Goalie news…

Ty Conklin made 36 saves in the Blues overtime loss at Tampa Bay – and when the Lightning scored with 6 seconds of overtime left…well, as the above video shows, Conks was not a happy bunny. Good for him – nice to see a bit of passion from time to time.

Jaroslav Halak has recovered from his upper body injury and is now good to go – as such, Ben Bishop has been reassigned to Peoria.

Andy Strickland has stated at True Hockey.com that the Red Wings may have interest in Conklin. It will be intriguing to see if this develops. If the Blues DO trade Conklin and then make the playoffs, we’ll see Ben Bishop being Halak’s backup.

BREAKING NEWS

Jaroslav Halak will not play tonight against Edmonton.

Halak is now listed as “day to day” with the ubiquitous “upper body injury” – which is rumoured to be a hand injury.

Ty Conklin will get the start tonight and Ben Bishop has been called up from Peoria.

More news as it’s announced.

A. Mac is back

He’s back. And let’s hope for more of the above. Andy McDonald has been activated from IR and is expected to play on Friday.

As a consequence, Phil McRae has been reassigned to Peoria. McRae has impressed in his brief spell with the Blues and I’m looking forward to seeing more of him in the future.

Here we go…

If you missed the All Star Game then check out the Guardian Project that was unveiled during intermission – have to say I rather like “The Blue”.

Well, the second half of the season starts tomorrow and the Blues really need to come out strong. Some good news to start with – it looks like Barret Jackman will be back tomorrow. Bad news – the status of Erik Johnson is unknown after he took a deflected puck to the face in practice today. As the saying goes, if the Blues didn’t have bad luck they wouldn’t have any luck at all. As far as Andy McDonald goes, Chris Kerber has just tweeted that McDonald is NOT expected back tomorrow but that the weekend looks more likely.

In other news, the Blues have recalled Philip McRae and Nikita Nikitin from Peoria – and have sent down Stefan Della Rovere.

Now, if the Blues are to make the playoffs there are a number of players who need to raise their games – and one of the most important is Jaroslav Halak. Halak has not had a good January – and yes, I know the defense has been hit, the forwards haven’t been backchecking enough and that our special teams and turnovers have almost crippled the team. But – this is the very time that Halak needs to come up strong. And I have no doubt that he will. Word is that he’s been working with Blues goalie coach, Corey Hirsch, on his positioning. They’ve been watching video and using Scott Mellanby as a screen whilst pucks are fired at Halak. Halak is working on staying farther out in his crease – a lot of his problems recently have been from drifting back into his crease and getting caught there. Staying at the top of the crease and being aggressive is what he needs to do. Of course, it might help if there was a defenseman, apart from Barret Jackman, who will get physical with opposition players who set up camp in Halak’s crease.

I have faith that Jaroslav Halak will rediscover his game – it’s not been easy for him. Having to adjust not just to a different team (with not as strong a defense as Montreal) but also adjusting to a different Conference. The West is much tougher than the East. It has to be remembered that Halak is also adjusting to something else: being a number 1 goalie. This is his first season as number 1 – it’ll take time. Personally, I think the All Star break is just what Halak needs. He can regroup – take a step back and start again.

Brace yourselves – because I think Halak will come up very strong in the second half of the season. He’s our franchise goaltender and whilst this season may be looked upon as a transition period, I’m very excited about how this guy is going to develop in the next few years.

Updates…

Had to start it all off with that amazing save from Jaroslav Halak last night which preserved a vital point for the Blues. Unfortunately, the Blues lost in OT to the Red Wings following a too many men on the ice for the Wings that the officials completely missed/ignored.

There was some good news for the Blues though, in the shape of updates regarding Andy McDonald and David Perron.

Andy McDonald:

McDonald has passed the mandatory baseline test and is skating again. He will be skating a little more each day to see how things respond – but both the Blues and McDonald will obviously continue to be cautious. McDonald has missed 21 games so far and had this to say to reporters:

“There was some progression today. I was on the ice a little bit longer, with a little bit more intensity. I think that’s the way it’s going to be for a while. I’m going to try to progress each day, add a little bit and see how it responds.”

