Yes, the Blues have finally escaped the Western Conference cellar.

They got back to basics Friday night at Scottrade Center and blanked the explosive Blackhawks 1-0. Chris Mason built on his solid showing at Nashville to earn his second consecutive shutout against Chicago.

Hockey Guy loved how the Blues bore down in their zone and made ABSOLUTELY SURE they blocked shots, closed passing lanes, controlled rebounds and cleared the puck to alleviate pressure. They were very strong on the puck from start to finish.

They stifled a potent three-line offense and unplugged one of the NHL’s most dangerous power plays. They defended a dangerous 6-on-4 situation at the end of the game, sparing coach Andy Murray a bad case of the Deja Blues.

The Blackhawks, meanwhile, are wondering why the Blues have their number this year.

“We’ve had a tough time against this team,” Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews told the Chicago Tribune. ”They play really well against us. We need to look at this team specifically and figure out what we need to do better to be more successful against them.”

“Give them credit for the way they played in their own zone. They played physical. We need to battle a little harder and get better puck support. We didn’t shoot the puck enough and create enough in front of their goaltender to get on the board.”

For Blues reaction to the victory, check out this link.

With 53 points in 55 games, the Blues have passed the Avalanche (losers of four consecutive games) to move into 14^th place – just two points behind the Coyotes, Predators and Kings.

The long climb continues . . .

BENCHING JAY MCKEE

Injuries and inconsistency have marred Jay McKee’s three-year tenure in St. Louis. The latest blow came Friday when Murray made the veteran defenseman a healthy scratch one night after his last-second failure in Nashville.

Nobody cares more than McKee. He sacrifices his body and his well-being in every game his plays.

But he is getting paid $4 million to stabilize this team’s defense, not weaken it. The Note can only hope that he regroups and redoubles his effort when he works back in the lineup.

The organization would love to get McKee’s money off the books for next year, but trading will be difficult if he is watching games in street clothes.

Meanwhile, second-year defenseman Steve Wagner is boosting his stock while filling a hope for this injury-riddled unit.

WHAT’S MY LINE?

This is the favorite game of Blues fans. Many folks how when Murray puts David Perron on the “energy line” at even strength.

Andy McDonald had early success playing left wing with Patrik Berglund and T.J. Oshie, but fans want to see him center a scoring line and allow Perron to move back with his young cohorts.

But having options is a good thing for Murray, who can assemble a better-balanced offensive lineup now while mixing and matching forwards.

MANNY BEING MANNY

Exiled Blues goaltender Manny Legace is making a good impression down in Peoria. It will be interesting to see how other NHL assess his work during the next few weeks.

Give him credit for taking a positive attitude down to the AHL with him.

AROUND THE RINKS: With Yan Stastny down with the Rivermen on a conditioning stint, current Blues need to pick up their game. The Blues will have to bring Stastny back in two weeks or expose him to waivers. Based on what Yan did earlier this season, Hockey Guy can’t imagine that happening . . . Old Friend Doug Weight appeared to be a prime trade candidate for the Islanders, but then he suffered a sprained knee that will sideline him for six weeks . . . Blue Jackets goaltender Steve Mason came off the injured list to beat the Red Wings 3-2. The NHL’s top rookie is battling a midseason case of mononucleosis . . . Ducks defenseman Scott Niedermayer is still mulling his future. Will he retire after this season or return for one final year and play in the 2010 Olympics in his native British Columbia? If he appears ready to go for one more year, that could prompt the Ducks to deal Old Friend Chris Pronger before he hits the final year of his contract . . . With 16 of their last 28 games at home, the Panthers are positioned to make a strong run for the last Eastern Conference playoff spot. They went on an 11-3-3 run to start the new year . . . The Blues can only hope that the tandem of Erik Johnson and Alex Pietrangelo can blossom the way Drew Doughty and Kyle Quincey are blossoming for the Kings . . . If the Lightning start dumping salaries, the Flames would like to bid on Gary Roberts, the Canadiens would love to add Vincent Lecavalier and Pittsburgh would be interested in Martin St. Louis. Of course, figuring out what Tampa Bay will do next is impossible . . . Flyers center Daniel Briere hopes to return from his abdominal/groin injury by Feb. 25, which will force the Flyers to clear significant salary cap space for him . . . All-Star Canadiens goaltender Carey Price has lost seven of his last nine games, which is why Jaroslav Halak was in goal for Friday night’s 4-2 victory at Colorado . . . When the Oilers came to town, we heard lots of bad things about pricey power forward Dustin Penner. The kid hasn’t worked hard enough to live up to his big deal, which is why Edmonton would like to get him off the books.