The St. Louis Blues beat the struggling Minnesota Wild 2-0 Thursday night as Brian Elliott continued his streak of consecutive scoreless minutes between the pipes. Elliott has spent much of this season as the Blues’ backup goaltender to Jaroslav Halak but has now won three consecutive starts with shutouts.

Elliott’s streak is now at 189 minutes and 31 seconds without giving up a goal. The 28-year-old last gave up a goal in the third period of a game against the Chicago Blackhawks on April 4th.

The Blues took a 1-0 lead midway through the first period against the Wild Thursday as Roman Polak scored his first goal of the season. Polak found the back of the net by beating Wild goaltender Niklas Backstrom after a great pass by Chris Stewart.

Neither team scored in the second period as Backstrom made nine saves in the frame to hold off the Blues’ offense. St. Louis came out in the third period and were pressured early by the Wild but held tough and added an insurance goal just over nine minutes into the third.

Andy McDonald beat Backstrom through the five-hole with a backhand shot after Vladimir Tarasenko capitalized on an open break and got the puck to McDonald.

McDonald has scored atleast one point in his last six appearances against the Wild including his backhander on Thursday that gave the Blues some breathing room midway through the third period. Here’s video of McDonald’s goal that gave the Blues a 2-0 lead over the Wild:

McDonald’s goal would be more than enough as Brian Elliot took over from there and finished off the Wild. Elliott stopped all 23 shots he faced Thursday for his third straight shutout and now sports an 8-6-1 record on the season.

The Blues have now won six straight games and are currently one-point behind the San Jose Sharks for fifth place in the Western Conference. With nine games left for the Blues, they could jump as much as three spots out West as they only trail the third-place Vancouver Canucks by four points.

The Wild are heading in the opposite direction and have lost five-of-six games to start April. Minnesota is currently two-points ahead of the Detroit Red Wings for seventh-place in the West and have yet to clinch a playoff spot.

Blues goaltender Brian Elliott won’t get much time to rest as they continue their four-game road trip on Friday with the Columbus Blue Jackets. With their defense playing it’s best hockey of the season, the Blues are determined to make waves in the upcoming NHL playoffs.

Will the St. Louis Blues depth and strength in net cause problems for the best teams in the NHL during the playoffs?

[Image via Creative Commons]

Brian Elliott Notches Third Straight Shutout In Blues 2-0 Win Over Wild [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Calgary Flames traded defensemen Jay Bouwmeester to the St. Louis Blues on Monday as they have fallen well out of playoff contention and look to win the upcoming draft lottery in April. Bouwmeester will go to the Blues in exchange for defenseman Mark Cundari, the rights to goaltender Retto Berra, and a conditional first-round pick in 2013.

According to Pierre LeBrun of ESPN, the Flames will receive a fourth-round pick in 2013 and a first-round pick in 2014 if the Blues fail to make the playoffs. Bouwmeester currently holds the longest active streak in the NHL for most regular-season games without a playoff appearance at 750 games.

He now has a chance to end the streak, as the Blues are currently holding onto the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. With a month left to play in the regular season, the Blues are just one-point ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets and Edmonton Oilers for eighth place in the West.

The Blues beat the Minnesota Wild 4-1 on Monday, but will have to pick up the pace if they expect to hold on to the final playoff spot. The Oilers have won four straight games, surging up the Western Conference standings in the process.

The Flames are in a much less attractive situation, as they are at the bottom of the conference with the Colorado Avalanche. The two teams are in a battle to see who will hold the worst record in the league at the end of the season with the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning of the Eastern Conference.

The team with the worst record will have the best chance at receiving the first pick in the upcoming NHL Draft, though all 14 teams that fail to make the playoffs have a shot. In retrospect, the worst team in the league has a 25 percent chance of winning the first pick in the draft in comparison to having a .5 percent chance if you are the last team to miss the playoffs.

