Randall Ritchey: Steen Scores Two In Win Over Islanders Alexander Steen was strong in his return to the line up, as he scored twice in tonight's win over the New York Islanders.

David Backes and Jay Bouwmeester also returned to the line up tonight as well.

I saw pretty much the same thing.

One issue I continue to see pop up and I do not understand it is placing the fourth line out for defensive draws. This happened a couple of times tonight and each time ended up with a high scoring chance for the Islanders. One such time came in the second period and really caused havoc with an icing as well.

Oshie stood out tonight as well. Lidstrom stood out in losing so many puck battles to an Islanders team, who while good do not have a lot of strong defenders that can easily push you around in the defensive zone. Lidstrom did make one attempt to cut to the center of the ice protecting the puck on his back end but it was broken up quickly and led to offense for the Islanders.

You can see Lidstrom has the skills and the hockey IQ to be a good olayer but he does not have the strength. He also is not fast enough nor does he have the hands to compensate for his lack of strength.

What I do not get is that Hitch plays favorites. He leans on olayers good or bad and always forces his desire onto the game instead of lsitening to what the game is telling him. He is like many smart people who do not have the faculty to adapt theory to the empirical evidence.

It's nice to see them go back to the Steen Backes Oshie line. The only problem is, it leaves Stastny with Lindstrom and Berglund. Lindstrom is a perimeter player, Berglund likes to play along the half boards, and Stastny likes to be below the goal line. They're starting to develop some chemistry though. If Berglund would start finding the slot more, he could score 20 plus goals easy.

I like the idea of loading up on the top two lines though. Stastny can still get plenty of time centering the third line plus special teams. Then imagine next year, Fabbri comes up on left wing.

What is Petro's deal? He may be in our top 5 for points, but he has the worst +/- on our team. Correct me if Im wrong, but he was out there for all 3 of their goals last night.

It's nice to see them go back to the Steen Backes Oshie line. The only problem is, it leaves Stastny with Lindstrom and Berglund. Lindstrom is a perimeter player, Berglund likes to play along the half boards, and Stastny likes to be below the goal line. They're starting to develop some chemistry though. If Berglund would start finding the slot more, he could score 20 plus goals easy.

I like the idea of loading up on the top two lines though. Stastny can still get plenty of time centering the third line plus special teams. Then imagine next year, Fabbri comes up on left wing.
- fattyboubatty

This. This is exactly why I think that the Blues either need to bring up Rattie or move Schwartz onto Stastny's line. Hell, I'd like to see the Blues trade Berglund for picks and bring up Rattie and Jaskin to play with Stastny or Schwartz and Jaskin w/ Stastny.

I saw pretty much the same thing.

One issue I continue to see pop up and I do not understand it is placing the fourth line out for defensive draws. This happened a couple of times tonight and each time ended up with a high scoring chance for the Islanders. One such time came in the second period and really caused havoc with an icing as well.

Oshie stood out tonight as well. Lidstrom stood out in losing so many puck battles to an Islanders team, who while good do not have a lot of strong defenders that can easily push you around in the defensive zone. Lidstrom did make one attempt to cut to the center of the ice protecting the puck on his back end but it was broken up quickly and led to offense for the Islanders.

You can see Lidstrom has the skills and the hockey IQ to be a good olayer but he does not have the strength. He also is not fast enough nor does he have the hands to compensate for his lack of strength.

What I do not get is that Hitch plays favorites. He leans on olayers good or bad and always forces his desire onto the game instead of lsitening to what the game is telling him. He is like many smart people who do not have the faculty to adapt theory to the empirical evidence.
- BluemanGuruu

It's Lindstrom, not the former Detroit D-man and great Lidstrom

It's Lindstrom, not the former Detroit D-man, and great, Lidstrom
- cuethenoise

By the way... Is anyone glad Halak isn't our goalie after the Blues' offensive output against him in two games?

Jumpin' Jesus on a pogo stick.

By the way... Is anyone glad Halak isn't our goalie after the Blues' offensive output against him in two games?

Jumpin' Jesus on a pogo stick.
- eggsegan

Oh yeah haha. He still has a rock for a glove hand. I have never seen a goalie in the NHL have so many pucks bounce off their glove.

