Oshie likely to find himself at center
With captain David Backes potentially out of the Blues' lineup, the team needs someone who can play center.
Blues fans might know who the best candidate is and head coach Ken Hitchcock is now aware, but when Backes exited Saturday's game in the second period after blocking a shot with his left foot, Hitchcock had to get some help from his coaching staff.
The Blues were already playing without Jason Arnott and Andy McDonald, who has played center much of his career. The next best option was T.J. Oshie, who played center in college and has looked good in brief stints there with the Blues. Hitchcock, however, said that he had never seen him play in the middle before.
"I looked at (assistant coach Scott) Mellanby and I said, 'All right, who plays center here?'" Hitchcock said. "He said, 'Osh.' I said, 'When did Osh play center?' He said, 'Sometime in the 2000's.' I said, 'That's good enough for me. Osh, you're now the center.' He was good. He was really good there."
Oshie could be back at center Wednesday against Anaheim if Backes can't play. .
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SCHWARTZ'S ICE TIME
Overall, Blues rookie Jaden Schwartz had an impressive debut Saturday, scoring a goal on his first shot in the NHL. But what impressed Hitchcock was the ability to give Schwartz 13 minutes, 50 seconds of ice time and not blink.
"I think, to me, when you don't even think about putting a young player on the ice, and you don't worry about him, that's a really good sign," Hitchcock said. "I know he's 19 years old, but I just put him on the ice because he's a good player, and that's all I think about. I don't think about 'Man, you've got to protect this guy.' He just goes out and plays.
"He's able to do that because he's smart. I think he's a very, very dependable guy. I'm very comfortable playing him. He knows where to go on the ice with and without the puck."
Schwartz saw 1:38 of power-play ice time, scoring his goal on the man-advantage by going to the front of the net and cleaning up a rebound. It wasn't the only time Schwartz camped in the high-traffic area during the game, another surprising development for some.
"I'm not going to change the way I play or change the way I do things," Schwartz said Sunday, after returning to St. Louis. "I've just learned and taught to play the way I am ... you've got to go to the net to score goals. The defensemen are so good and the goalies are so good. You're not going to score a whole lot of pretty goals. Some guys have got the talent to do that, but for a guy like me, his first game, I just try to stick within the system. You just go to the net."
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CROWDED BLUE-LINE
Defenseman Kent Huskins jumped back into the Blues' lineup Saturday, after missing six games with a hand injury. Huskins' return knocked Ian Cole out of the lineup.
Cole is locked into the Blues' roster the remainder of the season, which means when Kris Russell returns from his concussion, the club will have eight defensemen.
Russell appeared to be set to rejoin the lineup recently, but Hitchcock said on Sunday, "He's not ready yet. He's close, but the player has to be convinced. There's no point in me having a conversation with him every day. Just tell me when you're ready."
One thing that will not take any convincing for Hitchcock is putting Russell back into the lineup right away. He said that when the defenseman is available, he will play, pointing out that the Blues are a much faster transition team with Russell.
When that time comes, who will sit out on the left side? Hitchcock called Barret Jackman the most consistent defenseman on that side, so that would essentially leave one spot for Huskins, Carlo Colaiacovo and perhaps Cole. When asked who it would be, Hitchcock said whomever is playing the most consistent when Russell's ready and who stays the most consistent.
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ODDS & ENDS
- Jaroslav Halak will be in net Wednesday against Anaheim, according to Hitchcock, who said he'll wait to announce the goalie plans for the rest of the road trip.
- The number of 40-goal scorers in the NHL has continued to drop since the NHL lockout ended in 2005. In the past six seasons, it has fallen from 11, 10, 10, 8, 7 and 5. This year, there are two 40-goal scorers (Tampa's Steven Stamkos and Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin). There are three others (Toronto's Phil Kessel, Philadelphia's Scott Hartnell and New York Rangers' Marian Gaborik) who have 35 goals with under 10 games or fewer left to play.
- The Blues are vying for their second-ever President's Trophy, which goes to the NHL team with the most points during the regular season. The Blues won their first trophy in 1999-2000 with 114 points. They have 100 points with nine games to play, holding a five-point lead over the New York Rangers, who have 11 games left. In the 25 years the trophy has been awarded, that team has gone on to win the Stanley Cup seven times and only once in the last eight years. The last team to do so was the Detroit Red Wings in 2007-08.