As you can see, the Flames are doing all that they can for the first pick. After losing Miikka Kiprusoff for most of February, the Flames fell out of the Western Conference playoff race and decided to go in a different direction.

The Flames continued to struggle and eventually went on to trade Jarome Iginla to the Penguins and have now traded Jay Bouwmeester in hopes of rebuilding the team. Did the Calgary Flames make a mistake by trading away their star players and giving up on the season for an advantage in the draft lottery?

[Image via Creative Commons]

Flames Trade Jay Bouwmeester To Blues With Playoffs Out Of Reach is a post from: The Inquisitr

According to Andy Strickland of TrueHockey.com, the St. Louis Blues have traded right winger Matt D’Agostini and a seventh-round pick in 2015 to the New Jersey Devils for a fourth- or fifth-round pick. D’Agostini has only appeared in 16 games for the Blues this season, posting just one goal and one assist.

According to Tom Gulitti’s twitter, a Devils’ reporter for The Record, the Blues will receive a fourth-round pick and keep their seventh-round pick if the Devils qualify or re-sign D’Agostini. If the Devils fail to qualify or re-sign him, the Blues receive a fifth-round pick and lose the seventh-round pick to the Devils.

T.J. Oshie has been out for a little over a week due to a rib injury but is expected to return to the Blues Saturday. Trading D’Agostini to the Devils might have been a chance to free up a spot for Oshie. It couldn’t hurt, as D’Agostini’s numbers have dropped consistently since the 2010-11 season.

D’Agostini was drafted in the sixth-round of the 2005 NHL draft by the Montreal Canadiens and was traded to the Blues in 2010. The following season was D’Agostini’s best of his career, as he played in all 82-games for the Blues and finished with 46 points.

The Devils surely aren’t bringing in a guy thats going to add a lot of offense out of the gate, especially since D’Agostini has only played in 16 games. If given the chance to play, D’Agostini has the quickness and shot to do some damage, and anything is possible in a new setting.

Trades can make or break a players season, or even their career, but this seems to be the best fit for both D’Agostini and the Blues. St. Louis needed to open up space for T.J. Oshie’s return while D’Agostini will be a restricted free agent this upcoming offseason and wasn’t seeing much playing time.

The Devils need more offense to compliment Ilya Kovalchuk and Patrik Elias, though D’Agostini may not be the answer. The Devils beat the Carolina Hurricanes Thursday, ending a three-game skid in Martin Brodeur’s return after missing the last nine games.

There’s no telling how much the Devils will use D’Agostini in the upcoming weeks, but it sure does take a lot off the St. Louis Blues and open up a few changes in the Devils’ locker room. Will Matt D’Agostini make an impact with the Devils after struggling with the Blues to start the season?

Blues Trade Matt D’Agostini to Devils For Draft Pick is a post from: The Inquisitr

T.J. Oshie’s dogs trashed a penthouse suite at Buckingham Apartments in Missouri. The St. Louis Blues center has always had a knack for being rough on the ice, and his dogs are one in the same at home.

According to the Courthouse News Service, Ashley Development of Buckingham Apartments sued Oshie for the damages, stating in a complaint:

“Defendant (Oshie), during the lease term, maintained two dogs which he customarily kept locked out onto the patio. During defendant’s tenancy, said dogs scratched and/or chewed on the custom screens, causing them to suffer irreparable damage necessitating the need for their replacement.”

Oshie’s dogs reportedly caused $11,026.92 in damages to the suite, which led Ashley Development, ownership group of the Buckingham Apartments, to sue Oshie in the St. Louis County Court. Oshie reportedly paid $3,750 a month in rent including utilities and internet for the penthouse.

T.J. Oshie came up in juniors as a scorer but developed a pretty good body check as he grew within the Blues system. His dogs apparently have developed a pretty good bite, good enough to take down a few custom screens.

There really isn’t any connection between Oshie’s play and his dogs actions. Dogs tear things apart all over the world, just not all owners have penthouse suites.

