Blues Beat Stars, Lose Late to Wings

The Blues played back-to-back games on Monday and Tuesday with mixed results. They did score two power play goals in each game.

Monday, they beat the Stars at home 5-3. Jaro Halak got the start and the win, not having to do much to outplay  Dallas netminder Richard Bachman who was chased from the game after letting in a couple of easy goals.

Some significant tallies were scored by the Blues. Chris Stewart scored twice, which hopefully will spark his sniping ability. Adam Cracknell, who was called up to St. Louis on Christmas Eve, scored the second tally saying, "I'll take that Christmas present any day." Evgeny Grachev scored his first ever NHL goal and added a great celebration. Jason Arnott scored his 3rd power play goal of the season, which leads the team.

Highlights:


The next evening, the Blues dominated the Wings for the first two frames and lead 2-1 late. But Detroit struck fast in the third to steal the game. Pavol Datsyuk scored on a world-class deflection for the go-ahead goal.

The Blues were swarming the Wings through the first two and only goalie Jimmy Howard kept it from being a 4 or 5 goal deficient for the home team. Maybe he should back-up Brian Elliott in the all-star game. Elliot got the nod for the Blues, played a strong game, but took home the loss.

With the two points Detroit leaped over St. Louis to 4th place in the West. The Blues sit in 5th. The top 3 point-getters in the West are from the Central Division (Chicago, Detroit, St. Louis).

The Blues will get a quick shot at revenge as they are right back at Joe Louis Arena Saturday night.

Highlights:

Blues Beat Phoenix 3-2

The Blues gave fans an early Christmas present with a 3-2 win over the Coyotes in Phoenix Friday.

Alex Steen put the Blues in front 1-0 on a nice feed from Alex Pietrangelo in the second, but Phoenix quickly countered. Matt D'Agostini scored late in the second on another long transition feed, this time from Roman Polak, and Jason Arnott added a goal in third. The Coyotes scored to make it 3-2, but Brian Elliott kept them off the board for the remainder of the game for another strong outing.

General Manager Doug Armstrong visited the booth and his good luck struck again leading to the Note's first goal. He also openly mentioned the fact that Elliott should make the all-star team, which takes place IN OTTAWA by the way.

The Blues improved to 20-10-4 with the win that moved them into 4th place in the Western Conference. They are back in action Monday against Dallas.

Highlights:

Elliott is Number One, Not Just on His Back and Sleeves

Brian Elliott leads the NHL in GAA, Save%, and Shutouts. He has allowed more than two goals only once this season. He would most likely lead the NHL in wins if he would get more starts.

This weekend Elliott watched back-to-back games from the bench. That's right, on an occasion which is almost always split between starter/backup goalies, the hottest goalie in the league watched from the bench.

Hitchcock says he wanted to see how Halak performed in back-to-back situations. Now we know the answer: decent, and nowhere near as well as Elliott has played this season.

It is no question that Halak's game has turned around since Hitchcock took over. Of course, it was not that hard to turn around such a poor start to the season, and such an inconsistent last season.

Do not get me wrong, Halak has been great since Hitch took the helm, but Elliott has been beyond great. He gives the Blues a chance to win every single night he is in the net. Halak is notorious for giving up that "backbreaking" goal at the wrong time. Elliott makes that "backbreaking" save at the right time. Simply put: Elliott has been more consistent and better than Halak, before and after the coaching change. The best argument is this: Halak is 6-7-4 and Elliott 13-2. That is all there is to say, the Blues win when Elliott is in.

Having two quality goalies is great and should not be overlooked. At the very least, ride the Elliott horse while you can. Either he stays hot for a while then fizzles, and you can start your big contract goalie, or he stays this hot all season, and St. Louis is a Stanley Cup contender come April. He's been that good.

That's Spelled with Two L's & Two T's

An absolute travesty is taking place in the NHL right now.

The leader in GAA, Save %, and shutouts is no where close to being voted to the all-star game. By all means Brian Elliott should be the starter for the Western Conference, but instead the leading vote-getter for the West is Nashville's Pekka Rinne with a current GAA over 2.50.

Two of the top 15 goalie candidates are write-ins: Detroit's Jimmy Howard and Chicago's Corey Crawford. Versus made sure to recognize the fact that Howard deserved write-in votes on national TV while Detroit was playing, and losing to, Brian Elliott, whom did not get much of a mention.

This is the problem with the all-star ballot coming out way too early and staking who gets on that ballot based on reputation. This is the whole problem with promoting the athletes rather than the game.

