The St. Louis Blues, who have not won two consecutive games for more than a month, are going to try a new approach for Tuesday night's game against the visiting Boston Bruins.
After a 4-3 win over the Dallas Stars on Saturday night, defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk said the Blues will prepare for the next game as if they had lost.
"I think that's something that we do such a good job of, when we lose, is come back and play well," Shattenkirk said. "We have to treat Tuesday's game like we have that hunger to get another win. It's gonna be important for us to do that because Boston's a team that can catch us if we're not ready for them."
The victory over the Stars left the Blues with a 12-5-2 record in games following a loss this season.
Tuesday night's game will feature the return to St. Louis of former Blues captain David Backes. He signed with the Bruins as a free agent last summer after 10 years with the Blues.
"He's gonna want to have a big showing, but we have to put all that aside and try to get a winning streak going," Shattenkirk said.
Backes is third on the Bruins with 11 goals and scored in each of the first two games on the Bruins' current four-game trip. He also recorded 10 assists in his first 35 games.
Backes already faced the Blues, on Nov. 22 in Boston, but his homecoming promises to be a more emotional night. He played 727 career games for the Blues, the fifth most in franchise history. His total of 206 goals ranks sixth on the team's all-time list.
Blues coach Ken Hitchcock has experienced the return of many former players during his long career, so he has an idea of what lies ahead for Backes.
"I'm sure for David it will be unique and once in a lifetime," Hitchcock said. "Both teams are fighting for a playoff spot and fighting for positioning, so the focus will be on the game a little more for us. It was emotional for us when we went to Boston for the whole team, but I think the team is more accustomed to it now. It will be emotional for David.
"I'm sure he's going to get a big ovation. He deserves it. He was a good player for a long time here. Some people are good players, and then there's good people. David's good people. He was great in the community, great on the ice, great as a leader, he did a lot of things. He sure made my job a lot easier."
Backes and his new teammates will be trying to extend the Blues' streak without winning consecutive games, which last happened during a three-game winning streak from Nov. 26 to Dec. 1.
The game against the Hurricanes was the third in four nights, and the second half of back-to-back games in Florida and Carolina for the Bruins. After earning three of a possible four points in the games on Saturday and Sunday, Boston took Monday off and did not practice after arriving in St. Louis.
"We had our chances and we couldn't capitalize," forward Tim Schaller said of the loss to the Hurricanes. "If we could have won that in regulation it would have been nice. We knew we could beat them. We knew our legs might not be 100 percent, but mentally we knew we could beat them. We had a good fight."
Blues • The Blues wrap up a six-game homestand by welcoming former captain David Backes back to town for the first time since he signed with Boston last summer. ... The Blues and Bruins have met once this season, Nov. 22 in Boston, a game the Blues won 4-2 despite a goal from Backes. ... Jake Allen, who made a season-high 39 saves in the win over Boston, will be back in net Tuesday after sitting out Saturday’s win over Dallas.
Bruins • Boston is in second place in the Atlantic Division with 47 points, nine behind first-place Montreal. ... The Bruins will be playing their third game in four nights, after winning 4-0 over Florida on Saturday and falling 4-3 at Carolina on Sunday ... Backes missed three games recently with a concussion, but he has played in the last two and has scored a goal in each, giving him 11 this season. He also has 10 assists for 21 points in 35 games.
Injuries • Blues — D Carl Gunnarsson (lower body) and D Robert Bortuzzo (lower body), out. Bruins — LW Matt Beleskey (knee), out.
Tonight is a big night for the Blues, not only because David Backes will return to Scottrade Center for the first time, but also because it marks the end of a six-game, 19-day homestand, as well as the beginning of a stretch that will see the team play 21 of their next 34 games on the road. The Blues nipped the Bruins 4-2 back on Nov. 22 at TD Garden. Backes showed well for the Bruins in that outing, scoring a power-play goal and registering six shots. St. Louis has won three of their last four against Boston and two of the last three at Scottrade Center. Following tonight's game, the team will head west for a three-game swing through California (LA, SJS, ANA) to begin the toughest and most critical stretch of the 2016-17 regular season schedule.
What to Watch
David Backes' return should be emotional, not only for the former Blues captain, but for the Scottrade Center faithful. The Blues plan to honor Backes with a tribute video that should draw the usual outpour of appreciation from Blues fans. On the Blues side, Vladimir Tarasenko, who is riding a season-best three-game goal streak, will appear in his 300th game tonight while Alexander Steen will look to improve on his three-game point streak. A point tonight and Steen could match his longest streak of the season, while the Blues could improve on their 12-3-2 record when Steen finds the point sheet this season.
Milestones
Patrik Berglund will dress in game No. 596 tonight, passing Jamal Mayers for seventh among forwards and 12th overall in Blues history
Jori Lehtera - 2 shy of 100 career PIM
Kyle Brodziak - 5 shy of 400 career PIM
Jaden Schwartz - 4 shy of 100 career assists
Joel Edmundson - 7 shy of 100 career PIM
Patrik Berglund - 4 shy of 200 career PIM
Quick Hits
The Blues have posted 12 steals in each of their last two games and lead the NHL with a 1.36 takeaway to giveaway ratio
David Backes' 30 goal - 30 assist - +30 season in 2010-11 is the only one of its kind in Blues history
Since the beginning of December, only Vladimir Tarasenko (10) has more goals than Patrik Berglund (6)
From Oct. - Dec., the Blues ranked 19th overall with a -6 goal differential while they share 6th-best with a +2 mark in 2017
This day in history:
1920 Montreal Canadiens (14) & Toronto St Patricks (7) score NHL record 21 goals
1931 Philadelphia Quakers defeat Montreal ending NHL-record 15-game losing streak
1945 No one is elected to baseball's Hall of Fame
1981 Wayne Babych sets Blues team record for consecutive games with a goal scoring in his 8th straight as Blues tie Kings 6-6
1984 Mike Liut wins 5th straight start as Blues shutout Canucks 2-0
1989 Wayne Gretzky passes Gordie Howe for the most combined points (regular season and playoffs) in NHL history
2012 Blues blank Canadiens 3-0 on Jaroslav Jalak's 19 save shutout