to tell him, 'Thanks, but you've got to take a break here.' Hopefully he's ready for Thursday."

Chris Porter's redirection of a Barret Jackman point shot with 1:54 remaining provided the winning goal. Paul Stastny scored into an empty net with 31.3 seconds remaining. 

Maxim Lapierre and Ian Cole scored for the Blues, who jumped over the Chicago Blackhawks into first place in the Central Division. Porter had a goal and an assist for his first points of the season. 

"We had a very solid period in the first period, kind of got away from it in the second and then the third was very solid and played well," Cole said. "Still probably gave them way too many chances." 

"We showed some character again tonight," Lapierre said. "We maybe didn't play the way we wanted, but we still found a way to win the game. Now we need to regroup and fix what we need to fix and play a better game next game.

"We're happy with the way we're playing. When we're playing hard, we can chip in too to help a little bit."

The Blues lost Backes for more than half of the first period after he was struck in the mouth by a T.J. Oshie shot on a power play. Backes left but returned in the second, only to leave again in the third. He came back wearing a cage.

That's when the grinders took some offense into their own hands.

Porter was parked in the high slot and was able to redirect Jackman's shot over the right shoulder.

"No, but I saw he was going to shoot and just trying to get a stick on it and hopefully it'll go in," Porter said when asked if he called for Jackman's shot. "... They're harder to get a read on [tips from the high slot], but I think a lot of those ones from up high tend to go in just because the goalie's not able to get a great read on it."

The Panthers (11-8-7) got goals from Nick Bjugstad and Aaron Ekblad. Roberto Luongo, a teammate of Brodeur's on the international level with Canada, made 24 saves.

"Tough way to lose," Luongo said. "We battled back and carried most of the play. Heartbreaker to lose like that. Obviously the first was unacceptable. We weren’t happy with the way we played. We showed some character the way we came back against a tough team in a tough building."

Down 2-0, the Panthers came back on a second period goal from Bjugstad, and equalized with Ekblad's goal with 5:06 remaining.

"To me, it was like a tale of three games," Hitchcock said. "The first period was a really good period for us and so was most of the third. The second was, 'Yowza!' I haven't seen that from us for a little while. ... Florida's a like we are. They're hard-working, they're determined. When we dialied it up in the first period, they didn't have an answer, and then when they dialed it up in the second, we had a real difficult time. Their checking and their 1-on-1 determination on the boards was very significant in the second period." 

After the Blues failed to convert on a two-man advantage for 1:55, Lapierre came out from behind the goal, turned and whirled the puck into the slot and it deflected off the skate of Florida's Vincent Trocheck and past Luongo at 11:17 of the first. 

Cole's third of the season came off a nifty give-and-go play by Vladimir Tarasenko and Jori Lehtera. Cole skated down the slot for a one-timer off the stick of Jonathan Huberdeau with 2:26 left in the first for a 2-0 lead. He joked that Lehtera's pass on a platter could have been a little better. 

"It was actually a little behind me," Cole said. "I couldn't really get it as high as I wanted to. I'm a little miffed that he didn't put it right in my wheelhouse. I had to adjust to it a little bit."

Did Cole tell Lehtera that?

"I didn't tell him that. I don't speak Finnish," Cole joked. 

Bjugstad's team-leading 12th of the season snapped Florida's goal drought against the Blues and cut the deficit to 2-1. He beat Brodeur with a shot stick side at 15:21 of the second period for Florida's first goal against St. Louis in 202:14. The Panthers' most-recent goal against the Blues was Oct. 17, 2011 by Mike Santorelli. The Blues shut the Panthers out in two games last season. 

Brodeur made several nice saves during Florida's 18-shot second, including a point-blank save on Brandon Pirri one minute into the period. It was the most shots the Blues have allowed in a period this season in a period that the Blues made some of their biggest mistakes in the game.

"These things are creeping in our game every single game," Brodeur said. "We're getting in areas of our game or time of our game where we look like we don't know how to play a little bit. But we were able to turn it back on.

"They're all good signs, but you get burned on it once in a while. The guys that grind the puck, they're the ones that made us win." 

Ekblad's fifth of the season, which extended his point streak to five games (three goals, four assists), came after Kevin Shattenkirk's stick broke in the Blues zone. Shattenkirk got a stick from Oshie, who momentarily vacated his spot to try and retrieve a stick, which left Ekblad open for the cross-ice pass from Jussi Jokinen. Ekblad's shot caromed off the stick Oshie gave to Shattenkirk past Brodeur with 5:06 remaining to tie the game 2-2.

But Brodeur made his St. Louis debut a successful one by playing his third game in five nights. After not playing competitively in eight months, Brodeur said he needs a little work.

(St. Louis Blues photo)

Blues defenseman Ian Cole scored his third goal of the season Monday.

"Yeah, I think it's time to practice now a little bit," Brodeur said. "... I'd like to be a little more steady, but I've only had two full practices starting my journey here in St. Louis. I'm looking forward to the next two days getting everything sharpened again.

"I think we survived. It wasn't pretty,  but we got it done. There are games that are going to be a lot easier to win. This one was a tough one."

"He's a Hall of Fame goaltender and it's great to have him on our side," Porter said. "It's nice to pick his brain about certain things, different situations. Great response by the fans for him and nice for us to get two points in his first game."