The St. Louis Blues drafted Oshie 24th overall in the 2005 NHL Draft. The 26-year-old has 17 points in 25 games this season, and has 192 career points in 284 games in the NHL, all with the Blues.

The Blues are currently tied for fifth in the Western Conference with three other teams at 28 points. The final spots in the West are up for grabs at the moment, and the Blues hope to gain some ground as we get closer to April.

St. Louis trails the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings in the Central, but have three great goaltenders in Jake Allen, Jaroslav Halak, and Brian Elliot. Allen has been a huge surprise posting a 5-1-0 record with a 2.73 goals against average.

The Blues take on the San Jose Sharks Tuesday at home after losing to the Anaheim Ducks Sunday. The Sharks have lost three in a row going into the game Tuesday night.

T.J. Oshie will surely be badgered by the media and fans in St. Louis over the next few days. I’d also expect his teammates to have a little fun with the incident. T.J. Oshie’s dogs trash his penthouse suite as he tries to focus on the race for a playoff spot in the West.

T.J. Oshie’s Dogs Trash Penthouse is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Ottawa Senators No. 1 goaltender Craig Anderson is out of action after slicing his hand open in a kitchen mishap and to make up for their lost goalie the team on Sunday acquired minor league goaltender Ben Bishop from the St. Louis Blues.

Bishop made the most of Anderson’s mishap by signing a $650,000 one-year deal with the Senators.

Bishop is a 6-foot-7 team worthy goal who only fell down the Blues depth chart when Brian Elliott emerged as the teams No. 2 and began sharing time with Jaroslav Halak.

In a statement from the St. Louis Blues front-office general manager Doug Armstrong said of Bishop:

“I would like to thank Ben for his time in our organization. He was a professional on and off the ice for us and we wish him nothing but the best in Ottawa.”

Picked up in the 2005 entry draft Ben Bishop was chosen 85th overall and the 25-year-old appeared in 13 NHL games. This season Ben Bishop was playing with the Peoria Rivermen of the American Hockey League where he was an All Star goalie.

For their trade the St. Louis Blues will receive a second-round draft pick in 2013.

Do you think Ben Bishop was the right acquisition for the Ottawa Senators given their immediate need for an experienced NHL ready goalie?

Ottawa Senators Acquire Minor League Goalie Ben Bishop From St. Louis Blues is a post from: The Inquisitr

Currently the NHL has three franchises for sale. The Phoenix Coyotes, St. Louis Blues, and Dallas Stars. Of course given the state of the economy these sales are tough, but several local problems have also hampered the progress of the sales of these three clubs. The Coyotes have been for sale for years, and the city council of Glendale, AZ is the major sticking point there. In Dallas, the sale is being held up due to the large number of creditors that must be pacified, and in St. Louis the sale of the Blues is being held up as ownership groups are considering making bids on the Stars.

We start in Phoenix where two groups are rumored to be interested in buying the team. One of those groups is likely headed by Jerry Reinsdorf (who owns the Chicago Bulls and White Sox). The hold up there is any new ownership group is going to want an opt out clause from the team’s current 30 year lease. Meaning they want out if the local populace cannot or will not support the team. So far the city of Glendale has been unwilling to grant a clause like that (and since they own the building and have shelled out millions to keep the team in town) we can understand why. However, they will likely have to do so. In the end it is not so bad, as any hint of success should bring in fans and local sponsors.

In Dallas, Tom Gaglardi is serious about buying the Stars, and he reported to be in New York working out deals with all of the creditors. His bid will likely get through and be overseen by a bankruptcy judge. There are a few other groups interested in the Stars and the Blues and it seems likely right now the Stars sale will happen first with whoever gets locked out of that moving on to the Blues. Gaglardi seems to have little interest in buying the Blues.