Since Syd the Kid and Alex "I Play When I Want To" Ovechkin came around, the league has been all about marketing the stars to reach a wider audience, because that is what other sports do. Yeah, the other sports that have over-blown salaries and boisterous, arrogant athletes. The sports that caused Albert Pujols to leave a city that he "loved" because God told him to go with the $254 million instead of the $220 million.

Real hockey fans know it is the GAME and team play that deserves to be promoted, not the stars.

The Blues are a perfect example. They are promoting team play with no big stars (no one over 20 points) and climbing the latter in the Western Conference. Not one Blue is amongst 30 forwards, 20 defensemen, or 15 goalies leading the all-star vote. Not sure if any skaters or defensemen are deserving, but Goalie Brian Elliott is.

It is a crime that Elliott is not #1 in the goaltender vote. He has not played like an all-star, but more like a legend. He will make the squad, as a coaches pick post-fan balloting. And the coach that will most likely pick him: Ken Hitchcock of course, as he takes a non-all-star-having team into the break... at first place.

Click to WRITE-IN BRAIN ELLIOTT NOW!

Oshie Grows Up, and Busts Out

T.J. Oshie may be the most popular Blue, but perceptive fans have been a little hesitant to go "all-in" when supporting him.

There is no question that Oshie plays the game hard and with skill, but in the past his numbers and inconsistency restrained him from breaking out as one of the elite stars in the NHL. He was often  justly ridiculed for being "too cute" with the puck, providing more flash than productivity.

Oshie is dropping the flash in 11-12, and raising his productivity by shooting more and dumping the puck in, rather than trying to dangle around several defenders.

In simple terms, the kid's growing up.

Many point to Hitchchock's arrival as the turning point, or maybe wake-up point for Oshie. The winger has six goals and 11 assist under Hitchcock and is a plus-5.

Hitchcock, an avid hockey viewer, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch what he remembered about Oshie’s play before he became his coach. “It’s like he was playing weird. I don’t know another way to describe it. He was playing sideways. Whereas he’s a straight-ahead player.”

And of his recent play: “This is kind of what I thought he was supposed to be.”

Oshie agreed about his poor performance early in the season and recent resurrection. “I think I was trying to do too much, getting a little frustrated. I think a couple of times I got maybe short-shifted for making a play I thought was right. But most of all, it’s been a chance for me to relax and regroup,” he told the Post-Dispatch.

Blues fans are happy he decided to relax and regroup, hopefully a sign of his maturing. He is becoming one of the top two-way players in the game, and that is really giving Blues fans something to cheer about.

Nothing But Blue Skies...

The Blues are a little baffled by the "no call" on Red Wings' Goalie Jimmy Howard Tuesday night after he pounced on a vulnerable David Perron and threw several punches. Perron was pushed into Howard by Defenseman Brad Stuart, who later said Perron had done little wrong. Perron, and only Perron, made his way to the box for goaltender interference.

The Post-Dispatch ran a story about how the Blues are "questioning" the no call. What's the bid deal? This is nothing new to Blues fans.

The Red Wings have long been atop the NHL and had their way with the Blues. The tide seems to be turning, with the first two games of the 11-12 season going to the Blues, even with the boost from the refs that Detroit receives.

Since 1997-1998, Detroit has only had one season where it did not finish in the top 10 in "least amount of penalty minutes per game" and it usually finishes near the top. The perception of the NHL is that the Red Wings are a skilled team and they play the game the "right way."

The right way?

Blues fans know differently.

Watch this video from last season when Tomas Holmstrom dives as if he was shot by a cannonball after a nudge that Backes gives him. This kind of thing happens consistently on the way to the bench, and if you are an NHL caliber player with any respect for the game you would take it in stride:

Granted, Backes should not have shoved him, but it hardly warranted the reaction from Holmstrom.

A similar situation occurred Tuesday night when Backes got a clean hit in on Holm-chump, who proceeded to throw a punch. Backes got the penalty, the chump got off scott-free. Minutes later, Detroit lead 1-0.

David Backes plays the game the right way: fast, hard-nosed, with an edge, and respectful on and off the ice; which is why he is the 20th captain of the St. Louis Blues, and the 2012 Frank J. Selke award winner (calling it!). You will never catch him taking a dive, one of the most disrespectful actions of ANY hockey player at ANY level.

Thankfully the Blues scored twice on the power play in the third to nullify the injustice in a 3-2 win. The Blues' curse of the Red Wings is seemingly coming to an end, winning each of it's first two games against Detroit this season. In the past, the note was unable to overcome such inequalities, but they have overcome as of late.

The Note shall expose these fiends for who they are and started it Tuesday in front of a nation-wide television audience on Versus.

