Probleme » combined for seven shutouts aided by strong support

ST. LOUIS -- The secret is out on T.J. Oshie, who showed the world at the Sochi Olympics hes perfected the art of the shootout. Hes among nine Olympians whove rejoined a top contender that doesnt overly rely on razzle-dazzle. The St. Louis Blues are in prime position for the NHL stretch drive. They lack star power, with no one among the top 25 scorers, but are second overall in the Western Conference and atop the Central Division entering the re-start Wednesday at Vancouver. "Weve played awfully well. Weve been really resilient all year, weve responded to challenges all year," coach Ken Hitchcock said before the break. "But its going to really get dialed up when we get back and our players recognize that. "I think some guys are really looking forward to it." So far, theyve done the franchise proud. The next few months, theyll be working on solidifying their position and proving they belong against other powers in the conference. Theyre 3-0 against the defending Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks, but 1-2 against the Kings, 0-3 against the Sharks and 0-2 against the Ducks. The Sharks have outscored them 16-7, the Ducks 8-4. "I told the players when we come back in March and April, its for them," Hitchcock said. "They have to really grab it coming back." The blueprint for success is a defence thats allowed the second-fewest goals. Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott have combined for seven shutouts aided by strong support and willing shot blockers throughout the defensive rotation. Oshie and Alexander Steen are tied for the team scoring lead at 46 points, Steens total coming in 46 games due to a lengthy concussion-related absence. Theres plenty of depth with six players scoring at least 14 goals and Alex Pietrangelo is the first defenceman in franchise history and first in the NHL since Dion Phaneuf (2005-08) to record 40 or more points in each of his first three seasons. Theyve been dominant without much of a power play lately, entering the break in an 0-for-20 skid that included numerous failures with the two-man advantage. The Blues must regain their stride quickly after the break with 12 games in 22 days and never more than one day of rest. Theyve played the fewest games in the Western Conference and have three games in hand on the Ducks, first overall, and Blackhawks, who like St. Louis have 84 points. "Its really going to be like coming out of the lockout where everybody is full-tilt and every point means something down the stretch," defenceman Barret Jackman said. "Its going to be about the mental focus coming back and being the team that doesnt crack in those one-goal games." The Blues got a taste of the pressure going to overtime the last four games prior to the Olympics. They won three of them, with Oshie providing a preview of his Sochi show with four shootout goals to drive the United States past Russia in a preliminary round game. Stateside, Oshie scored in overtime to beat the Bruins, scored in the shootout to help beat the Jets and had a goal and assist against the Senators and then scored again in the shootout in a 5-4 loss. "We came through some injuries, sickness, like a lot of teams have gone through," Jackman said. "But were still one of the top teams in the league and thats a pretty good feeling." Hugo Lloris Jersey . Pierre last November, only to watch St. Pierre leave the UFC octagon with his welterweight title belt and a split-decision victory. Zinedine Zidane Jersey . Then he got back at the team that released him five days before the start of last season, hitting a tiebreaking double in the ninth inning of the first game at Fenway Park since Boston won the World Series last October. http://www.nationalfrancesoccer.com/samuel-umtiti-france-jersey/ .A. Dickey, even though he was coming off a Cy Young Award in 2012. Many felt the Jays would regret giving up righthanded pitcher prospect Noah Syndergaard and catcher Travis DArnaud over the long haul. Thomas Lemar Jersey . The Rangers centre left early in Game 1 with an upper body injury after being checked by Canadiens defenceman Mike Weaver and has not played since. Brassard told reporters after practice that he was good to go. That brought a smile to the face of Rangers coach Alain Vigneault. Nabil Fekir France Jersey .J. -- The New York Jets have promoted Tony Sparano Jr.Raleigh, NC (SportsNetwork.com) - Eric Staal posted a goal and one assist while Jordan Staal contributed a pair of helpers to Carolinas 4-2 decision over Tampa Bay on Tuesday. Nathan Gerbe, Justin Faulk and Jiri Tlusty also lit the lamp for the Hurricanes, who have won three in a row. Anton Khudobin won thanks to a 28- save effort. Before the game I was preparing myself to have fun. Its fun to play against really good teams, said Khudobin. Cedric Paquette and Brian Boyle supplied offense for the Lightning, who were denied a season-series sweep. Ben Bishop took the loss after stopping only 18 pucks. Tlusty beat Bishop from the left side off a 2-on-1 rush and pass from Faulk before eight minutes elapsed in the third and the hosts were on top by a 4-2 count. Khudobin preserved the winning margin with eight saves in the final 20 minutes, as the Lightning couldnt generate quality chances with Bishop on the bench for an extra skater in the final two-plus minutes. Eric Staal scored just 22 seconds after the opening faceoff with an assist from brother Jordan, who striipped the puck from Tampa captain Steven Stamkos at the right-wing boards near the blue line.dddddddddddd You come out and give a goal up in the first 20 seconds of the game, unacceptable, and it?s basically an own goal, said Lightning coach Jon Cooper. It was 2-0 for Carolina at 6:05, when a shot by Brett Bellemore from the right point bounced off the end boards and Gerbe potted the carom from the left side. Tampa got one back when Paquette crashed the crease and swept home a Jonathan Drouin rebound with 5:55 left in the first. Faulks point shot through traffic on a power play at 8:27 of the second restored the Hurricanes two-goal margin, before Boyles short-handed breakaway made it a one-goal game once more inside of six minutes to play. Game Notes Carolina improved to 7-2-1 in January ... Tampa Bay collected its fifth short- handed goal of the season thanks to Boyle, and is tied with three other clubs for the fourth-most in the NHL ... Before the game, the Hurricanes recalled defenseman Ryan Murphy from Charlotte of the AHL. 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