The St. Louis Blues have had their share of struggles on
home ice during the early part of this season. Then again, it's hard for a
team to win anywhere if it can't score goals.
Coming off back-to-back shutout losses, the slumping Blues return to action
tonight to host the Calgary Flames at the Scottrade Center.
St. Louis followed up a 2-0 home setback to Phoenix on October 29 with
Saturday's 4-0 defeat to visiting Florida, which extended the club's scoreless
drought to 123 minutes and 50 seconds. It's the first time the Blues have been
shut out in two straight home games since November 20-22, 1997.
Saturday's loss was the third in a row for the Blues at the Scottrade Center,
where the team has gone just 1-5-0 so far in 2009-10. St. Louis has been
outscored by a whopping 10-1 margin during its current home losing streak.
"We need to be better. Our fans deserve more," said Blues head coach Andy
Murray after the Florida game.
Compounding matters for St. Louis is the doubtful status of Andy McDonald,
whose four goals are tied with veteran sniper Paul Kariya for the club lead,
for tonight's matchup. The talented forward left Saturday's test with an
upper-body injury after crashing head-first into the boards during the third
period and did not practice on Wednesday.
Calgary comes in off a hard-fought overtime victory at Dallas on Wednesday
that put an end to a two-game losing streak. Jarome Iginla capped off a big
night by netting the deciding goal 1:25 into the extra period to lift the
Flames to a 3-2 win.
Iginla also scored Calgary's first goal of the game and assisted on Daymond
Langkow's tally with 49 seconds remaining in regulation that forced overtime.
Curtis McElhinney, subbing for an ailing Miikka Kiprusoff in goal, stopped 38-
of-40 shots for the Flames and denied the Stars' Brenden Morrow on a penalty
shot in the second period. Kiprusoff sat out due to flu-like symptoms and is
questionable to return tonight.
Flames defenseman Robyn Regehr had an assist on Iginla's first goal and has
now registered a helper in six consecutive games.
Calgary, which improved to 3-1-1 on the road with last night's triumph, has
dominated this series in recent years. The Flames are 15-2-1 in their last 18
meetings with the Blues and have compiled an 8-1-1 record in St. Louis over
that span. Calgary has won in each of its last three trips to the Scottrade
Center.
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