By the way... Is anyone glad Halak isn't our goalie after the Blues' offensive output against him in two games?

Jumpin' Jesus on a pogo stick.
- eggsegan

I certainly don't have any seller's remorse about shipping him out. He looks about the same to me.

It's nice to see more overall contributions. Steen and Oshie both looked much more like the players we've become accustomed to maybe for the first time this season.

To a previous poster's question / comment - AP27 hasn't been very good.

I also didn't think Jake Allen was very good last night either. Showing the Blues really did the right thing by jumping right out there and getting Brodeur as soon as Elliot limped off the ice.

Let's keep this scoring up. Might need to the way Allen has been playing lately.

It's nice to see them go back to the Steen Backes Oshie line. The only problem is, it leaves Stastny with Lindstrom and Berglund. Lindstrom is a perimeter player, Berglund likes to play along the half boards, and Stastny likes to be below the goal line. They're starting to develop some chemistry though. If Berglund would start finding the slot more, he could score 20 plus goals easy.

I like the idea of loading up on the top two lines though. Stastny can still get plenty of time centering the third line plus special teams. Then imagine next year, Fabbri comes up on left wing.
- fattyboubatty

if berglund could actually score or if he could shoot the puck. he likes the half boards too much and turns away from the high slot. a BIG body as hitch likes to say, but that is it, a big body.

Stastny is being wasted with those two. Neither of them are finishers like Stastny needs so he can set them up.

Good to see the old faithful line back together, steen backes and oshie.

By the way... Is anyone glad Halak isn't our goalie after the Blues' offensive output against him in two games?

Jumpin' Jesus on a pogo stick.
- eggsegan

Halak is AWESOME,,,,,,,,,,,, facing the east. He just does not like the west. The West is BEST. JAAAARRRRO!!!!!! HA HA HA

Let's keep this scoring up. Might need to the way Allen has been playing lately.
- carcus[/quote

He is still young and learning the NHL style, give him time. Things will turn around.

Has anyone noticed with Corsi as the goalie coach both Elliot and Allen are a lot deeper in the net this year? They used to be out more so, now they seem to always be at the goal line.

It's Lindstrom, not the former Detroit D-man and great Lidstrom
- cuethenoise

When will the grading on our spelling be coming out?

if berglund could actually score or if he could shoot the puck. he likes the half boards too much and turns away from the high slot. a BIG body as hitch likes to say, but that is it, a big body.

Stastny is being wasted with those two. Neither of them are finishers like Stastny needs so he can set them up.

Good to see the old faithful line back together, steen backes and oshie.
- BluesDroogie

Berglund can shoot the puck. His play is not terrible. You can down him for makng similar plays all you want bu they are effective. He tends to keep the play in the offensive zone and gets the puck to the D who when they shoot always gives us a chance of getting a goal. He is good with tips and his vision is improving as proven by two of his recent assists near the goal. The one last night was a thing of beauty.

Time to move off of Berglund. He is not a problem only if you still believe he is bound to produce like the long lost triplet of the Sedins.

Lindstrom is the problem on that line. He loses the puck and the play goes bac the other way. I am sure the advanced stats will tell the same story as well.

Either Rattie, Jaskin, Porter or hell Magnus would be an upgrade. If first you do not count the first three games Magnus plays as he is lost barely seeing enough games to get his footing.

I would not read too much into this game though. The Islanders are a good, young team but besides a couple of players they are light on the puck. Everyone is the west knows Halak's weaknesses. So other than grading the defensive play against a potently offensive team there is not much to evaluate.

Allen's goal to Okoposo bothers me. He shot there a couple of times. When I play I love finding those juicey holes around bars on the short side. When they are open you score and it tends to bother a goaltender. Otherwise Allen was solid but not looking like his normal self.

I wonder why a player like Lindstrom gets so many chances from Hitch but other players do not get so many chances?

What is Petro's deal? He may be in our top 5 for points, but he has the worst +/- on our team. Correct me if Im wrong, but he was out there for all 3 of their goals last night.
- WhatAboutBawb

Because he is out there against the top competition and when Hitch assemble's weaker lines he likes to put Petro out there. Also because the Blues breakout has been cheating and the way Petro creates space for passes there has been a problem with puck support or easier outlset options.

