Tuesday, March 16, 2010
In most scenarios, getting eight of a possible 12 points on a road trip would be considered quite a success in the National Hockey League. The Blues aren’t in the middle of such a scenario, however.
Perfection is the goal as the Blues attempt to stage another stretch-run miracle. Losing to the Minnesota Wild 4-2 Sunday night left a sour taste in the mouths of the team.
Fourteen games remain and veteran forward Keith Tkachuk said now is the time for the Blues to go on a final tear.
“We have to go on a serious run, there’s no question about it,” he said, admitting that the team can’t help but watch the scoreboard around the NHL.
They were doing just that Monday night as the Detroit Red Wings – who occupy the No. 8 position in the Western Conference – beat Calgary 2-1 to pad their lead over the Blues to seven points.
“It’s frustrating,” said Tkachuk. “Yeah, you scoreboard watch…I do all the time. But you’ve got to take care of your own business.”
The Blues (32-27-9) will have no easy task Tuesday night at Scottrade Center when they take on season-long nemesis Colorado (39-23-6). It will be the fourth and final meeting of the season between the two teams, but so far it’s been all Avalanche. They have a perfect 3-0 record against the Blues this season, outscoring the Note 16-5 in the process.
“You’re dealing with a high-pressure team, you’re dealing with a team that works hard and plays at a high tempo,” said Blues Coach Davis Payne after Monday’s optional practice at The Mills. “We have to be prepared to play at that pace right from the start. We have to be prepared to play physical. If you’re not, they are the type of team that can really take advantage of that.”
Based on the previous encounters, the Blues will need to find a way to stop Colorado forward Chris Stewart. He’s accounted for six goals and four assists against the Blues this season, including his first career hat trick in Colorado’s 7-3 wipeout of the Blues March 6 in Denver.
One can bet that Blues goaltender Chris Mason will be particularly pumped for this game. Mason has lost all three games to Colorado and in two he was chased early in favor of backup Ty Conklin. Mason has a 7.23 goals-against average against the Avs this season.
In order for the Blues to get back on track, they’ll need to find a way to overcome slow starts. Against the Wild on Sunday, they trailed 3-0 in the first period and 4-1 after two before coming back to make a game of it. Minnesota, behind the quality goaltending of Josh Harding, managed to stave off the Blues in the third period to preserve the victory. Harding came up huge using his glove to stop Brad Boyes on a backhanded flip from the edge of the crease midway through the third period. That would have made it a one-goal game and could have set the stage for a furious final 10 minutes.
But the Blues were victimized early by mistakes. The Wild scored three times in the first on seven shots. Mason was pulled after the first period and replaced by Conklin, but key coverage miscues were to blame more than the goaltending.
“We put ourselves in this position (Sunday) night,” said Tkachuk. “We outshot a team (38-20), but we had some breakdowns and it cost us. It was back-to-back nights, less than 24 hours, but we’re in a situation where we’ve got to go out and compete every single shift. If you take off a shift or two, it can cost you the game.”
If the Blues are to succeed against the Avalanche, they will need to improve on the power play. Against Minnesota they scored once in six opportunities and are just seven for 47 in the last 10 games. Against Colorado, the Blues have yet to score with the man advantage, going 0 for 8.
“Our power play has almost been our weakest link in a lot of games this year,” noted winger T.J. Oshie after the game, “and it’s tough to win games when that’s the way things are going.”
Conversely, the Avs’ power play is red-hot, with eight goals in 20 chances with the manpower advantage over the last six games.
“I think we’re shooting and getting more shots through,” said forward Paul Stastny, who grew up playing amateur hockey in St. Louis and is the son of former Blues center and Hockey Hall of Famer Peter Stastny. “You can’t get too cute. Sometimes when you get shots off, that’s when plays open up.”
Stastny and Darcy Tucker scored power play goals in Sunday night’s 5-3 Colorado win at Dallas. The win improved the Avs to 17-13-4 on the road this season. Stastny actually had two goals in the game and has 12 points in his last seven games. Stewart added his 26th goal and now has nine goals and 10 assists in his last 11 games.
“They play a fast game,” said Payne of the Avs. “Dealing with speed, and all of a sudden with the physical contact that comes with that, it puts you back on your heels. It’s not the kind of game we want to play. They’ve got the kind of offensive players that can make you pay for that.”
They also have the goaltending to make teams pay. Veteran Craig Anderson has had a spectacular year, with seven shutouts – one a 4-0 defeat of the Blues on Dec. 7 at Scottrade Center. He made 48 saves against Dallas Sunday night and is 8-4-0 with a 2.34 goals-against average in his last 12 starts.
“They’re getting great goaltending,” said Tkachuk.
One positive note for the Blues: they are home for the first time since Feb. 13, when they finished off a three-game winning streak on home ice with a victory over the Washington Capitals. The next day, the NHL shut down for two weeks for the Winter Olympics. Since play resumed on March 1, the Blues have played six straight games on the road.
“It’s a do or die situation for us again (Tuesday) night,” said Tkachuk.
BLUE NOTES: The Blues hit the road again Wednesday to play the New York Rangers Thursday night and the New Jersey Devils Saturday night. They return home Sunday to play Nashville in a 5 p.m. game at Scottrade Center…Mason is expected to start in goal for the Blues…Anderson’s 48-save showing earned him first star honors against Dallas. It was his second 48-save performance of the season. On Oct. 24, he turned aside 48 Detroit shots in a 3-1 Colorado victory. Dallas outshot Colorado 18-3 in the third period…Prior to Tuesday night’s game, the Blues will honor Team USA Olympic silver medalists David Backes and Erik Johnson in a special ceremony on the ice. Stastny, who also played for Team USA, will be honored as well. Fans attending the game will receive a green St. Louis Blues T-shirt to celebrate the night before St. Patrick’s Day. The green shirts reference the Blues Green Team program to promote environmentally sound practices.
Contact Globe-Democrat.com sports writer George Csolak at gcsolak@globe-democrat.com
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