(12-8-2)

vs

Washington Capitals

(12-9-1)

at

Verizon Center

TV- FSMW(HD) Radio- KMOX

Game Time- 6:00 pm CDT

Blues Team Recap- The St. Louis Blues stroll into Washington tonight to take on the Capitals in the first meeting of the season between these two teams. The Blues are coming off of a 2-1 win in Columbus 2 nights ago and are playing some very gritty hard nosed hockey. Tonight will proove to be a new challange for this Note as the Caps recently fired head coach Bruce Boudreauand named Dale Hunter as the new commander and chief. Hunter takes over after spending the last 11 seasons in the OHL as head coach of the London Knights. A shot of energy is what the Caps are hoping for tonight against St. Louis with the coaching change. The Blues will need to put their best foot forward if they wish to take yet two more points on to their next desination on this three game road trip.

Blues Keys To The Game- Contain number 8. Do not give him break aways, do not leave him in front of the net alone, and for god sakes do not give him room to skate. Yes,Washington has plenty of capable skaters and play makers but no one can finish like Ovi can. Like him or not, he is one of the most prolific goal scorers in the NHL. Keep the great Russian quiet and the rest of the team should fall into place for the Blues. Check them hard and keep them in the offensive zone. Do not allow Washington to dictate the flow of the offensive puck possession time. If St. Louis allows the Caps to handle the puck for a majority of the play, they will find themselves looking at the little black rubber bicuit behind Halak A LOT tonight.

Washington Capitals Team Recap- After having one of the best if not the best start in franchise history, the Caps have fallen flat on their faces. Losing 6 of their last 8 games and giving up a 5-1 beat down at the hands of the tattered Buffalo Sabers in their last game prompted the front office to vote Bruce Boudreau off the island. A record of 17-20 in post season play has been hard for Captials fans to swallow after their team played so well and dominate like during the regular season. It seemed under Boudreau the team lost its ability to play during the playoffs. Call it fatigue, call it lack of preparation, call it plain being out coached the Caps no longer have to worry about that. Dale Hunter has taken over the reigns and if it is any indication from his past history in the NHL the Caps players are in for a rude awakening if they think they can just skate by and not give a 110% effort each night. Hunter was known for being hard nosed and determind player around the puck and did not shy away from contact. Will the Capitals become a more physical team? I am not convinced with the group of players assembled that they can be a truly physical team. The Caps rely on a fast transition game that allows them to use their speed and offensive ability to overwhelm the oposition. Time will tell if this switch is what the doctor order or if it will be a complete mega star melt down.

Capitals Keys To The Game- The Caps have looked just awful in thier last 6 games. They can’t score goals, they can’t keep the puck out of their zone, and they can’t keep the puck out of the net. Simplify the game… Be responsible in your own end and get the puck out of the offensive zone quickly. Do not allow St. Louis to get the cycle set up along the low boards. Inevitibly, some one will come open in front of the Caps net minder and it will end up not a pretty picture for the team from DC. The Blues play a very physical and up tempo game. The Capitals must match the speed and the physicality the Blues will bring to the rink tonight. The Blues take a lot of penalties. If the Capitals can “Capitalize” ( I know right..) on the Blues mistakes they may have a shot at winning this game tonight. If they sit back on their heels and let the Blues dictate the pace of the game the Caps are going to loose this game by a large margin.

Blues News- Tonight Alex Pietrangelo will not be in the line up. Petro has been sick per a Jeremy Ruthuford tweet earlier today and will not play in tonights match up. Cade Fairchild has been recalled from the Peoria Rivermen and will play in his place tonight. No word on possible pairings has been released yet. Pietrangelo is not expected to miss more then one game at this point. David Perron might get back into the line up as early as this saturday against the Chicago Blackhawks. Blues beat writer Jeremy Rutherford has a hunch that David could get back into the action this weekend providing a shot in the arm in terms of scoring and puck handling ability. Andy Mcdonald remains sidelined with a concussion with no time table for return. Defenseman Kent Huskins is still nursing a fractured ankle back to health and is expected to miss 3-4 more weeks. BJ Crombeen has skated with the team wearing the red no contact jersey and is slated for a late December or early Janurary return to the line up. Defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo is nearing a return from the IR with a hamstring injury. No exact date is available but it is assumed he will return soon. Vladamir Sabotka will miss tonights game as well after suffering a fractured maxilla (upper jaw bone) when he blocked a puck with his face against the Calgary Flames in St. Louis this past weekend. Sobotka is traveling with the team and may return to play against the Colorado Avalanche on Friday night at the Pepsi Center in Denver.

With Sobotka and Pietrangelo out tonight, the Blues will need to work together to get through this match up. Play strong, hard, and fast and get us another two points to bring home! LET’S GO BLUES!!!

]]> http://bluenotezone.com/2011/11/29/game-day-preview-st-louis-blues-vs-washington-captials-11-29-2011/feed/ 0 http://bluenotezone.com/2011/11/27/game-day-preview-st-louis-blues-vs-columbus-blue-jackets-11-27-2011/ http://bluenotezone.com/2011/11/27/game-day-preview-st-louis-blues-vs-columbus-blue-jackets-11-27-2011/#comments Sun, 27 Nov 2011 15:09:00 +0000 Tony Timpe http://bluenotezone.com/?p=9354 St. Louis Blues

(12-8-2)

vs

Columbus Blue Jackets

(6-13-3)

at

Nationwide Arena

Game Time- 5:00 pm CDT

TV- FSMW(HD) Radio- KMOX

Alex Steen has been a beast lately on the puck. One of the best two way forwards in today's NHL.

Blues Team Recap- The St. Louis Blues are coming of a 2-0 shout out victory over the Calgary Flames Friday night at Scottrade Center in which goaltender Brian Elliot stopped all 24 shots he faced. Elliott improved to 9-1 on the season with 3 shutouts and has been nothing short of amazing this season. “Ells” focus and positioning are out standing and he always seems to be in the right place at the right time. When a goalie is riding a streak like this its hard not to play him even if he is the “back up goaltender”. Ken Hitchcock has said he will play those guys who earn their minutes and give them more opportunities to shine as they earn the time.

Under Hitch the Blues are 6-1-2 and sit in a three way tie for 6th place in the ultra tight western conference at 26 points. This afternoon the Blues face off against his former team, the Columbus Blue Jackets who sit last in the NHL with a dismal 6-13-3 record. After replacing Steve Mason with Curtis Sandford the Jackets have gone 3-0-2 in their last 5 games and beat up on Buffalo 5-1 in their last outing. This afternoon’s game should be a good physical contest as these two divisional rivals have developed some tainted blood over the past few season going back to the  ”soccer gate” incident when in Columbus. RJ Umberger and others decided to interrupt the Blues pre-game hack-n-sack style warm up in the underbelly of Nationwide Arena which did not sit well with the Blues.

Elliot working hard in practice

Blues Keys To The Game – Hello Power Play.. Calling the Power Play… Kindly pull your head from between your cheeks and get this thing moving in the right direction.

The Blues man advantage crew sits dead last in the NHL. How bad is it? So bad that the note has scored more short handed goals in their last five games then they have power play goals. This aspect of the Blues game is a must fix. I do not care how good you are at even strength, special teams are crucial. The power play most of all. If a team doesn’t capitalize on those chances you leave the door open for the other team. It has been very scary to watch these one goal leads the Blues have played with lately and quite frankly they could have lost every one of those games had it not been for solid performances in net by the netminders of the Blues. Getting that next goal after scoring the first is a vital component to winning in today’s game. Against Columbus tonight it will be no different. Score a few early goals and get a team that has struggled gravely back on their heels. Take away their will to fight and 2 points will fall to the Blues like the apple fell for Newton. Treat the Blue Jackets with not enough respect and you will end up getting blown out like Buffalo did. Play hard nosed and get the early goals are the keys for this game against the Jackets.

Blue Jackets Team Recap –  Who would have thought that a change in goaltender could make such a difference? Who am I kidding.. Steve Mason was on most accounts playing worse then a rookie ECHL goalie on a good night. Coming out of the gate at 6-13-2 the Jackets are clinging to a tiny floatation device and praying the crashing waves are about over. The Blue Jackets have seemed to turn things around touting a new goalie in Curtis Sandford who is doing what any goalie in this league is tasked at doing each night. Giving his team the chance to stay in games and win them. With prolific goal scorers like Jeff Carter and Rick Nash in their lineup that is all you can ask for. Time will tell if they have turned the corner or if this is just a brief respite before they sink to the bottom of the well and stay there for good.

Blue Jackets Keys To The Game –  No fancy bull crap here folks.

The Jackets are too far down to get to creative. Good goaltending, hard work and determination in the offensive zone are all they have to rely on at this point. If they get away from any of these three points it will be lights out on the guys from Columbus this evening. The Blues and former Jackets head coach Ken Hitchcock come to town tonight playing a very physical checking game. They are very tough on the puck in the defensive zone and they are transitioning the puck as well as any team in the league right now. Tonight will be a tall order for the Cannon touters of Ohio but all is not sticks and stones. The Blues take a LOT of penalties because of their physical play. Forcing the noted to play a man short can lead to opportunities for a struggling team to take the reigns and drive wagon. Will Columbus be able to play a full 60 minute hockey game at Hitch’s 200ft? If they hope to continue their climb from the basement they had better bring their best effort and then some. When the Blues come calling you can count on a tough game. Jackets. Will you respond? We shall see.

Starting Goalies – If you couldn’t tell by the two goalies I talked about, the Blues are starting Brian Elliott in goal and Columbus will counter with Curtis Sanford.

Blues News – Reported as breaking news last night blues beat writer and sports columnist for the St. Louis Post Dispatch, Jeremy Rutherford stated he had sources that link former Forward Brett Hull to Tom Stillman’s collection of investors who are trying to buy the Blues. It was stated that he may have more aspirations then just becoming an investor and play some role in the Blues front office. I along with ever Blues fan in existence would love nothing more then for the Golden Brett to come home to St. Louis where he never should have been forced to leave. Stay tuned to Blue Note Zone for more information as it becomes available!

Crombeen with the red no contact jersey

Forward David Perron continues to fly around the ice in practice and look better and better every day. Hitchcock has indicated that David will be put into the line up the very instant he says he is ready to go. Most sources close to the team say David is most like 1-2 weeks away from his 2011-2012 debut with the Blues. Andy McDonald remains sidelined with a concussion and is not slated to return any time soon. Kent Huskins remains out while recovering from surgery to repair a fractured ankle. Husk is expected to be out another 3-5 weeks. Defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo is most likely ready to come off of IR in the near future. No date has been given for Colas return but it should be with in the next week. BJ Crombeen skated with the team in practice yesterday wearing the red no contact sweater and shot some pucks while participating in a few drills. Crombeen has been out since suffering a fractured shoulder blade in the teams last preseason game.

Get ready for a hot and heavy match up between two teams that do not like each other very much. Fully expect a good amount of PIMS tonight and a spirited debate after most plays. Most of all… LET’S GO BLUES!!!

(10-8-2)

vs

Pittsburgh Penguins

(12-6-3)

at

Consol Energy Center 

Game Time 6pm CDT

TV- FSMW(HD) Radio- KMOX

Blues Team Recap- The Blues are coming off a regulation loss to the LA Kings last night at the Scott Trade Center. With a few botched plays from defenseman Barret Jackman and a couple of undisciplined minors later the Kings skated out of the Lou with two more points handing Ken Hitchcock his first regulation loss since taking over as head coach. Emotions were high in last nights game and none was more evident then a very dirty cross check from behind laid down by Kings defensmen Drew Doughty on Blues forward TJ Oshie. The hit sent Oshie head first  the boards who had no idea Doughty was going to check him from behind. Leave it to the good ole NHL officials to only call a 2 minute minor cross checking penalty. Another awesome development this morning would be the NHL sheriff Brendan Shanahan only fining Doughty 2,500 bucks for the hit and rendering no suspension. Just last week the front office Lawmaker laid out a 3 game suspension to Chris Stewart for a VERY identical hit on Redwings player Nikolas Kronwall. Shanny is not doing himself any favors by giving punishment that is not equal for hits that the NHL and the NHPLA want to remove from the game. I find it completely absurd that Shanahan delved out the punishment that he did and I feel disrespected and slapped in the face. If you can’t handle disciplining big name athletes from big name teams but you can hand out huge fines and games missed to the smaller ones you have no business being in control.  Do I think Stewart deserved the suspension that he received? You bet your sweet ass I think he deserved it. Stop giving Blues fans reasons to doubt and hold grudges against the people at the top.

Blues Keys To The Game- Score goals. Gee Tony, Isn’t the goal of every game? Yes, Yes it is but the blues have not done a good job of tallying marks against their opponents in the last several games. The power play has once again regressed and gone of for o well hell you get the idea. Scoring chances are coming the Blues way but they have not been able to finish on those chances like their opponents have. If you can’t finish on your chances you wont go very far in this league. Crash the net.. This is the bread and butter of this teams offensive ability and it seems they have lost touch once again with this idea. Shots are coming through but the opposing goal tender is able to see the puck thus making an easy stop from perimeter shots. A few lucky bounces is all the Blues need to get back to the winning ways that they have become accustom to under Hitch. Play hard, choral the Kid and fore check them into next week and the Blues should have a good night in P-Town. O by the way.. STAY OUT OF THE PENALTY BOX!

Pens Team Recap- After missing the last 10 months due to a concussion Pens center-man Sidney Crosby returned to the line up against the New York Islanders a few nights ago. It did not take Sid long to find his touch. Crosby went on to polish off 2 goals and 2 assists for 4 points on the night. The only place the Penguins are headed from here is a steady climb upward in the Eastern Conference. Look for the polar aquatic birds to make a big splash come playoff time if this roster of offensive giants can remain healthy.

Pens Keys To The Game- Get the Blues to take bad penalties and score power play goals. This should be every teams MO from here on out against this team. The Blues have been very undisciplined over their last three match ups and have taken penalties that have lead either directly or indirectly to their demise. With a mediocre PK unit and a terrible Power Play the Pens could dominate this game if they keep possession of the puck time way up and force the stingy defensive Blues to play in their own end. The Blues will make mistakes and it is how the Pens react to those mistakes that will ultimately define this match up. Can Sid the Kid and company capitalize on some mistakes by a young team? Or will the Pens take a lazy approach to a very good team and get shown some humble pie? The puck is in the Pens court and it is up to them whether or not they dominate St. Louis or cough up two points.

Blues News- David Perron continues to skate with the team in full contact practices. No time table has been officially set for his return but all indications point to him being just a few weeks away from his 2011-2012 debut with the Blues. Andy McDonald remains on IR with a concussion and no time table for return at this point. Kent Huskins remains out on IR with a ankle fracture. BJ Crombeen is sidelined with a fractured shoulder blade and is expected to return some time in early January. Defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo was placed on IR with a hamstring injury. Cade Faichild has been recalled from Peoria to be the Blues 7th Defenseman.

I again as a Blues fan shake my head at the decision making of the disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan. When you let hits like this go you set a precedence that top teams and top players will get a free pass but those who are lower on the popularity pole will get crucified and made an example of. Shame on you Shanaban, Shame shame shame….

Need details on who Fairchild is? Check out this post.

The decision to bring up Fairchild for the trip to Pittsburgh over someone more experienced like Danny Syvret (or even Mark Cundari) is an interesting one. Really emphasizing the fact that the Blues want a high tempo, puck possession style game. Even ghough Syvret is far from Tyson Strachan’s lacking level of skill and mobility, he isn’t as high as Fairchild. Cundari plays a similar game and possesses comparable abilities, but has struggled with puck management and lazy stick infractions.

Let’s not get started on Brett Ponich…

If for some odd reason one of the six healthy regulars is unable to play, Ken Hitchcock would dress Fairchild, but keep him on a short leash. Likely leaning on Alex Pietrangelo, Kevin Shattenkirk, Barret Jackman and Roman Polak to eat more minutes.

Assuming Coliacovo progresses and is reay to play by Friday the 25th, expect Fairchild to return to Peoria. He should be able to considering the injury occurred on the 17th against Florida meaning he should be eligible to return as of Thursday.

Much like Ian Cole and Brett Sterling’s recalls, to the victor goes the spoils. Proper output with the Rivermen leads to a recall reward.

Since Kent Huskins suffered an ankle injury blocking a shot back on October 28th in Calgary, the prognosis has been difficult to determine. First considered fractured and requiring a stint on IR, then not. On Tuesday this week the media reported that there is in deed a fracture.

Huskins bravery will cost him up to two months of the season and a trip to the surgeon.

The duration could be reduced if he heals like TJ Oshie…

The Blues announced via Twitter Wednesday that the surgery was performed successfully and reevaluation will come in roughly eight weeks.

In 9 games this season Huskins has tallied 2 goals, 4 points with a Plus-6 rating while averaging 16:55 ATOI. He was utilized as Alex Pietrangelo’s primary even strength pairing partner.

Impacts on the Blues Blueline

With Taylor Chorney already shipped back to Edmonton after his rental via waivers, Ian Cole’s time in St. Louis has been extended. His assumption of the seventh defenseman role says that the Blues believe he’s hit NHL readiness and sticking with the big club is more important than icet in Peoria. The move could be taken as an odd change of direction following Doug Armstrong’s comments this summer regarding first and second year pros playing in Peoria rather than sitting in the Scottrade press box, but is likely more indicitive of Cole’s improved level of play and the need to have quality options given situation and performance.

On a related side note, the absence of Cole from the Rivermen lineup has increased the workload on Mark Cundari, Cade Fairchild and Brett Poinch. Three young defensemen jostling for position in the organization who will take all of the playtime they can earn. Danny Syvert, a “forogtten” depth addition this summer, has stepped up his play. For example, he logged over 30 minutes in last Friday’s epic 7-6 comeback win over Rockford when Jake Gannon, an AHL contract defensemen playing very well for Peoria, left the game due to injury.

Cundari is having sophomore struggles while Fairchild is pleasantly surprising in his first pro campaign. I will have more on these two, Ponich and others in my AHL Road Trip wrapup post coming later this week.

For those clamoring for the benching (or trading) of Carlo Colaiacovo in favor of Cole following the Kris Russel trade, don’t expect it anytime soon. In the four games under Ken Hitchcock Colaiacovo has three assists with a Plus-1 rating paired up Pietrangelo.

Russell will remain in the lineup, at least through Thursday’s game against Florida, but he could easily sit for Cole is the situation warrants going forward. Russell has averaged just 14:24 ATOI in the two games since the trade and his role on the power play is already being filled by Pietrangelo, Kevin Shattenkirk and Colaiacovo.

Translation: Since Cole fills a different role being a “left handed Roman Polak” the two could easily be interchangeable.

A final thought. Is it a coincidence that Barret Jackman’s ATOI is down over a minute and a half compared to last season and he is playing some of his best hockey since late in 2009? I don’t think so. There is a lot of tread on Jackman and decreasing his workload maximizes output. It is also worth noting that the exceptional play of Pietrangelo and Shattenkirk are allowing old number 5 to do more with less.

3-2-0

2-4-0

AT

Game Time 7:00 PM

TV Coverage- FMWS & FS-CR

Radio Coverage- KMOX & 99.9 ESPN Radio Carolina

Courtesy of lakingsinsider.com

Team Recap- In sports it has been said many times that when times are down all it takes is one spark. The St. Louis Blues have come out of the gate this season with no sparks in sight and more questions now than there were before the season even began. With Jaroslav Halak sitting at or near the bottom of the league in SV% and GAA, the Blues are treading water once again; struggling to find their way. Scoring only 8 goals on the road trip, the Blues offense has also not shown up. Chris Stewart, David Backes, and Patrik Berglund each had only 1 point on the trip, a tell tale sign of trouble. The defense for the team has also been astoundingly terrible. Failure to clear the crease and keep the puck from the front of the net has contributed to Halak looking awful thus far this season. Coach Davis Payne acknowledges that the team is playing flat, un-exciting hockey, and that hard work and determination are things the Blues will need to dig themselves out of this rut. Tonight’s match up with the Carolina Hurricanes at home will provide just such a chance to right the ship that is taking on water fast.

Blues Keys For Success- It is very simple what the Blues must do to be a better team. The guys have to be better on the PK, PP, and clearing the zone of the puck. These three things are a huge contributing factor the the downfall thus far this season. Without an improvement here there will be no climbing out of the cellar of the NHL. Big games are needed from those guys who are paid to play big. Chris Stewart, David Backes, Patrik Berglund, and TJ Oshie must step up their games a few notches and take the offense to the other team head on. With out big contributions from the likes of this cast it is very difficult for our boys in blue to muster much in the way of an offensive attack. The time has come for them to pull their heads out from their back sides and get to playing a full and hard 60 minute hockey game. The fans in St. Louis deserve better from this team. It is time for the torture to stop and the scoring flood gates to open.

Courtesy of nhlsnipers.com

Hurricanes Team Recap- It has been a bit of a confusing season for the Carolina Hurricanes. A team that boasts the likes of Eric Staal and Jeff Skinner has gotten started with a 3-2-1 record in the 2011-2012 season. With wins in their last 3 games it seems as though they have figured out how to work as a team and find ways to win games. Goal tender Cam Ward shuffles into town with a 2.81 GAA and a .914 SV%. While not stellar numbers, you can bet Ward will put his best effort forward and attempt to shut down the Blues scoring efforts. Anthony Stewart (brother of Blues RW Chris Stewart) will play against his brother for the first time this season tonight. Anthony has 2 goals already on the season and is enjoying his time with the Canes. When asked by Lou Korac this morning at practice what he would do if he had Chris lined up for a big hit Anthony replied “I’d hit him on his ass.” The Canes are set to have a decent season if they can remain healthy and get good production from their core of forwards.

Courtesy of hurricanes.nhl.com

Hurricane’s Keys For Success- Getting Jeff Skinner room to make his magic is one key for Carolina. In the recent past, the Blues have been flat footed and easily beaten on the blue line. If the defense for St. Louis is soft yet again, Skinner will walk all over them. Eric Staal will look to use his size and strength to make room and dish the puck to his line mates as well as get some quality shots off against St. Louis. Depending on which team shows up for St. Louis tonight will determine how hard Carolina has to work. Look for them to come out firing early in an attempt to put pressure on the low moral Blues.

Quick Blues Notes- It was reported yesterday that left winger David Perron skated with the team during practice. Perron was wearing a red no contact jersey. David stated, ” I wanted to get out there and skate and see how it felt for the guys to be around me.” Blues fans are hopeful for a return of #57 in the near future. His skills are missed greatly in this line up as teams have to contain David’s ability to make things happen. Also reported yesterday defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo may be ready to go for tonight’s game but it was not 100% yet. Forward Andy McDonald remains out with concussion symptoms and has no date for possible return at this time.

Tonight Blues fans will hopefully see a good hard checking physical game from St. Louis. It is high time the guys get back to the basics and let the effort do the work for them instead of trying to force dainty passes and “curl n’ drag” moves. Get traffic to the front of the net, shoot often, and clear the defensive zone effectively. Hang on tight fans of the Note… It is looking like a long haul.. Support your boys in blue and lets get them back on the right track!!!! LET’S GO BLUES!

- – -

Updates

- 1:15 PM Lineup news: Per reports by Jeremy Rutherford via Twitter, Brian Elliott will start in goal and Carlo Colaiacovo has been activated from Injured Reserve. He will take the place of Nikita Nikitin to Roman Polak’s left. It appears that Taylor Chorney and Ryan Reaves join Niktiin as the healthy scratches.

-

Three Bright Spots Amid Dim Blues Start

It’s too easy to focus on the negative when times are tough and positives when weather is good. Hockey gods know I don’t like to make things easy sometimes… well most of time. This a Blues blog after all. If the team can’t make things look easy, neither should we! Here then are three “good things” to take note of through a bad start to the season.

Steen-Arnott-D’Agostini Line

No line has been better than the “third unit” comprised of Alex Steen, Jason Arnott and Matt D’Agostini. Through six games the tro has seven goals and 13 points. Accounting for 1/3 of the teams total points and 47% of the goals scored.

Alex Pietrangelo & Kevin Shattenkirk

The plan heading in to the season was to maximize the play of Petro. Put him in all situations and let him just do what he does. So far he has. Leading the Blues with 24:18 ATOI and his 1 goal and 3 points in six games is right on last season’s pace.

Though some, myself included, had worries about Kirk’s ability to deal with the defensive aspects of the game and maintain his level of offensive production if he was given more minutes. So far he has generally squashed those fears. He’s third in ATOI, 19:47, and his point pace, the same as Pietrangelo’s, is right where he should be.

Kent Huskins

Most considered Huskins to be a third pairing, penalty kill minute eater. Provide a little leadership, stability and his paycheck would be earned. To date he has surpassed the expectation. Sliding up to Pietrangelo’s primary partner status at even strength and chipping in a timely goal in San Jose. He is only averaging 16:19 played per game, but that’s an effective 16:19.

Payne’s Job Security

I’m not yet tired of addressing the issue of Davis Payne’s job security because far too much is being made of the potential lack their of in October. There are only six games in the books. That’s 7% of the total games to be played this season. There is plenty of time for all to work itself out.

Should fans be concerned? Yes.
Are his bosses concerned? You bet.
Is he in danger of losing his job with a loss Friday? Not really.

Rash, knee jerk decisions are not in the Blues MO. The current group running the team is old school. They’re methodical. They’re preparing for any situation and will address as needed when needed. Payne will get a fair chance with an adequate lineup. Count on that. But that doesn’t mean that changes won’t be made if a turnaround doesn’t happen sooner than later.

If a slide continues over the next 10 games or so, putting the Blues in the 15-20 played range, Doug Armstrong would be with in acceptable boundaries for making a change. In no way am I advocating that to happen or predicting that the team will play that poorly. However, the scenario is a possibility based on where the Blues are as a franchise.

As a side note, I think the Ken Hitchcock as a replacement talk has been made too much of as well. On Hockey Central at Noon last week Doug MacLean did mention him in a “what if” line of comments. With the Andy Murray experience turning out as it did and how Hitchcock exited Columbus, I’m not sold that’s the route Armstrong will explore.

One name to keep an eye on if the poor play continues is Guy Carbonneau. His connections to the Blues are stronger than Hitchcock’s. Carbonneau played for the Blues in 1994-95, spent his final two seasons in Dallas when Armstrong was an Assistant GM and has familiarity with Jaroslav Halak from coaching in Montreal.

It Came From MSM Tweets

For those of you who do not use the fabulous social networking service that is Twitter, you missed out on some important Blues updates today.