The day of reckoning is upon them. The evil empire that is the Red Wings has had many victories in the past, but the future looks bright. We have been forced to the outside of the NHL elite but have made our way back in with shear will power, leadership, playing the game hard, and some pretty good goal tending.

The day of Detroit's domination is over. One can hope that they make the playoffs (the NHL will make sure of it) and we can meet them there to right those post-season injustices and heartaches of the past as well.

Breath easy Blues fans, those Red clouds that we have had to live under for so long are clearing making way for Blue skies. Nothing but Blue skies...

Blues' Power Play Comes Alive Against Wings

The Blues scored two power play goals Tuesday night as they beat the Red Wings 3-2. The note improved to 2-0 against the wings this season.

The Blues' special teams played a huge roll in the victory, after letting them down in Saturday's 5-2 loss against Chicago.

After Detroit scored on a (bogus) power play, the Blues bounced back with a power play tally of their own from Alexander Steen. David Backes added another power play goal in the third. Patrick Berglund continued his dominance against Detroit, scoring on a rush and the Blues fended off some more bogus calls late to win 3-2.

The victory gives the Blues 33 points, tied with Detroit and several other teams for Third place in the Western Conference.

Highlights:

NHL Realignment Keeps Blues' Rivalries Intact

The NHL Board of Governors has agreed on a realignment plan for the 2012-13 season that divides the league into four conferences, two with eight teams and two with seven. Here is a look at the conferences, now being referred to by letters A, B C, D:

Geographical location was the main factor in the alignment. As you can see, the Blues maintain their rivalries with both Detroit and Chicago, and to a lesser extent Dallas, Nashville, and Columbus and their budding rivalry with Minnesota.

Schedule:

The new alignment gives fans a chance to see every NHL team. Each team will play each other at least twice, once at home and on the road.

The top four teams from each conference will advance to the playoffs.

Let 'em Play!

The Blues lost Saturday night to the rival Blackhawks 5-2. Too many penalties, turnovers, and poor special teams led to their demise.

The game was forced into a special teams showdown after some

poor calls by a young officiating crew.

Nearly half-way through the second Patrick Berglund's stick was whacked out of his hand by Merian Hossa, who then proceeded to check Berglund, who did not have possession of the puck. Berglund went to the box, Sharp scored on the ensuing power-play making it a 3-2 game.

Hawks' captain Jonathan Toews got off scott-free after waiting for teammate Dan Carcillo to

come in and tackle Blues Captain David Backes before he began thrashing him with punches.

best penalty killer remained on the ice, literally, to kill the penalty. Carcillo and Backes went to the box. The Blues did come out with a power-play, but the Hawks

As Tony Twist put in the post-game: "Toews went for ice cream, realized he didn't have the

money and waited for one of his friends to pay for it." Well put from a guy who knows about fisticuffs.

At the end of the second, Backes faced-off against Dustin Bolland. The two got into a shoving match and were put in the box. Well played by Joel Quineville, the Hawks would defiantly take that gift, freeing Toews who was being frustrated by Backes all night. Backes should have known better, but the refs should have known better than to call penalties.

In the end, it was the Blues' powerless-play and the Hawks ability to score on the power-play and penalty kill that made the difference.

The Blues' special teams play has got to get better of them to become a true contender. They have another tough test coming this Tuesday against Detroit.

On a positive note, David Perron did make his much anticipated return and scored the first goal of the game. He took a hit after scoring and seemed fine. His level of play was quite high for someone who has missed 13 months. His adrenaline was running high so the next few games may be more telling. This much is sure: Perron will be a difference maker for the Blues this season.

Blues Lose in Shootout to Aves 3-2

Perron the horizon...

As if life could not get any better for Blues fans, it has been rumored that David Perron could make his comeback as early as Saturday.

The Blues are riding a wave of highs the likes of which they have not seen in a long time. The fans are energized at the teams' impressive record under new Head Coach Hitchcock, they have leaped into contention for first in the west, and big games against heated rivals Avalanche, Blackhawks, and Detroit are on the horizon.

Perron's return is one more thing to excite fans. The left winger has not played in 14 months since suffering a concussion last season.

Perron was cleared for full contact practice on November 18 and has been traveling with the team. It is not likely that he will play back-to-back games to start the season, plus making his debut on home ice gives Hitchcock the last change and allows the Blues to let Perron ease his way back into the lineup.

After Friday night's game in Colorado, the Blues' next five are at home, so it is most likely that Perron will make his debut on home ice. It may not get the national attention that Sidney Crosby received in his comeback, but all that matters is the fact that Blues fans are excited. (And shut Crosby down in his second game back, with a 3-2 OT victory!)

Perron Highlights: