Welcome to St. Louis ...

... here is your ass on a plate.

The Blues (and Manny Legace) recorded their second shutout of the week with a 1-0 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. It was a big win for the home team considering that the past few home games have resulted in disappointing losses. A round of applause goes out to Stemper for his sweet shot that marked his 50th career goal.

The Blues defense was certainly stronger. I was very impressed with Bryce Salvador and Jamal Mayers, in particular. I thought the Blues power play was going to be much better since the guys had been working on it this week, but there was no change. They remained 0-for-4 despite playing against the team with the worst penalty kill in the league. Congratulations. No wonder our power play is ranked 30th -- or last place -- in the entire NHL. Andy Murray did switch up the PP lines a lot, so if I wanted to rationalize the situation, that would be the way to go.

Despite playing the night before, the 'Canes were on fire, especially during the first period. Having two fights in two seconds off two face-offs didn't hurt, either. DJ King, aka Mr. Likes-To-Fight, is definitely your stereotypical hockey player. I pretty much expect him to give somebody a good beatdown in every game. I was more surprised by Dan Hinote's fisticuffs with Craig Adams. I knew something was going to hit the fan as soon as Hinote dropped the gloves -- the classic sign of upcoming violence. Hot.

I have to give Carolina's Eric Staal credit for being a good player. If the Blues weren't playing opposite Staal, I would like him more. Michael Leighton showed nice skill in the net for the 'Canes, especially since this is only his second NHL start. He sure fooled me from the way he owned the goal. But there ain't no goalie who can outshine Legace. Manny is a hockey god.

Another round of applause goes out to the entire Blues organization for being ranked #1 by Hockey Future. We have a strong group of young guys who are really proving themselves. Rookies can sometimes be overlooked, but the Blues have done a great job of acknowledging how much potential they have. Erik Johnson, David Perron, T.J. Oshie, and Patrik Berglund (who recently received a silver medal at the World Junior Championships in Sweden) are included on the list.

With a final score of 1-0, I bid the Hurricanes "adieu" and a "see you in another six years."