THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: Which of the young Blues players do you feel will grow into the most prodigious goal-scorer for this team?

JEREMY RUTHERFORD
It seems like the answer to this question changes each month, and I suppose that’s to be expected. When Paul Kariya once said that Patrik Berglund would be a 100-point player in the NHL, I agreed with Kariya. That’s the player I saw, too, a guy who would have more assists than goals, but a guy who could score 5-on-5 and also use his one-timer to rack up power-play goals. But Berglund, stuck on two goals this season, has been invisible.

T.J. Oshie scored 14 goals in 59 games last season, including a dandy on Roberto Luongo, and so I felt that if he stayed healthy, he might be the best goal scorer of the young bunch. Oshie has played a good all-around game this season, but he has just two goals. He spent time on the defensive stopper unit and missed a week with an appendectomy, but when in an offensive role, Oshie hasn’t created many scoring opportunities for himself.

So my answer in November is David Perron, who leads the Blues with seven goals. It’s the safe answer after Tuesday’s hat-trick, but Perron simply makes things happen. He has an edge to his game. He creates space. He can stick-handle with anyone on the team. He’s got an underestimated shot. Granted, Perron has been playing on a good line lately, with Andy McDonald and Brad Boyes, but he deserves that assignment. If you had to pick between the three today, you might pick Oshie because of his constant presence on the ice, but if your team needs a goal-scorer, you have to take Perron.

JEFF GORDON
I’m in the tank for David Perron. I love the kid’s tenacity and he seems hungry to score. He has a nose for the puck and takes hits to make plays around the net. He has the skills to beat defensemen one-on-one to create his own opportunities. He is a good passer, too, and sometimes is too unselfish. He isn’t a big guy, but he isn’t easily knocked off the puck. He is a bit of a showman, too, which only adds to his potential.

TOM TIMMERMANN
Well, I don’t think any of them are going to be battling for the league lead anytime soon — make that ever — but if one of them is going to lead the Blues in goals for years to come, I think it will be Perron. You don’t pop up in the NHL and start scoring a ton of goals if you didnt’ score a ton of goals at lower levels. It’s hard to be a 50-goal scorer in the NHL if you scored 15 in a half season of juniors, unless you can say you were surrounded by lousy teammates. Perron had some good goal-scoring seasons as a junior, which probably gives him the best chance in the NHL.

DAN O’NEILL
I’m not sure any of them are going to become prodigious goal scorers. Right now, I would settle for “occasional” goal scorer, the way this team is going.

ANDY STRICKLAND (Hockeybuzz.com, KFNS)
All these players play with a high level of skill. They can all skate and play with the puck. Forecasting the future is hard, but in this case there’s one obvious answer. David Perron is playing with a ton of confidence and, more importantly, he’s getting an opportunity to play with some pretty good players in Boyes and McDonald. He has an underrated shot but also understands how to play with talented players and we’re starting to see him elevate his game. Perron is also two years younger than Oshie, who in my opinion will develop into the best all-around player of the group. Both Oshie and Berglund are struggling with confidence right now but should eventually find their game. We haven’t seen enough from guys like Aaron Palushaj or Lars Eller at the NHL level to draw any real analysis.

Perron brings a level of enthusiasm and passion to the rink unmatched by the other players. This kid wants to be a star and spends more time away from the rink and in the summer developing his craft.

THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: David Perron was seemingly all over the ice Wednesday night, from battling in the corners to popping the puck in the net. Long term, what kind of player do you see Perron becoming? Does he have the potential to be elite, will he simply be a nice, complimentary player or will his inconsistency ultimately lead to him being labeled an underachiever?

JEREMY RUTHERFORD
I don’t know if Perron will be an elite scorer in the NHL, but in my view, he will be a very productive offensive player before it’s all said and done. Outside of Andy McDonald, Perron may be the Blues’ most skilled forward. The one thing McDonald has on him is experience.

Because he’s not established, Perron has played at times this season like he doesn’t want to make a mistake. Lately, playing on the defensive stopper line, he has looked much better, probably because he’s playing looser.

In the long run, Perron will be a top-six forward who will be equally gifted at scoring and passing. But he needs to use his teammates more and not be afraid to make a mistake.