David Perron:

Perron has also passed the baseline test but does continue to have SOME symptoms. Indications are that light exercise could be beneficial and Perron himself says he’s feeling well enough to try it. Obviously Perron isn’t as far along the recovery road as McDonald but it’s good news nonetheless that things ARE progressing. Perron had this to say:

“It’s been tough, but I think now that it’s getting a little better, it feels pretty good. But early on it was really tough to stay away from the rink.”

“You don’t get to come to the rink. It might sound weird, but that’s the toughest thing. It’s not the headaches and stuff like that; it’s not being able to be here every day and skate with your teammates.”

The full interviews with both Andy McDonald and David Perron are on the Blues Website.

Oshie and Wellwood…

photo © 2010 Dinur Blum | more info(via: Wylio)

 

 
He’s back. The Blues announced today that TJ Oshie has been activated from IR and is expected to play tonight against the Los Angeles Kings. Those of you with tickets to the game? Lucky people.

Also, Kyle Wellwood has been claimed off waivers by the San Jose Sharks. Another short lived signing by the Blues. Guess it’s time they gave up on signing players from the KHL. Other teams let the Blues do the work and simply grab the player from waivers.

Blues lose Svatos

According to Darren Pang on Twitter (Panger40), Nashville have claimed Marek Svatos off waivers from St Louis.

The Blues obviously knew that this could happen but were willing to take the chance. Well…it was nice knowing you in that short time, Marek Svatos, but as you will now play for a Division rival, I’m sure you’ll forgive us for not wishing you TOO well.

Blues sign Marek Svatos

The Blues have announced that they have signed former Colorado Avalanche forward, Marek Svatos, to a one year deal. Svatos was playing in the KHL until recently.

Although he will practise with the team today, Svatos will not be eligible to play until Friday. He also has to clear waivers first.

Here’s the full press release from the Blues Official Site:

St. Louis Blues Executive Vice President and General Manager Doug Armstrong announced Tuesday the club has signed free agent forward Marek Svatos (MAIR-ehk, SVA-tohs) to a one-year contract.

Svatos, 28, has made 19 appearances with the Kontinental Hockey League’s (KHL) Omsk Avangard this season recording eight points including three goals and five assists.

In 2009-10, the 5’10, 185-pound forward tallied seven goals and four assists for 11 points in 54 regular season games with the Colorado Avalanche as well as a goal and two penalty minutes in three playoff outings.

For his career, Svatos has dressed in 316 NHL games, all with Colorado, accumulating 164 points including 96 goals and 68 assists.

The Kosice, Slovakia native was originally drafted by Colorado in the seventh round, 227th overall, of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft.

He will wear number 40.

Roman Polak Activated From IR

Roman Polak has today been activated from IR and will play against the Canucks on Monday. Ian Cole has been assigned to Peoria. Polak, who had surgery to repair a severed tendon in his right wrist, has been skating and practising with the team for the last couple of weeks.

Ian Cole has played extremely well since his callup from Peoria – and it’s unlikely to be the last we see of him this season.

Brad Boyes – A Riddle Wrapped In A Mystery Inside An Enigma

Yes, I know the above quote from Winston Churchill referred to the Russians, but it also seems to fit Brad Boyes. There are not many players who are as much of a riddle, mystery and enigma than Brad Boyes. With a poor season last year and the Blues in the midst of an offensive injury “crisis”, the time is perfect for Brad Boyes to step up and show what he’s made of. Worryingly, Boyes has all but disappeared on the ice. The Blues are Boyes’ 4th NHL team and he’s 28 years old – so, is there a pattern here?

Boyes was drafted in the first round, 24th overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2000 Entry Draft. Boyes spent time with the Erie Otters in the OHL and St John’s Maple Leafs in the AHL – registering 23 goals and 28 assists in his first AHL season before being traded by the Toronto Maple Leafs to the San Jose Sharks in 2003, along with Alyn McCauley and a first round draft pick in 2003 for Owen Nolan. Boyes played one NHL game for the Sharks, spending the rest of his time in the AHL with the Cleveland Barons.