Don't Open My Door...

The opening round series between the St. Louis Blues and the San Jose Sharks shifted location but not the momentum. After winning the second game in dominating fashion, the Blues followed their first playoff victory in eight years with another beating the Sharks 4-3.

Multiple Blues had multiple points and most came on the power play. Going three for four on the man advantage, the Blues exposed the poor penalty killing of the Sharks to take the series lead 2-1.

Patrik Berglund started the scoring fifteen minutes into the first period capitalizing on the Blues first power play. After dishing the puck to the point Berglund crashed the net and tapped in the rebound for his third goal of the playoffs.

Moments later the Sharks would respond. Joe Thornton dumped a puck in and Kris Russell tried to glove it out of the zone. Not getting enough of it, Russell knocked it down for Brent Burns who skated by him and crossed the crease to lift one by Brian Elliott to tie the game.

But it was all St. Louis from then on. Hard work in the corner by Alex Steen set up Carlo Colaiacovo on the point who fired a shot that deflected off Berglund to the stick of Andy McDonald who scored his second of the series.

Later in the second another power play goal gave the Blues a two goal lead. On the point, Steen dished the puck to McDonald who made a beauty cross ice pass to Jason Arnott. The veteran with all his playoff experience had no trouble beating the out of position Antti Niemi.

The Blues third power play goal of the game came a minute into the third period. Steen manning the point again pulled up and took a big shot. The big Swedish body of Berglund limited the view of Niemi and Steen’s shot got through him for his first of the playoffs.

McDonald’s four point night came with assists on all goals except for his own. Colaiacovo also had three assists in the game while Berglund and Steen added two points a piece.

The Blues took the pressure off in the end of the game allowing late goals from Colin White and Logan Couture. But this only gave the Sharks false hope as the Blues finished the game still on top.

Up Next: Game Four in San Jose Thursday.

What will the winner of this contest get?? Each week’s winner will get their caption put *permanently* in the photo’s description.  The winner will also receive a small Blues themed gift.

 Contest Dates: Monday April 9 through Thursday April 12 5:00 pm

CONTEST RULES: Comment on the contest post to enter (Facebook comments and Twitter replies will not be entered into the contest).  Give us your best caption; it can be as short or long as you would like.  You can include as many lines as you want pertaining to as many aspects of the photo that you would like.  Keep your captions clean! Major profanity (ie “the F bomb”) will not be accepted in this contest.  Any comments that do not follow our guidelines will be deleted.

Prize: Blues “Kooky” Pen

Photo: This week’s photo comes from a guest photographer, Brittney Stein, a friend of BNZ.  Give us your best caption for this shot of Kris Russell and Alex Steen from Blues Warmups on April 6!

It's playoff time, expect a scrum after almost every whistle.

After the Canucks and the Sharks had both won their respective games, the western conference was finally pegged down. The Canucks claimed the West and the President’s trophy. The Blues finished second, set to face off against the San Jose Sharks in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Looking at the rosters of each club, you can judge who’d better for yourself.

Jaroslav Halak/Brian Elliott vs Antti Niemi/Thomas Griess

There should be no question whatsoever in this case. You have the best statistical goaltender in the NHL in Brian Elliott and while Niemi has a cup, most would prefer Jaroslav Halak in net over the Finnish Niemi.

Halak and Elliott will share the William Jennings trophy for fewest goals allowed in the NHL. San Jose finished eighth in goals against, letting in fifty more goals overall than the Blues.

Offense Isn’t Lacking On Defense

When looking on the defensive side of the puck, both teams aren’t lacking offensively.

Dan Boyle lead the San Jose Sharks offense from the defense this year, scoring nine goals, 39 assists for 48 points on the year. He’s followed by Brent Burns’ 37 points (11 goals, 26 assists). Burns, however, adds a solid defensive game and grit on the blueline as well.

The Blues counter offensively with Alex Pietrangelo’s 51 points (12 goals, 39 assists) and Kevin Shattenkirk’s 43 points (9 goals, 34 assists). Pietrangelo, however, has been playing at a Norris caliber level all season long for the Blues, something the Sharks haven’t had.

Then you have the supporting cast behind the “big two” for each club.

For San Jose, it’s the likes of Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Douglas Murray, Justin Braun, Colin White, Jason Demers, and Jim Vandermeer.

While the Blues have guys like Barret Jackman, Roman Polak, Kent Huskins, Carlo Colaiacovo, Kris Russell, and Ian Cole.

Obviously, you have to give the experience to the Sharks group, but overall, it’s fairly close and hard to really pick one side. We’ll call it a wash as I honestly can’t make a decision.

