Blues young star T.J. Oshie was MIA at practice Monday morning and Head Coach Davis Payne did not seem to be okay with his absence.

Payne called Oshie’s absence “unexcused” and is meeting with GM Doug Armstrong tomorrow to discuss an appropriate punishment.

Oshie’s teammate Patrik Berglund slept in once last season, causing him to miss a team practice.  His punishment was being a healthy scratch for the Blues’ next game.  A similar punishment is expected for Oshie.

Oshie has posted 10 goals, 20 assists and 30 points in 44 games this season.  He missed 31 games earlier this season with a fractured ankle.

Shootouts are making a difference in the game.  Was that the original intent?

The shootout debate has been a crutch in NHL conversations for quite some time.  The extra shots were brought in as a new way to break ties after overtime concluded just after the lockout in 2004-05.  NHL executives determined that shootouts were exciting and that it will add an extra spark in regular season play.

Is that still the case?

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman stated recently that “70% of our fans in the United States and Canada want a decision” instead of a tie after overtime play.  Despite this report, there have not been any additional statistics released to back up his words.

While the excitement may remain in the fans, it is very apparent that shootouts are happening way too often in the regular season.  Certain players are very close to 60 shot attempts in the shootout.  That is an average of 10 attempts per season!  Carolina’s Jussi Jokinen has 59 attempts (28 goals), Brad Richards of Dallas has 58 attempts (25 goals) and Blue Jacket Rick Nash has 57 attempts (22 goals).  Having that many chances means one thing; teams are getting to the shootout way too often.

Dave Checketts confirmed Wednesday afternoon that he is currently looking to sell his share, as well as TowerBrook Capital Partners’s share, of the St. Louis Blues to another buyer.

The sale would include ownership of the Scottrade Center and the AHL’s Peoria Rivermen.

The financial woes of the Blues started last May, when TowerBrook Capital Partners announced that they wanted to sell their share of the Blues, which equaled approximately 70 percent of the ownership.  Checketts searched far and wide for a new financial backer, but it seems that his efforts have gone to the waste side.  Checketts announced that he and TowerBrook could not agree on a value of the shares.  In turn, Checketts has agreed to put his shares up for sale but will still maintain control until a new owner is found.  It will be more attractive to a potential buyer to have near-full ownership.  Reportedly, ten percent of ownership will still belong to St. Louis businessman Tom Stillman and other minority partners.

"The bottom line is I've been unable to make a deal with them. As a result, I've got to turn from being a buyer to a seller," Checketts said in a conference call late Wednesday afternoon.

"It's not what I wanted to have happened.  But I can't make a deal with [TowerBrook] and we agreed a long time ago that if we got to this spot, then I would have to take this step. And now I have to take this step."

Were you done with this guy?

As a fan, you may have been after last season.  The then-21 year old Swede finished his second-NHL season with a jaw-dropping 13 goals and 13 assists in 71 games played, earning him a permanent seat in the Blues doghouse.  For the last half of the season, Berglund was showcasing his skills on the fourth scoring line with the likes of Brad Winchester and B.J. Crombeen.

Berglund gave the Blues coaching staff reason to believe that he belonged in the same spot to start this season, posting just four goals and one assist in his first 13 games played.  It seemed that Berglund was the only one not clicking to start the season, as in that 13 game span the Blues were an astonishing 9-2-2.  After that, Berglund stepped up just when the Blues needed him the most.

On November 10, the Blues suffered their toughest loss in Columbus, getting shelled 8-1.  But the biggest loss was not even on the scoreboard; then-leading point-scorer T.J. Oshie broke his ankle in the loss and would not be back until much later in the season.

It was the wake-up call that Berglund needed.