Nothing to worry about the kid is a stud and his abilities are some of the best in the league.

It's nice to see them go back to the Steen Backes Oshie line. The only problem is, it leaves Stastny with Lindstrom and Berglund. Lindstrom is a perimeter player, Berglund likes to play along the half boards, and Stastny likes to be below the goal line. They're starting to develop some chemistry though. If Berglund would start finding the slot more, he could score 20 plus goals easy.

I like the idea of loading up on the top two lines though. Stastny can still get plenty of time centering the third line plus special teams. Then imagine next year, Fabbri comes up on left wing.
- fattyboubatty

I agree. Why would you not one of the best lines of last season to play together, especially when you have another line clicking? Last year it was pretty much one line contributing and Schwartz and Tarasenko contributing secondary scoring.

If you have two top lines clicking who can score theorhetically you should average four goaks a game.

Berglund can shoot the puck. His play is not terrible. You can down him for makng similar plays all you want bu they are effective. He tends to keep the play in the offensive zone and gets the puck to the D who when they shoot always gives us a chance of getting a goal. He is good with tips and his vision is improving as proven by two of his recent assists near the goal. The one last night was a thing of beauty.

Time to move off of Berglund. He is not a problem only if you still believe he is bound to produce like the long lost triplet of the Sedins.

Lindstrom is the problem on that line. He loses the puck and the play goes bac the other way. I am sure the advanced stats will tell the same story as well.

Either Rattie, Jaskin, Porter or hell Magnus would be an upgrade. If first you do not count the first three games Magnus plays as he is lost barely seeing enough games to get his footing.

I would not read too much into this game though. The Islanders are a good, young team but besides a couple of players they are light on the puck. Everyone is the west knows Halak's weaknesses. So other than grading the defensive play against a potently offensive team there is not much to evaluate.

Allen's goal to Okoposo bothers me. He shot there a couple of times. When I play I love finding those juicey holes around bars on the short side. When they are open you score and it tends to bother a goaltender. Otherwise Allen was solid but not looking like his normal self.

I wonder why a player like Lindstrom gets so many chances from Hitch but other players do not get so many chances?
- BluemanGuruu

i do hound berglund but the reason is he can play a lot better. yes he does a lot for the team and is strong on the puck, he can produce more and he should. Not trying to relate him to the sedin twins at all, he is just more capable than what so far he has showed this season. He is always a late scorer so when february comes around he should net a bunch of goals(wait am i talking about stewart??)


Okposo's goal was a great shot by the shooter that Allen should have blocked. I liked those shots as a player myself.

Paajarvi has not done enough for me to like him, but he has also not been given a chance. I don't dislike him but he is just the odd man out with hitch. not sure why

Lindstrom has been given more than a chance on an actual scoring line, paajarvi seems to always be a 4th line role.

When will the grading on our spelling be coming out?
- BluemanGuruu

next Tuesday

I agree. Why would you not one of the best lines of last season to play together, especially when you have another line clicking? Last year it was pretty much one line contributing and Schwartz and Tarasenko contributing secondary scoring.

If you have two top lines clicking who can score theorhetically you should average four goaks a game.
- BluemanGuruu

Lindstrom has improved some, albeit very incrementally. I would still rather see Jaskin in that slot. That line needs somebody that can find the open ice or at least go to the net on a regular basis. I can see Lindstrom totally disappearing in the playoffs when the games start getting really heavy.

What is Petro's deal? He may be in our top 5 for points, but he has the worst +/- on our team. Correct me if Im wrong, but he was out there for all 3 of their goals last night.
- WhatAboutBawb

You can't blame Petro for any of those goals. The one that slipped through 5 hole was kind of weak and then you have a bar down shot from Okposo. The second goal, all three forwards pretty much stood still after the face off and gave up.

On the bright side, there were at least a half a dozen plays where Petro either broke up a cross ice pass or somehow managed to elude pressure from multiple Islanders and make a tape to tape outlet pass. Very few D men in the league have the vision and the skill it takes to make those plays night after night.

I am getting kind of tired about the Petro bashing from fans. IMO, it all comes from what he makes. The Blues are extremely lucky to have him, Jbo, and Shattenkirk. Starting to get the vibe like a bunch of fans are jumping on Petro now that he makes more money. He deserves it, because he is that good.