Depth The Story Offensively

While the Sharks probably have more well known names in Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, and Joe Pavelski, they cannot say they have the depth like the St. Louis Blues do. The Sharks bottom six guys compared to the Blues bottom six just don’t add up.

When you have guys like Alex Steen, Jason Arnott, and even the struggling Chris Stewart playing third line minutes compared to Michal Handzus, Dominic Moore, and Andrew Desjardins, you’re going to have an edge offensively.

After the top nine, the Blues hold depth over the Sharks with the fourth line along with their scratches as well. The Sharks have Dan Winnik’s 23 points as top among their fourth liners, while the Blues have a guy who notched 20 goals last season in Matt D’Agostini and Jamie Langenbrunner’s 24 points as well.

The Blues are also holding a top prospect ready to play in Jaden Schwartz as well, very much like the Sharks did a few seasons ago with Logan Couture.

In terms of toughness, Ryan Reaves is by far the toughest player on either club’s roster, and given his ability to play a effective checking line role, he’s a valuable asset to the Blues here.

Heated History

We must also remember that these two organizations aren’t the biggest fans of one another. From the most recent Joe Thornton incident of Joe Thonrton concussing David Perron with a blindside hit, to the upset in 2000, games between these two are usually up tempo, hard hitting, grinding games, which favors the Blues more defensive system than the Sharks more offensive system.

Fighting usually isn’t common in the post season. The big, hard hits, the board battles usually tell the stories in playoff hockey, and that should give the Blues the advantage, like it has in the season series against these clubs, in which the Blues went 4-0 against them this season.

Leading The Ship

Another advantage the Blues have over the Sharks is leadership where it matters, the coaches. While Todd McLellan is a very good coach, he doesn’t have the pedigree that Ken Hitchcok has, which includes a Stanley Cup. Hitchock knows what it takes to get his team wins. Leading a team that many have stated was ‘built for the playoffs’ will again, give the Blues an advantage over San Jose.

The Sharks only have two players who have won a Stanley Cup on their roster in Dan Boyle who won it with Tampa, and Colin White, who won it with New Jersey.

The Blues have four guys in Jason Arnott (NJD), Jamie Langenbrunner (NJD, DAL), Andy McDonald (ANA), and Kent Huskins (ANA) who’ve won Hockey’s Holy Grail. So though as a team the Blues don’t have a lot of experience, they have more guys who’ve been there and know what it takes to win it all.

Home Sweet Home

The biggest factor in this series likely wont be the players, or the coaches, or the history of these two teams, it will be the Blues having home ice advantage. The Sharks will go into a hostile territory in which the Blues have lost six, yes only six games on home ice all season long. It will easily give a boost to the Blues all series long.

If the Sharks can take a game in St. Louis, it could help them gain momentum, but that will be no easy feat. Expect the crowd’s energy to carry over into the players and it could end up giving the Sharks fits if they cannot find a way to put the puck in the net.

Overall, the advantage has to be in St. Louis’ favor in this series from goaltending to forward depth, coaching and style of play. This projects to be a very hard fought series and the winner will have to earn their victory. This is where it all matters, where players will disappoint and players will prove their worth. Who will shine? We’ll have to watch to find out!

Series Schedule

Game One – San Jose vs St. Louis -Thursday, April 12th, 6:30 pm

Game Two – San Jose vs St. Louis -Saturday, April 14th, 6:30 pm

Game Three – St. Louis vs San Jose-Monday, April 16th, 9:00 pm

Game Four – St. Louis vs San Jose- Thursday, April 19th, 9:00 pm

Game Five (if necessary) – San Jose vs St. Louis – Saturday, April 21st, 6:30

Game Six (if necessary) – St. Louis vs San Jose – Monday, April 23rd, TBD

Game Seven (if necessary) – San Jose vs St. Louis – Wednesday, April 25th, TBD

Game Info:

Location: St. Louis

Opposing Netminder: Allen York (Unconfirmed per Daily Faceoff)

Blues Probable Line Combos: (per Lou Korac)
Forward Lines:
Steen – Backes – Oshie
McDonald – Berglund – Perron
Sobotka – Arnott - Langenbrunner
D’Agostini- Nichol – Stewart

Defensive Pairings:
Huskins – Pietrangelo
Jackman - Shattenkirk
Russell  - Huskins

Starting Goalie:
Jaroslav Halak

Healthy Scratches:
Colaiacovo, Cole, Crombeen, Reaves, Schwartz

- – -

Please feel free to follow us on Twitter: @BlueNoteZone.

