Ty Conklin stopped 27 shots in New York to shut out the Blueshirts on Broadway.

So in a potentially historic game, what does head coach Davis Payne do? Sit down his burning hot starting goaltender in Jaroslav Halak and play back up goaltender Ty Conklin. Conklin had only played one game this season, a shootout loss to the Dallas Stars.

Conklin shined on Broadway helping the Blues win seven straight games with a shut out. The 2-0 win for the Blues made this night one for the record books.  With the victory, the Blues have officially gotten off to their best start in their franchise history.

Ty Conklin faced 27 shots in the game, stopping every single one of them.

Not only was this history for the Blues, but for Conklin as well. The shut out was his 15th of his career. Quite the accomplishment for a goaltender who has played back up most of his career.

Conklin also became the first Blues goaltender to ever record a shut out against the New York Rangers. Impressive as the Blues have faced the Rangers 129 previous times.

Alex Steen celebrates after scoring one of his goals on Sunday night.

Alexander Steen had to enjoy the game as well, scoring two goals in the game, bringing his season high to three. For someone who notched a  career high 24 last season, he is hoping to replicate that again this season, but despite the shot totals he has put up (46), he has only put the biscuit in the basket three times (6.5%).

With three of their top six defensemen out of the line up (Polak, Jackman, and Colaiacovo) The Blues dressed seven defensemen in Johnson, Brewer, Pietrangelo, Strachan, Nikitin, Cole, and Oystrick.

All of which had fairly good games.

Oystrick made a great play on the Blues first goal as he jumped up into the rush and crashed hard to the net, drawing defensemen towards him and giving Steen plenty of time to set up a shot and snipe it past Ranger back up, Martin Biron as the Rangers starter Henrik Lundqvist sat for the night. He finished the game with an assist, his second in four games, and a plus one. He is plus four through four games and has looked solid in said games. Getting minimal ice time, Oystrick is still managing to show is offensive game and his ability to read the play.

Nikitin made some very solid defensive plays and showed how good his passing and vision can be in the offensive zone as well. He isn’t the quickest on his skates, but plays a simple but effective defensive game where he isn’t caught out of position to much.

Cole looked much improved from his first game in Boston. Making some nice hits, smart decisions with the puck, and keeping his game fairly simple. He wasn’t that noticeable, meaning he wasn’t doing very much wrong. No, he wasn’t a flashy guy, but some smart heads up plays kept the game moving along smoothly.

Strachan dropped the mits with Brandon Prust in a rather uneventful fight, and solid on the back end, making the night a little easier for Conklin. He finished the game with one shot and a plus one.

B.J. Crombeen made his way in the box score, but not for a good reason. A five minute major for boarding Ranger forward Derek Stepan was awarded to Crombeen. It was a questionable hit as Stepan ducked into the hit, and after going to get back up, glancing up at the officials, he dropped back down and started squirming around on the ice. Stepan turned out to be fine. Crombeen received a five minute major, but something you don’t see very often, no game misconduct. It was a very stupid play by Crombeen, but a five minute major was not needed.

After yanking Biron for the extra attacker, Alex Steen potted another goal and put the Blues up 2-0 for their seventh consecutive win.

With 20 points in 12 games, the Blues sit atop the central division, tied with Los Angeles for first in the west, and tied with the Kings, Capitals, and the Flyers with the top spot in the National Hockey League.

The Blues will head to Columbus on Wednesday to play the Blue Jackets and look for their eighth straight win.

Blues fans would love it if Parise became the next 'Note, but only in their dreams.

*Enter Blues fans fantasy* “The St. Louis Blues acquire Zach Parise from the New Jersey Devils.” *Exit Blues fans fantasy*

Alright, back to reality. The Blues are off to a strong start this season, that is no secret, so why would they be involved in rumors? Well, it’s hockey, rumors are always surfacing around the National Hockey League.

But what rumors are out here? Well, it is normal to hear ‘So and so team is scouting so and so teams tonight’ or ‘this team sent a scout to the blank and blank teams game’. That is quite normal to hear, happens almost every game. But tonight is just a little bit different.

According to Andrew Gross, beat writer for the New York Rangers over on NorthJersey.com said tonight on his twitter page that the St. Louis Blues had three reps watching tonight’s game between the Rangers and the Devils, including Blues president John Davidson.

Could the brass be sitting in because it’s an off night and they just want to watch a game? Of course, but where is the story in that? So until said otherwise, speculation will occur and fans will get excited and disappointed when nothing happens. Sadly, not many of us have much to do late on a Sunday night with no Blues game, so enjoy.

Looking at this season, the Blues have had a very strong defensive effort in almost every game. Goaltending is solidified, but one thing that has been frustrating at times, in their inability to finish. So they could be scouting a goal scorer. So who could the Blues be scouting?

Some guys with veteran experience who I wouldn’t mind seeing in a Blues jersey.

Patrik Elias, a 34 year old veteran who has played 888 games in his career, scoring 315 goals and over 750 points in his career. With cap problems, could he be available from the Devils?

'Langs' has been a long time Devil and has been consitant in the goal scoring department.

Lets look at Jamie Langenbrunner. A 35 year old veteran who has averaged around 20 goals a season for the last five seasons and through playing near 1000 games in his career (973 games), he has over 600 points. Three times in the last five years, Langs has notched over six points. Rumors he was being shopped spread in the offseason, but nothing ever came of it.

Youth wise, Travis Zajac would look pretty good as a Blues player. The young forward has notched 60 points in his last two seasons and has over 200 points in his 334 career games.

Lets check out the Rangers, its a short list.

Brandon Dubinsky and Ryan Callahan, two young players who have been forced into big roles down in Broadway. Both 40point guys who are good defensively, but nothing jaw dropping about either player. Dubi hit 20 goals last season for the first time while Callahan hit it in the 08-09 campaign.

Obviously an offensive guy like Marian Gaborik would help the Blues in many ways, but like Parise, he’s a pipe dream for most fans, and he’s proven that he’s an injury risk, which isn’t a good one to take for Blues fans

Peter Budaj, a 27 year old goaltender born in Banska Bystrica, Slovkia, is the back-up goaltender for the Colorado Avalanche. He was the team’s 2nd around pick in the 2001 NHL entry draft and has played well over his five year career

Peter Budaj will look to help lead his team to the playoffs this year.

in the National Hockey League, amassing a total of 85 wins, 69 losses and 22 overtime losses. His 2.72 goals-against-average along with his .903 save percentage are built up over his five years in the NHL, but this season, he has improved greatly on those two stats in general.

Budaj will represent Slovkia in the 2010 Olympics

Q. First off, congratulations on making the Slovakian Olympic team, it has to be a huge honor.

A. Thank you. It is a great honor to be on a hockey team for my country.

I hope you all enjoyed this as much as I did.

Randall Ritchey