KEVIN WHEELER (Host of “Sports Open Line” on KMOX)
I don’t think Perron is going to be an elite player. The “elite” tag is for guys like Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, Henrik Zetterberg and others like that. Perron is not going to be that kind of player. That said, I think he can be a 30+ goal scorer someday and eventually reach the 70-80 point total. I wouldn’t be shocked, given his skill level and the fact that he’s still just 21, if he had a 40-goal season or two and a few All-Star appearances before it’s all said and done. He’ll be a Top 6 forward, a power play guy and he’ll provide plenty of highlight reel material because of his creativity. I just can’t go as far as to say he’ll be an elite player.

ROGER HENSLEY
I think Perron is insanely talented and has the highest upside of any player on this Blues squad. I also think Perron has been maddeningly inconsistent at times, which makes it difficult for me to figure out what kind of player he’ll actually end up becoming. Given, he’s only 21, so some inconsistency should be expected.

All that said, I think that Perron has the potential to ultimately be a 35- or 40-goal scorer perenially when he reaches his prime years … and given his professional start at an early age, that should come sooner rather than later and perhaps expand a few years longer than some. But the key word there is still “potential.”

This season I see Perron starting to do more things than he has in the past. I see the willingness to get his hands dirty in the corners. I see him (now that he put on almost 20 pounds in the offseason) looking for folks to hit on the ice. And I see a guy who seems to keep his head up more, which puts him more in the flow of the game with the rest of his teammates — which in turn opens up passing, both sending and receiving the puck.

But what ultimately makes Perron special are the things he can do when he has that puck on his stick. Full speed, body moving one direction while his stick and puck move the other … it’s a sight to behold when he’s on top of his game. For him to become that 35- to 40-goal scorer, Blues fans will need to see THAT David Perron more consistently on a nightly basis.

THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: Last season’s late playoff push got Blues fans excited in a major way for this season. Then there was the dramatic trip to Sweden that brought two victories over the Red Wings. Lost in the excitement is the underlying fact that the Blues are still young and relatively inexperienced. Do you think fan expecations for this team are too high right now?

JEREMY RUTHERFORD
This is a tough call, but, yes, expectations are probably too high. You have to look at what those expectations are based on: a playoff appearance last year, the potential of young players like T.J Oshie, David Perron and Patrik Berglund, and the return of injured players like Paul Kariya and Erik Johnson. Although the Blues deserve a ton of credit for their second half, and they were in every playoff game against Vancouver, the postseason ended in a sweep. Moving on, no one can guarantee the youngsters will turn into the stars most think they will be. And meanwhile, Kariya and Johnson have some rust to knock off. The Blues should be a playoff team and those expectations are legitimate, but some folks have the incorrect impression that they should be a dominant club right out of the hop.

JEFF GORDON
With the return of Erik Johnson and Paul Kariya and the addition of Ty Conklin and Darryl Sydor, this team has an excellent talent base. I like this mix of young players and battle-tested veterans. This team has experience, leadership AND young legs. There are several helpful players at Peoria, too, which protects this team from major injury concerns. For a big chunk of Thursday’s game, we saw, again, what this team is capable of.

DAN O’NEILL
There is no question that fan expectation is too high right now. It’s simple mathematics. The fans expect the Blues to be a playoff team, maybe even one that goes deep into postseason play. In contrast, the Blues have won two of their first five games, a pace that definitely will not make the playoffs. So, you have a square peg and a round hole. But it is five games into the season, much too early to judge the Blues as underachievers. Players like Erik Johnson and Paul Kariya need time to find their game after missing an entire year. T.J. Oshie, Brad Boyes and David Backes are not rolling yet. Give it time.

ANDY STRICKLAND (Hockeybuzz.com, KFNS)
When you win expectations are increased. It’s a fact of life. There is no reason for Blues fans not to have placed heavy expectations on this club heading into the season. The Blues as an organization earned high expectations with their performance last season. It’s a new world for the Blues regime and this hockey team. No longer are the Blues able to rest on the idea that they are rebuilding. Keith Tkachuk told me prior to the season the team expects to contend. I’m not ready to categorize them as a Cup contender just yet, but if they were to fail to make the playoffs it would be a drastic step in the wrong direction. The Blues should be held to a high standard because they have good players and coaches they can win with. It’s perfectly acceptable for fans to expect this team to win a fair amount of hockey games. The days of the  Blues being just a feel-good story are in the rearview mirror.

THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: The Blues kick off their season at 2 p.m. today against the Red Wings. Hockey in St. Louis finally has arrived again. Who or what most intrigues you about the 2009-10 St. Louis Blues?

JEREMY RUTHERFORD
What intrigues me is whether the Blues will be able to stay healthy. Because if they stay healthy, they have a shot to be pretty good. Not only have the Blues suffered a number of injuries the past few seasons, but the injuries seem to happen to their best players. I realize that 20 guys aren’t going to play 82 games each. But the Blues can’t have a situation like last year when Paul Kariya played 11 games, Andy McDonald (46), T.J. Oshie (57), Eric Brewer (28) and D.J. King (1).

BERNIE MIKLASZ
I want to see how much Paul Kariya has left, and whether he’s still an elite offensive player. I want to see how quickly Erik Johnson emerges as the new Scott Stevens. I want to see if Chris Mason was for real. I want to see if David Perron can convert his enormous talent into 30 goals. I want to see if Alex Pietrangelo has the toughness to play in the NHL. I want to see how an ascending team handles the pressure of expectations. The Blues aren’t the scrappy little underdog anymore. They’ll be counted on to get to the playoffs and win a series and that’s a big change from the past few years.

JEFF GORDON
There are a lot of good stories on the Note, but T.J. Oshie is a real catalyst. He scores, he passes, he hits, he stirs it up. Had the Blues had him all last season, they wouldn’t have been half-dead at the holidays. A lot of national experts overlooking the Blues don’t know how good this kid can be.

KEVIN WHEELER (Host of “Sports Open Line” on KMOX)
I’m most curious about the big picture. Can this team advance in the playoffs facing the likes of San Jose, Detroit, Vancouver, Chicago, etc. in the 1st round? That’s what I’m focusing on. I’d be shocked if this team isn’t in the playoffs but once there, what will they do? A lot of that, of course, will depend on what they do throughout the course of the season. If they’re reasonably healthy all season long they will be a dangerous team regardless of the opponent and if the young guys continue their rapid improvement they could make a run in the playoffs. None of that will be known, however, until the end of the regular season.

ANDY STRICKLAND (Hockeybuzz.com, KFNS)
Can they continue where they left off last spring? Having expectations to win hockey games is new territory for the St. Louis Blues. This will be really interesting to follow this season. No longer can the Blues rest on the idea that they’re in rebuilding mode. People around the NHL are expecting the Blues to not only reach the playoffs but believe they have potential to make a little noise once they arrive. John Davidson recently told me the goal this season is to have home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. In order for this to happen the Blues need consistency in their game from day one. Are the Blues, as an organization, prepared to handle the pressure to win? It’s fair to say they’re slightly ahead of schedule from where they expected to be when Dave Checketts and company took over in 2006. There will be more attention on this hockey club to begin the season than we’ve seen in years. Thanks to the dismal performances football fans are growing accustomed to watching on Sundays, more and more eyes are focused on Andy Murray and his team this fall.

Managing adversity is critical for any team in any year and there will be times when things don’t go in the Blues favor. How they respond when things get tough will tell us whether or not this club is prepared to take a step forward. The Blues have a real chance to even more solidify themselves once again in the sports community and there is little reason to believe they won’t take advantage.

I’m also very intrigued to see if this will, in fact, be Keith Tkachuk’s last season in the NHL. The guy can still score goals and if he snipes 20-25 I can easily see the Blues extending “Big Walt” for another year. Will he accept? It’s never easy to walk away.

THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: As the Blues get set to hit the ice this weekend for the start of training camp, are there any particular players you are eager to see in terms of maturation, added size/muscle, return from injury, etc?

JEREMY RUTHERFORD
There are obvious players that everyone is eager to see in training camp. Erik Johnson and Paul Kariya fit in that category. Johnson, who has a toned up physique, will finally have a chance to show folks how special he is.

But I’ll go in a different direction today. I can’t wait to see T.J. Oshie and Patrik Berglund. Both are now aware of the rigors of the NHL and both had an entire offseason to use that knowledge in their training. Oshie and Berglund are capable of scoring 25 goals each, and that production could take the Blues to the next level.

I also think David Perron is geared up for a big year. He was one of the Blues’ best players in the playoffs, and after a great summer of training, he looks the part of an NHL player.