- – -

Hey guys... I'm baaaaaaack!

The St. Louis Blues were held scoreless in Tinsel Town last Thursday so sadly we have no winners to report of.

Who will score first for the Blues tonight? Give us your best guess!  Remember, you just need to comment on this post to be entered into the contest; the person with the most correct guesses at the end of the season will win a Blues themed prize (prize still TBD).*Comments must be dated/time stamped prior to the game start time*

Game Info:

Location: Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, CA.

Opposing Netminder: Mike Smith (Expected, not Confirmed per Daily Faceoff)

Blues Probable Line Combos: (per Jeremy Rutherford & the Blues)
Forward Lines:
Sobotka – Backes – Oshie
Perron – Berglund – Stewart
Steen – Arnott - Langenbrunner
Crombeen/Porter- Nichol – Reaves/Crombeen

*Note: Yes, you are reading that correctly. Alex Steen is returning to the lineup tonight and it appears Jaden Schwartz will sit out.

Defensive Pairings:
Jackman – Pietrangelo
Huskins - Shattenkirk
Russell  - Colaiacovo

*Note: Yes, those are the anticipated pairings. Kris Russell is back and both Ian Cole and Roman Polak are out.

Starting Goalie:
Brian Elliott

- – -

Please feel free to follow us on Twitter: @BlueNoteZone.

- – -

(46-19-8)

vs

Anaheim Ducks

(31-32-11)

At

Honda Center

Game Time 9:00 pm CT

TV-FSMW(HD) Radio- KMOX

Blues Team Recap- The St. Louis Blues were the first team to clinch a playoff birth in the 2011-2012 NHL season. The Blues with 100 points on the year head out west to finish up their road trip with three games. The Blues will look tonight to clip the flailing Ducks and snatch up another W in a quest for home ice advantage in the play offs and only their second presidents trophy in their 44 year history. The Blues are also on the mend. Alex Steen is skating with the team in a fresh red no contact jersey and Matt D’Agostini has begun skating with the team as well. With Kent Huskins back and Andy Mcdonald looking to get back into the line up sooner then later the Blues organization and especially coach Ken Hitchcock could not be happier. All of the pieces of the Blues puzzle are starting to fall together and if they all make it back prior to or for the start of the playoffs the Blues will be sitting in a very good position. Defensemen Kris Russel has been reported to be close to returning for the Note and has been given the nod by Hitch to be back in the line up as soon as he knocks on the skippers door. It is becoming an exciting time here in St. Louis and for good reason. The Blues are headed for the playoffs and the buzz can be felt in the warm breezes of spring. Look out NHL… The Blues are here to stay!

The starting line ups for the Blues can be found here.

Ducks recap- The Ducks have all but fell out of contention for a play off birth this season. Hanging on by a mathematical thread the Ducks are but a few losses away from getting out the golf clubs come april. With the likes of Getzlaf, Perry, and Ryan having seasons that did’t get kickin until it was too late fans in southern Californina are left to shake their collective heads and wonder just why in the Hell the last two seasons the Ducks play god aweful until January. By the time Anaheim decides to start playing they have failed to collect enough early season points to make a play off push almost impossible. Blues fans, count your four leaf clovers on account of the massive amount of points the Blues racked up in the early portion of the season.

Ty Rattie- The Blues prospect playing for the WHL Portland Winterhawks is headed to the WHL playoffs having had one block buster of a season. With 57 goals and 64 assists on the season Rattie more then doubled his production from a year ago as a sophomore in the WHL. Ty will have a chance this fall to come to Blues camp and see if he can impress the likes of Doug Armstrong and company. Should Russian prospect Vladimir Tarasenko remain in Russia next season Ty Rattie could have an outside shot at making the Blues roster. Rattie will not be eligible for the AHL Peoria Rivermen as he did not turn 18 years old in time to qualify. It will not hurt Rattie to have to be returned to Portland for one more season but it would be interesting to see if the youngster can work his tail off and earn a spot.

Get your game faces on and get those chants going. It’s time for BLUESSSSSSS HOCKKKEEYYYYYY! LET’S GO BLUES!

Comparing 1999-2000 to 2011-2012? Makes you miss Demitra...

It’s game day St. Louis Blues fans! The good guys, all of them, are in California and the healthy ones will take on the Anaheim Ducks. You should know the drill by now. The Bluenotes Podcast audio is below. Listening time is right about 10 minutes.

