Backes to make first return to St. Louis with Bruins
ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Blues, who have not won two consecutive games for more than a month, will 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 going to 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 going to 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."