Even 6+ Million defenseman make mistakes here and there. You know, there are good NHLers that are going up against them every game.

I am getting kind of tired about the Petro bashing from fans. IMO, it all comes from what he makes. The Blues are extremely lucky to have him, Jbo, and Shattenkirk. Starting to get the vibe like a bunch of fans are jumping on Petro now that he makes more money. He deserves it, because he is that good.

Even 6+ Million defenseman make mistakes here and there. You know, there are good NHLers that are going up against them every game.
- carcus

guess i have missed all the Pietro bashing. Still love having him on the Blues. Has had a rough start but he plays 25 plus minutes a night against the leagues best without a steady partner for the most part this year.

I would take him EASILY over 90 % of other dmen around the league

I am getting kind of tired about the Petro bashing from fans. IMO, it all comes from what he makes. The Blues are extremely lucky to have him, Jbo, and Shattenkirk. Starting to get the vibe like a bunch of fans are jumping on Petro now that he makes more money. He deserves it, because he is that good.

Even 6+ Million defenseman make mistakes here and there. You know, there are good NHLers that are going up against them every game.
- carcus

agreed. Petro is no Eric Brewtal.

i do hound berglund but the reason is he can play a lot better. yes he does a lot for the team and is strong on the puck, he can produce more and he should. Not trying to relate him to the sedin twins at all, he is just more capable than what so far he has showed this season. He is always a late scorer so when february comes around he should net a bunch of goals(wait am i talking about stewart??)


Okposo's goal was a great shot by the shooter that Allen should have blocked. I liked those shots as a player myself.

Paajarvi has not done enough for me to like him, but he has also not been given a chance. I don't dislike him but he is just the odd man out with hitch. not sure why

Lindstrom has been given more than a chance on an actual scoring line, paajarvi seems to always be a 4th line role.
- BluesDroogie

I did not mean to imply you are cmparng him to the Sedins but in his first few years Andy Strickland made such comparisons when most of us were sayng trade him. Then he wuld flash some signs of good play.

I would never compare him to Stewart because Berglund actually plays with heart. I think we are beginning to see flashes of his great play but it hruts his game when he is skating back to his own end because on the half boards behind him Lidstrom has lost the puck.

I agree with Fatty that he has shown some growth. But it is not enough. He is like a weaker version of what man his name is a blank but he played here last year, started in Buffalo and is now in Nashville. He will be no good in the play offs. I think if you get a guy on that line who can cycle or win puck battles down low and get the puck to Stastny or Berglund one can set up the other in the low slot or get the puck to the D and get a deflection or rebound. But Lidstrom is killing their flow. Instead of operating in the offensive zone they are expending their energy skating back to their own zone.

With Bergie I just accept what he does consistently and then I see him as a different player instead of trying to match his ability to production.

I said in the preseason some players scoring will go down because of ice time. We need to look at scoring oer sixty minutes on some of these guys. At other times we need to consider if they are being used as a shut down tandem.

There is a strong correlation in stats to scoring and where your zone starts are given. That is one reason you see the STL line come out for offensive zone face offs or neutral zone fo versus defensive zone fo. One reason I think Hitch is trying to cheat by putting the fourth line out for dzone fo. But the reality is the success of the fourth line getting thenpuck out is abysmal and it hurts the D men who are out there because they are expending a lot of energy defending. He tends to out Petro or Shatty out there with the foruth line.

You also see a lot of leaning on Stastny's line for Dzone draws and then Backes's line depending on the the score.

The fourth line needs to be fixed. If no one ever answers to Reaves after bad hits then he is a negative loss for the team. What policing can the guy do if is turned down when he tries to get players to answer? If they fail to keep the puck in the zone he will not get back on the back check soon enough after making a hit lower in the zone. Sometimes he just goes for a line change but the cost is a five on four for a few seconds. That is all you need in hockey to change momentum. Lappy has a lost a step which is not terrible, and Ott has lost a step and it is noticable. Too slow of a line in today's hockey. The NHL covertly moving away from fighting. So it is better to have a player on the fourth line than a border line player who can fight.