- David Perron skated for 20 minutes with the team during practice. He worse a red no contact sweater and socks.

- Carlo Colaiacovo skated at practice without the no contact apparel. He believes he will be in the lineup Friday versus Carolina.

- Payne knows who will start Friday, but will not reveal who till tomorrow.

- Barret Jackman was not at practice. His wife is expecting their second baby very soon. Congrats to Barret and his family!

For info straight from the MSM crew, create a Twitter account and follow the following great beat writers:
Jeremy Rutherford – @jprutherford
Lou Korac – @lkorac10
Norm Sanders – @NormSanders

VS

(1-1-0)

AT

Thursday if you happen to be in Dallas around 7:30 pm a cheap ticket might be able to be found. With the Texas Rangers locked in an ACLS battle with the Detroit Tigers most eyes will be glued to coverage of the game with little thoughts of hockey. Enough, however, of that baseball stuff as we take a quick look at the upcoming game. The Blues will be facing off against the Dallas Stars at 7:30; don’t forget the game will be on Fox Sports Midwest (HD) and FRESH 102.5 FM- NOT KMOX. The Blues are coming off an offensively impressive game against the Calgary Flames. The Blues were able to bury 5 goals in a game that they dominated most of the 2nd and 3rd periods. The Blues got off to a shaky start when Calgary winger Curtis Glencross netted his second goal of the season to put the Flames up 1 to nothing in the first period. Jarosalav Halak once again looked to be a bit shaky between the pipes in the early part of the game. With goals from 5 different players the Blues came from behind to snuff out the Flames and send them packing without a win yet this season.

One of the more impressive back hand goals we have seen from a Blues player in quite some time came off of right winger Chris Stewart’s stick. Stewart made it seem like it took such little effort as he fluttered the puck with a gentle flick of his wrists. If you can not get excited about Chris Stewart and his top end potential, you should check your self into the closest crazy bin and stay far away from the windows! The Boys in Blue will need to come in to Dallas with a full bag of tricks and effort. The Stars will not go down quietly and goalie Kari Lehtonen is known to have a hot hand when playing against St. Louis. The Blues will need to control puck possession just as they did against Calgary. Containing the likes of Mike Ribeiro, Loui Eriksson, and Brenden Morrow to name a few will be paramount. Getting a few early goals on the Stars and keeping the pressure in the Dallas zone are my two keys to the game for the Blues. With Carlo Colaiacovo (Lou Korac, Blues beat writer reports) headed to the IR after a knee to the head in the opener against Nashville the St. Louis Blues acquired Taylor Chorney from the Edmonton Oilers. The waiver claim will keep rookie Defenseman Ian Cole in Peoria for the time being. The Rivermen are off to a very sluggish start and the front office wants to keep Ian there as the leader on the blue line to play big minutes.

The St. Louis Blues lines for Thursday’s game should remain the same and look a little something like this:

Mcdonald-Backes-Langenbrunner

Oshie-Berglund-Stewart

Steen-Arnott-D’Agostini

Sobotka-Nichols- Reaves

Defensemen Pairings:

Jackman-Pietrangelo

Huskins-Polak

Nikitin-Shattenkirk

7th D-man Chorney

The Dallas Stars continue to lay down the wins coming out of the gate at 2-1 on the new 2011-2012 season. With guys like Mike Ribeiro and solid goal tending from Kari Lehtonen the Stars are off to one of the better starts in the league this season. Head coach Glen Gulutzan has his boys fired up and playing well so far. Except for a bad game number 2 of the season the new head coach is pleased with the performance of his guys and hopes that they can continue to play well. Thursday night you can expect once again to see some sparks between these two teams. With the tension between the two over they years, one would think the two come from the same division. With Steve Ott being a royal pain in the Blues back-sides it will be interesting to see what antics he brings to the rink this season. Grab a few frosty cold ones… A bag of your favorite snacks… and watch our boys put a whoopin’ on those pesky Stars from Big D!