Phoenix Coyotes, St. Louis Blues, Dallas Stars sale update is a post from: The Inquisitr

First, the situation in Phoenix is still to be resolved. The city has ponied up more money to keep teh team in town short term, but it seems likely know a new buyer will have to be found unless some miracle can happen to finally get this deal done. It also looks like the St. Louis Blues will be sold before the start of a new NHL season. Dave Checketts is ready to move on, and there seems to be a lot of interest in buying the Blues.

The Montreal Canadiens have won a tax battle with the city of Montreal. They won a 5.8 million dollar rebate, and had their yearly taxes reduced from 10 million to 8.5 million. All in all good news for the team, potentially bad news for the city. Most of the tax issues were related to the Habs home, the Bell Centre.

Now some not so good news for the Edmonton Oilers. They are desperate to get out of the 37-year-old Rexall place when their lease expires in 2014. To do so they need 100 million dollars in loans from the Province of Alberta, or from the Canadian Federal Government, and neither side seem very interested in giving them that kind of money.

The Oilers have plans to build a 425 million dollar arena project, but I am not a big fan of any government using taxpayer dollars to fund private enterprise. I want the Oilers to stay in Edmonton, but they should find the funding for their project from private sources.

NHL News (aka NHL hodge Podge Post) is a post from: The Inquisitr

The mood round the St. Louis Blues is filled with cautious optimism. They may not have all of the pieces that will put them over the top, but they have a lot better pieces then they have had recently. They made a bold off season move to land G Jaroslav Halak. He is a very good, young prospect that is a key piece for this team to build around. I mean this kid is 25 years old and he was able to send Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby home from the playoffs last year.

Head Coach David Payne gets to take the interim tag off, and get a real chance to coach this club. He went 25-15-4 at the end of last year, and was able to get the Blues focused and fired up enough to at least win their home games. Even though Young Jaroslav has not played an entire NHL season between the pipes, splitting time with Carey Price in Montreal, Payne is going to ask him to step up and play 65 times or so.

This team’s breakout candidate is D Erik Johnson. He was their first draft pick in 2006, and missed 2008-09 following knee surgery. He returned last season and played solidly. He is going to have to play very large to help his newly acquired young goaltender.

Key additions- G Jaroslav Halak, C Vladimir Sobotka, D Nathan Oystrick, C TJ Hensick, and LW Stefan della Rovere

Key subtractions- G Chris Mason, D Nate Guenin, D Daryl Sydor, D David Rundblad, C Julian Talbot, LW Lars Eller, LW DJ King, LW Keith Tkachuk, and RW Ian Schultz

Related Links:

•Joshua Lobdell.com

2010 St. Louis Blues Preview is a post from: The Inquisitr

This might be the year for St. Louis Blues fans to celebrate, or it night not. One thing is for sure and that is the Blues are back. After making the playoffs for the first time since 2004 the Blues are back, back to relevance in the NHL, and looking to start another 25 year run in the playoffs. While the Blues were swept out of the first round, we can ignore that since the Blues two top defenseman, and top winger barely played in that series due to injuries.

Now we come to a new season where Paul Kariya is healthy, Erik Brewer, and Erik Johnson are also healthy and this team is ready to return to the playoffs. While the Blues did not make a big off season move they feel returning their three top stars, and adding valuable backups will earn this team a second straight post season birth.

The first good backup comes at the goalie position. The Blues add Ty Conklin, who just might be the best back up goalie in the league. Conklin gives the Blues the ability to manage starter Chris Mason’s workload. No longer will Mason have to carry the load himself, since Conklin can come in and manage the game extremely well.

The Blues also resigned, star Keith Tkachuk, who has spent much of the last decade there, but it says a lot about what he thinks of this team, and what the expectations for this team should be.

Additions- D Brendan Bell, G Ty Conklin, RW Adam Cracknell, D Justin Fletcher, and RW Barry Tallaclson

Subtractions- D Jay McKee, C Trent Whitfield, and D Jeff Woywitka

2009-10 NHL preview: St. Louis Blues is a post from: The Inquisitr