KEVIN WHEELER (Host of “Sports Open Line” on KMOX)
Having seen Erik Johnson, Patrik Berglund and a few others out at some of our summer Blues broadcasts (Chris Mason joins us tonight from 6-7 at the Sheraton across from Scottrade) I’ll go with two guys I haven’t seen yet. To me, the most intriguing guy entering camp is Paul Kariya. He says he hasn’t felt this good in years, he’s in a contract year and he’ll be surrounded by some outstanding talent. Should be interesting. I’m also interested in seeing if there is a noticeable difference in the look and performance of Alex Pietrangelo. A little added strength could be the difference between Petro being a part of the team rather than just a part of the future.

ANDY STRICKLAND (Hockeybuzz.com, KFNS)
For good reasons the obvious person to watch come training camp/preseason is Erik Johnson, just to see where his game is at after missing an entire year. Same can be said for Paul Kariya, who missed almost all of last season. Is Kariya still worthy of playing on the top line? Can he make others around him better? This season will determine whether his three-year, $18 million contract was money well spent or not.

Besides those guys I want to see if former 4th overall pick Alex Pietrangelo is ready to be a full time NHL D-man? The Blues will have a tough decision to make on whether or not to ship him back to the OHL if this kid doesn’t show the necessary improvement the club expects.

Others to watch are D-man Tyson Strachan, who has shown the ability to dominate the AHL. He may not be a big name but he’s a big body who’s tough and moves the puck well. And last but not least is rookie Aaron Palushaj who may be the Blues most skilled prospect they have in the organization who’s yet to play an NHL game. He still needs to add strength but he isn’t far away from playing in the show. How will he fare against the big Boys? Lars Eller is right there as well.

DAN O’NEILL
I am anxious to see Alex Pietrangelo, to see if he has matured some physically and see if he is ready to play in the NHL this season. The Blues have a definite need on the blue line and Pietrangelo could have a significant impact if he has progressed from last fall. And, of course, everyone is anxious to see Erik Johnson and whether he is ready to pick up where he left off late in his rookie season.

THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: Is there a specific area of need you think the Blues should address in the weekend’s draft, or do they just take the best available player at No. 17 overall?

JEREMY RUTHERFORD
The Blues have the No. 17 pick, but they believe they’ll get a player on their Top 10 list. That’s not an uncommon feeling heading into a draft. When the Blues drafted Patrik Berglund No. 25 overall in 2006, they felt they could get a player who was in their Top 15. They had to move up from No. 30 to do so, but they did it. Every team has a different list, so players you don’t expect to be available sometimes are.

The Blues don’t have a No. 1 (Erik Johnson) or a No. 4 (Alex Pietrangelo) draft selection like they’ve had in recent years, but they’ll get a good player at No. 17 . . . assuming they stand pat. Remember, T.J. Oshie went No. 24, Berglund went No. 25, David Perron went No. 26 in their respective drafts. Those three make up the youthful core of the team.

As far as this year’s draft, I believe the Blues will take the best player available, but they’re probably hoping its a forward. At some point, the Blues are going to trade one of their young forwards (not saying Perron, Berglund or Oshie, but somebody), and they’re going to have to keep the cupboard filled. So listen for names like RW Jordan Schroeder, C Scott Glennie or C Louis Leblanc at No. 17.

JEFF GORDON
They need to draft a forward. Which one . . . well, that is a toss-up, since nobody can predict how the draft will unfold after the first three picks. I’ve seen at least a half-dozen forward prospects linked to the Blues. Scorers, power forwards, skilled two-way centers — every description has been mentioned as possibilities for this team. Adding talent in any of these categories would be nice.

TOM TIMMERMANN
It’s unlikely they’ll get anyone who can make an immediate impact that far down, so I think it’s wrong to draft for immediate need. That being said, if there’s someone out there who has any kind of potential as a goalscorer, I say grab him. While Larry Pleau has told me one million times you can never have too many defensemen, if you can develop your own goalscorers, you save a bunch of cash and a lot of headaches on the free agency market. I say: Go for the offense.

DAN O’NEILL
Drafting at 17th, the Blues can’t approach things committed to filling a specific need. They have young forwards, they have young defensemen and they have young goaltenders. At the same time, they are a team that was eliminated in four games in the playoffs, so they can use help everywhere. I would be thinking forward, but I would be looking for the best player available.

THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: The Blackhawks ousted the Canucks in the Western Conference semifinals last night with a young team that many thought was a year or two away. “I’m not saying experience is overrated, but the fact is, we’re not just a young team, we’re a good team,” said young star blueliner Duncan Keith. What can the Blues take from watching this series as they head into next year?

BERNIE MIKLASZ:
The Blues need more good players, period. The Blackhawks are ahead of them in the developmental cycle, and this is a reminder that the Blues are still playing catch-up. And let’s not forget that Chicago has more resources and was able to supplement an exceptional youth movement by investing heavily in a couple of free agents. The Blues are on track. Chicago is just farther along. (Bernie has more on this in his blog this morning.)

DAN O’NEILL:
There is a discernible difference between the Blues and Blackhawks in terms of talent, especially on the backline, especially where it impacts offensive transition. The Blues simply did not have defenseman of Duncan Keith’s abilities this season, to use him as an example. The Blackhawks are a step ahead in that regard, but the Blues are getting there.
With their corps of young players, with a talent upgrade on defense, the Blues could be doing what the Blackhawks are doing by next season. Keep in mind St. Louis was 4-1-1 during the regular season against Chicago
So it’s a good news/bad news proposition. The good news is, the Blues can be inspired by what the Blackhawks have accomplished, the bad news is they have to get past the Blackhawks in the years ahead to win a Stanley Cup.

TOM TIMMERMANN:
Add to this that the Penguins were awfully young when they reached the Stanley Cup Finals in 2008 and it shows that youth can go some place in the NHL. I think there’s a difference in that the Blues have youngsters who can score goals while the Penguins and Blackhawks have youngsters who can score more goals. Really good puck moving defensemen are good only when they have players to move the puck too. So there’s reason for Blues fans to be optimistic for next season; turnarounds can come quickly, but it’s also no guarantee. The Blues’ rookies aren’t Crosby, Malkin and Fleury; are they Kane and Toews? We’ll see. But it’s also worth remembering that there exists a team called the Detroit Red Wings. I wouldn’t discount the importance of experience just yet.

JEREMY RUTHERFORD:
Other than learning how to put traffic in front of Vancouver goalie Roberto Luongo, the Blues won’t learn anything from Chicago’s playoff win over Vancouver they didn’t already know, nor will it give them any more confidence they can win with a young team.
Yes, the Blues and ‘Hawks have been pathetic in recent years. Yes, they have been on similar paths, rebuilding through the draft. Yes, this is the year that both teams believed they could emerge. For those reasons, the teams are rightfully linked together.
But for this season anyway, any other comparisons should be thrown out the window. The Blackhawks didn’t deal with the number of key injuries the Blues dealt with this season. The ‘Hawks had their share of injuries, but nothing like the Blues losing Paul Kariya, Andy McDonald, T.J. Oshie, Eric Brewer and Erik Johnson. If you take Martin Havlat, Patrick Sharp, Kris Versteeg, Brent Seabrook and Brian Campbell out the Blackhawks’ lineup, they’re not playing in the Western Conference Finals. Even if the Blues had everyone healthy this season, they’re probably not as good as the Blackhawks, but they’re not far off.
Also, keep in mind that the Blues and Blackhawks are both young, but Chicago’s Patrick Kane (No. 1 overall pick in 2007) and Jonathan Toews (No. 3 in 2006) are the cream of the crop. If it weren’t for Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby, Kane and Toews would be the face of the NHL. You can’t compare them to guys like Oshie (No. 24 in 2005), Patrik Berglund (No. 25 in 2006) or David Perron (No. 26 in 2007). You can compare Erik Johnson (No. 1 in 2006), but let Johnson get back on the ice.
With Johnson and with the rest of their full deck, the Blues can compete with the Blackhawks.

JEFF GORDON:

The big lesson is to stay the course. The Blackhawks stayed with their young skilled forwards and finally got the payoff. The Blues should resist any temptation to deal any of their high-end kids. These guys melded nicely during a months-long run toward the playoffs. Next spring, Patrik Berglund, T.J. Oshe and David Perron will all be better prepared to step up in postseason play. They other key for Chicago was their strong corps of offensive defensemen. That is an element the Blues lacked with Erik Johnson and Eric Brewer and Alex Pietrangelo still developing. The lack of a viable point threat undermined their power play against Vancouver. Expect a different story next spring.