Links & References

Jeremy Rutherford’s Morning Skate blog from Anaheim

Rivermen Game Recap on PJStar.com

My Blues Info List on Twitter

Jaden Schwartz at Blues Practice Sunday

With St. Louis Blues Radio going on hiatus for a while my podcasting efforts will be moving in to new areas. One will be turning the sometimes daily Bluenotes post in to a daily podcast with updates on the St. Louis Blues and more. In Monday’s episode are updates on David Backes, Andy McDonald, Jason Arnott, Alex Steen, Kris Russell and Matt D’Agostini.

Just click the Download link below which will take you to the audio.

-

Links from Tidbits

David Backes is on the cover of The Hockey New’s April 2nd Issue.

Brookroyal’s Website – Go get Bleed Blue on iTunes today!

Link to the Blues Komen Team Info - Reminder: BNZ will have a sub-team again this year. Be on the look out for info.

References

My Blues Info List on Twitter

Andy Strickland’s Sunday article on TrueHockey.com

(39-17-7)

vs

Edmonton Oilers

(25-31-6)

at

Rexall Place

9:00 pm CDT

TV FS-MW(HD) Radio- KMOX

St. Louis Blues Team Recap- With three wins to open their 6 game road trip, the Blues have once again found their way to the top of the Central Division. In a points tie with the Detroit Red Wings at 85 points, the Blues own the statistical tie breaker and have been placed atop a division that has 3 of the 5 teams owning 80 or more points in the standings. The Central Division has been proclaimed as the best division in all of Hockey at this point in time and its easy to see. Each night the Wings, Blues, and Predators claw and scratch for as many 2 point regulation wins as they can possibly come up with. It will be a knock down drag out fight to see who will sit atop the standings when the lights are turned out on this regular season and the attention is turned to the playoffs. Rest assured that the St. Louis Blues will work as hard as is necessary to get that home ice advantage through out the play offs. Come hell or high water you heard it here first the Blues are making a run to the big dance!

Blues Keys To The Game- The Blues on the road have played in two shoot em ups and 1 regulation win. Tonight, with a young and talented Edmonton team, the Blues need to be sure to keep the pressure high on the Oilers and force them to turn the puck over in their zone. The Blues are one of the very best teams in the league at dictating the the pace of play and bringing the utter frustration night in an night out. The Blues can do themselves a favor if they back check hard and not allow the young talent of the Oilers to have time and space near the net. With a solid goal tending that can rival any tandum in the league the Note can make it 4 in a row with a 110% effort tonight in Northern Alberta.

Edmonton Oilers Team Recap- The Edmonton Oilers sat at the top of the NHL when the 2011-2012 season got kick started. After making a run to the top with the Hall, Eberle, Nugent-Hopkins line, the Oilers fell from Hockey God favor and find themselves in the 14th spot in the west, 14 points out of a playoff spot. There have been many changes over the recent years in Edmonton but none more so talked about the 18 year old Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. This highly skilled first over all pick of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft fought for and made himself a permanent fixture on the Oilers big club out of camp this past fall. Plagued by a few injuries this season, Nugent-Hopkins is one bright spot amoungst many in an organization that is quietly piecing together a group of talent that will in the coming years find themselves in contention for Lord Stanley’s Cup. Once this young group finds its maturity and ability to put out 110% each and every night, look out NHL. The Oilers are coming off a 5-3 routing of a hot Winnipeg Jets team and will look to make it another two point night as they come home to face the Blues in front of their home fans. The Oilers have had their ups and downs this season, and tonight will be a tough task for a young team. Which Oilers squad will show up tonight?

Oilers Keys To The Game- The Oil have to search deep inside themselves tonight and pull out the physical hard working, back checking persistant game plan they have lurking somewhere in the back pages of their play book. Tonight a tough nosed talented Blues team comes calling and will be up to these young guys to prove to the NHL that they have the talent to keep up with the better teams in the league. Staying out of the penalty box would be a good idea for the Oilers. In the past the Blues would have squandered Power Play chances but not anymore. The Blues scored 2 power play goals in Calgary the other night and are making their way from a once 30th ranked power play up the charts. Find your way to the box tonight and you may find an L in your +- column for the season. Time to step up or get back on the porch Edmonton….

