Blues face Detroit without key player
BY DAN O'NEILL
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/hockey/p ... c1cee.html
If perception is reality, Detroit is a terrible place for a hockey team to visit. The Red Wings play there, with their Henrik Zetterbergs and Pavel Datsyuks and Johan Franzens and Nik Lidstroms, with their "original six" tradition and six Stanley Cup final appearances in the past 15 years.
As the Blues hopped on a plane Tuesday afternoon, preparing for a 6:30 showdown tonight in Detroit, the Red Wings were atop the Western Conference and three points removed from the NHL penthouse overall. They dominate on home ice (11-4-2) the way "Jersey Shore" dominates the ratings. If you're a visiting club, you would be better served picking daisies in the desert than chasing points in Motown.
But perception is not reality, not entirely. Among the Blues, there is no timorous apprehension about playing in Detroit. For many players, a face-off in "Hockeytown," just north of Windsor, Ontario, represents the ultimate professional experience.
"It's really good ice, really good boards," Blues forward B.J. Crombeen said. "And anytime you play a team with that much skill and that much pace to their game, it's always a fast-paced, fun game to play in."
Teammates concurred. "It's a great game every time we go there," said Alex Steen, who has four goals and seven points in his last six games. "Detroit plays a game — both on the offensive and defensive side of the puck — that is just quick. It's always physical. It's a divisional rivalry, too, so there's some rivalry and history between the two teams. Those games are a lot of fun."
There is caveat to most journeys into Detroit, and to this one in particular.
"Obviously, you don't want to get into a shootout with a team like that," Crombeen added.
To carry that thought a bit further, the Blues don't want to get into a shootout with anyone at this point, not the Detroit Red Wings, not the St. Louis Bandits, not Barney Fife. Strafed by injuries to their top scoring forwards — T.J. Oshie, David Perron and Andy McDonald — the Blues got more bad news Tuesday: They will be without top-scoring defenseman Alex Pietrangelo in Detroit.
Pietrangelo left the ice early in practice Tuesday at St. Louis Mills. He aggravated an upper-body injury that has hindered him for nearly a week. Pietrangelo first suffered the problem in the team's victory over Columbus last Thursday, when he was rocked by an open-ice hit from Columbus forward Rick Nash. Pietrangelo left the ice and the Blues' bench, missed his next shift, but returned to finish the game.
A similar scenario took place during Saturday's overtime shootout loss to Carolina. Pietrangelo was checked by Jeff Skinner and, again, departed momentarily and returned. But after practice Tuesday, Blues coach Davis Payne said Pietrangelo would not make the trip to Detroit and is questionable for Thursday's game with the Los Angeles Kings at Scottrade Center.
With three goals and 12 assists, the 20-year-old Pietrangelo is the team's leading scorer from the blue line. "He has been playing great hockey, playing quality minutes in all situations," Payne said. "But we've had this conversation before. Nothing is different, it's no surprise what has to happen. … We have to have the power of the pack be just that."
In effect, the Blues will be bringing a knife to a gun fight in Detroit. St. Louis is 24th in the league in goals (69), an attack somewhere south of shock and awe. But 18 of those goals were scored by players now missing, including defenseman Roman Polak. The Red Wings are third (96) in the NHL in scoring goals. The only player they are missing is Mike Modano, who has two goals this season.
But offense isn't the only name of the game. From the first day, Payne and his staff have preached fast pace and firm intent to the Blues. They may not be a pinball machine when it comes to scoring points, but they strive to be an arcade game when it comes to pace and dynamics.
"We're a hard-working team," Steen said. "And you know, when you work that hard you create things for yourself. The margins are on your side, you get the break, the bounces or whatever it is. It all comes from hard work. We just need to maintain that and we'll play a good game."
The scoreboard did not reflect as much on Nov. 17, when the Blues last visited Detroit. But for more than 56 minutes of a 60-minute event, they played the Wings straight up. The Note overcame a couple of soft goals, including one that netminder Jaroslav Halak inadvertently knocked into his own basket, to carry the play and a 3-3 game into the third period. They were out-shooting the Winged Wheel 24-17 after 40 minutes.
But slightly more than eight minutes into the third, the Blues went Metrodome. In a span of 3 minutes, 14 seconds, the roof caved in under an avalanche of four Detroit goals and the home team cruised to a runaway win. Great game for more than 56 minutes, nightmare for 3½ minutes.
"We played a pretty sound game," Payne said. "We handled their forecheck and did some things coming through the neutral zone that were pretty effective. When you're dealing with the return you have to have against an offensive team like that, I thought we handled that situation very well. I just think we're going to have to make sure we go the whole way (Wednesday) night."
There was no foreboding in Payne's voice. He is a former player, Toronto-area-born Canadian who appreciates the challenges of playing in Detroit as much as the next hockey enthusiast. "It kind of sparks and lights up all your senses," he said.
I will agree and place a prediction to it