A look at one Vancouver columnist’s take on Game 1:

By Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun

Horns and rock music blared outside the arena an hour before faceoff. There was a deafening ovation when the Vancouver Canucks skated on to the ice and a choir of 18,000 belted out O Canada.

It was a playoff atmosphere and playoff hockey. Game 1 playoff hockey. The Vancouver Canucks beat the St. Louis Blues 2-1 to open the Stanley Cup tournament.

“You can’t beat this,” former Blue Ryan Johnson said after his first playoff game in Vancouver. “When I came out before the game and everyone was standing and waving towels, I said to myself: This is why you play the game, right here.”

The Canucks looked nervous at the start, overwound at times and occasionally undisciplined. And they were the more “experienced” playoff team, as 11 of 18 skaters on the Blues had never set foot in the National Hockey League playoffs until Wednesday.

Friday, they’ll double their playoff experience in Game 2, trailing 1-0.

The Canucks got better as the game went on, dominated the third period and won 2-1 to move within 15 wins of the Stanley Cup.

Okay, let’s not get carried away. The Canucks did what they had to do, making the Blues’ young stars disappear, limiting St. Louis scoring chances and surviving seven disadvantages well enough to win.

“It’s hard work and winning one-on-one battles,” Canuck Henrik Sedin said. “I thought we played really well. You always like to start well in the playoffs. You get on a roll. . . and we know what confidence can do.”

The process hardly matters now. After listening to daily sermons from coaches all season about systems and execution and preparedness, the process is suddenly secondary to the score. Just win.

There are no points for beauty, no pictures on the scorecard. Doesn’t matter how or by how much. Doesn’t matter whether it was earned or stolen. Just win. Worry about the flaws another day.

The Canucks can play a lot better than they did Wednesday. So, too, it’s safe to say, can the Blues.

The St. Louis organization, in the post-season for the first time since 2004, has been reborn under coach Andy Murray and president John Davidson. But the baby Blues weren’t very good in Game 1.

David Backes was dropped from the first line, replaced by veteran warhorse Keith Tkachuk. T.J. Oshie had only fleeting glimpses of the flair he displayed against the Canucks two weeks ago. Patrik Berglund was invisible, and so was David Perron except when he was taking penalties.

As St. Louis pressed in the final minute for a tying goal, still only one down because netminder Chris Mason elevated his game in the final period, it was the more experienced Blues who were on the ice: Tkachuk, Andy McDonald, Brad Boyes and Alex Steen.

The Canucks were better. Henrik and Daniel Sedin were able to create chances with Alex Burrows. Ryan Kesler was effective. Pavol Demitra and Kyle Wellwood delivered body checks. On purpose.

The Canuck defence was solid and unspectacular, as usual. Mats Sundin was terrible, but that happens some nights. Maybe he’ll be great on Friday.

“It’s not pretty, but we get a lot of wins playing this way,” Wellwood said. “It’s just nice that we played well. We didn’t have to rely too much on Louie. Our style is to play good defensively.”

Canuck goalie Roberto Luongo stopped 25 of 26 shots, but except for a couple of power-play saves against McDonald, was not required to be spectacular. He did, however, have to be alert.

On their first shift, Canuck defencemen Shane O’Brien and Kevin Bieksa, without pressure, managed to squeeze the puck dangerously across the Vancouver goalmouth.

That was indicative of the jitters coursing through players on both teams in the playoff-opener. Even the referees looked nervous, as veteran Dan O’Halloran and junior partner Chris Lee seemed determined to put their stamp on the game. There were 13 power plays.

The Blues scored on one of their seven, but were blanked during a two-man advantage that lasted 1:39 in the first period. Canuck Ryan Kesler blocked a pair of shots by Brad Boyes.

“Nowhere else I’d rather be,” Kesler said.

Mission accomplished. Hopefully that slogan won’t haunt the Canucks the way it did George Bush.

“It’s going to be a tough series,” Henrik Sedin said. “It’s 1-0. Nothing’s over.”