Blues News- With Alex Steen in California receiving hyperbaric treatment for his concussion symptoms the Blues are left to wonder weather his services will return this season or not. Number 20 is greatly missed in this line up. Not only his work ethic in his own zone but his ability to keep the puck on his stick and the crazy battles he wins in the corners. Alex Steen is the type of franchise player that never gets the recognition that he deserves. Alex is not only underrated by the fans here in St. Louis he is also little talked about league wide. When Alex comes back 100% keep an eye on this guy. If you want your child to mimick and be like someone who plays in the NHL I would direct you no further then Alex Steen. Blues forward Matt D’Agostini remains out with a concussion and there is no time table of a return for the Right Winger. Blues Dman Kris Russell remains out with concussion like symptoms and no new information is available from the Blues on his current condition or if he will be a possible return this season. Blues Forward Jamie Langenbrunner remains out with a broken foot and is expected to return to the line up in the next 3-4 weeks. Langs is one of the veteran presences in the locker room and it will be great to get him back into the Blue Note and keeping the youngsters headed in the right direction!

Tonight our Blues head in to Edmonton with a chance to keep pace at the top of the NHL. Will we see a 100% effort on the fourth road game of six? Keep those hands in the air and the Cold Beverages flowing! Let’s Go Blues!!!

(25/23/9)

vs

St. Louis Blues

(35/15/7)

at 

Scottrade Center

Game Time 1:00pm

TV- FS-MW(HD) Radio- KMOX

St. Louis Team Recap- The St. Louis Blues are coming off a 5-1 win over the New York Islanders in a game where the Blues scored more goals then they had on the previous 3 games. Once the Blues broke open the scoring it was all a down hill slide for Isle back up goal tender Al Montoya. With Nabakov out with the flu Montoya was called upon on short notice to take on the high flying Blues. It was obvious Montoya had not played in awhile and was very rusty with his angles and vision on the puck. The Blues welcome in the Minnesota Wild today and look to pick up another two points in an attempt to keep pace with the NHL darling Red Wings.

St. Louis Keys To The Game- It is very simple for St. Louis today. Stay out of the penalty box and funnel as many pucks to the net as possible. If they can keep it tight defensively and not allow a talented Wild team time and space the Blues should be able to pick up another W for the win column.

St. Louis Expected Lines:

57-42-74

10-21-15

17-44-26

32-12-25

Elliot/Bishop

Minnesota Wild Team Recap- Looking at the team now as opposed to a few months ago you will find that they are a meer shell of the team that at one point lead the entire NHL in the standings. Shotty goal tending and bad team defense has lead Minnesota down a loosing path that seems to be oozing blood still. Sitting in the 12th place currently 6 points out of a very tight western conference the Wild are on the outside looking in wondering just what the hell happened to their season. Key injuries to players such as Devin Setagochi and Mikko Koivu at points during the season really hurt the teams over all game. I am not convinced that the Wild have what it takes to make the play offs this season but I have been wrong before.

Minnesota Wild Keys To The Game- Simple, Keep the puck out of your own zone. The Wild have to find a way to keep the puck away from the Blues. The Wild also have to find a way to make time and space for their players to maneuver in with the puck. The Blues do a superb job at eliminating these key factors of the game on most days which make it especially tough for the opposition to score on them. With Elliot expected to get the start for the Blues, the Wild will be facing a 1.61 GAA which is tops in the NHL. Pucks to the net with traffic will be key for the Wild and pestering the Blues into taking bad penalties will have to be part of the game plan for Minnesota. If the Wild don’t control the flow of this game it could get ugly in a hurry…. Think 5 or 6-1….

St. Louis Team News- Alex Steen remains out on the road to recovery from a concussion suffered over a month ago. Steen has skated with the team in practice but has yet to kick all of his symptoms. defenseman Kent Huskins has found his way back from injury and worked himself in just one game into Hitch’s favor. Hitch commented that Huskins was strong defensively and was steady and reliable. As for defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo, Carlo may be sitting for awhile while Huskins shows him how to be Pietroangelo’s partner. Carlo injured his wrist in practice this week and was a no go in the game against the Islanders. Carlo has since been released to play but Hitch will be sticking with Huskins for the time being. Matt D’Agostini was reported as being at the rink the other day but did not skate or participate in any practice activities. No time table for his return has been made offical. With Jaroslav Halak battling the flu Peoria super star goalie Ben Bishop will make the trip up to the big club to back up Brian Elliot today. Ben as many of you know will be a UFA at the end of this season and is poised to be a starting goal tender some where in the NHL this up coming season. Ben is eager to get into an NHL line up sooner then later but will fulfil his role as a Blue/Rivermen until said time comes for him to part ways with the organization.

It is Mardi Gras in St. Louis so make sure you allow yourself plenty of time to get to the Scottrade Center for the 1pm start this afternoon. Toot your horns and let out your inner Blunatic and cheer on the Blues to another victory!! Let’s Go Blues!!!!