As promised … our friends from Vancouver have weighed in with a prediction of their own on the Blues-Canucks series. (I left it unedited because I like the way Canadiens use a “c” instead of an “s” in words … like “defencemen.”) Here you go:

Elliott Pap, Vancouver Sun

The teams split their four-game season series and were among the best in hockey since January. For the Canucks, the turnaround coincided with the return of goalie Roberto Luongo. The Blues performed a second-half miracle playing without top-four defencemen Eric Brewer and Erik Johnson.

On offence, the Canucks have a balanced attack, with five players hitting the 20-goal mark and another, Kyle Wellwood, at 18, but the Sedin twins are still the main cogs and key to the offence and will be under pressure to perform. On defence, the Canucks have a nice blend of size and experience. The only thing lacking is a puck-rushing/power play quarterback.

The Blues have a Stanley Cup winner in centre Andy McDonald, while warhorse Keith Tkachuk will be on a mission in perhaps his last chance to win a Cup. They’re complimented by a group of dangerous young forwards in David Backes, T.J. Oshie, Patrik Berglund and David Perron. Brad Boyes is dynamite on the power play with 16 goals.

In goal, Luongo has a great regular-season resume but his playoff portfolio is reed-thin. Chris Mason’s playoff resume is even lighter than Luongo’s: one win in five games. So who wins? The Blues could, if they pressure the Canuck defence with a heavy forecheck and create turnovers that turn into scoring chances. But the Canucks should, especially if Luongo performs like the elite goaltender he’s been in the regular season.

Prediction: Canucks in seven.

THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: The Blues are riding a five-game winning streak and currently sit in the eighth and final playoff spot. What do you think the keys to this late-season push have been?

JEREMY RUTHERFORD
You can point to many stats, but in my mind, the Blues are in the eighth spot in the Western Conference today for two reasons:

No. 1 — Preparation: This is Andy Murray’s top trait, and he gets a lot of help from assistants Brad Shaw, Ray Bennett, Rick Wamsley and Scott Masters (video). The Blues go into each game like a high school student taking a test with a cheat sheet. Their detailed preparation gives them a better chance of executing with less talent.

No. 2 — Team chemistry: The Blues have had decent team chemistry the past few seasons, but nothing like this season. The players in the Blues’ locker room genuinely care for each other and each other’s success on the ice. The Blues are one unit taking the ice each night, not 20 talented individuals with varying agendas.

BERNIE MIKLASZ
Obviously, it starts with Chris Mason in goal. The Blues have the NHL’s best winning percentage since Jan. 3 and it’s no coincidence that Mason is No. 1 in the league in save percentage during that time (.925). The Kid Line has been incredibly effective; the star power of T.J. Oshie, David Perron and Patrik Berglund is shining through, just as Blues’ management predicted.

But there are other important factors. Defenseman Jay McKee is a +14 since Jan. 3 and has really stepped up his play. The return of Andy McDonald and defenseman Roman Polak from injuries has been a big help. Defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo has sharpened the Blues’ passing out of their zone, and he’s been a positive presence at the point on the power play. And while Brad Boyes is a minus-20 for the season, he’s a +1 since Jan. 3. And Boyes’ timing is good; when he scores a goal the Blues are 9-2 since Jan. 9.

Let’s not forget center Jay McClement, who is playing the best hockey of his career. McClement is often on the ice against the other team’s top line, but since Jan. 3 he’s at even in the plus-minus, is winning more than 50 percent of his faceoffs, and has nine goals and four assists. McClement is probably the team’s most unsung contributor.

And kudos to coach Andy Murray for holding this team together during the blitz of injuries.

JEFF GORDON
No. 1: Goaltending. This has been the team’s Achilles heel for some time. Chris Mason has been awesome. It all starts there.

No. 2: The kids are producing. Patrik Berglund got his second wind. T.J. Oshie is crushing people. David Perron is scoring big goals. The future is bright, yes, but the kids are good right now. Their recent play has been remarkable.

No. 3: The makeshift has held up, against all odds. Mike Weaver is playing great. Jay McKee has made himself a plus. Barret Jackman is holding up against top lines. Roman Polak is showing great poise for a young player. Give all these guys credit for pulling it together.

DAN O’NEILL
The key to any success in hockey starts with, and most heavily depends upon, goaltending. Like pitching in baseball, like quarterbacking in football, goaltending is the cure for any problem, the problem in any cure.

Chris Mason has given up some soft goals of late (follow the bouncing puck), but he has continued to make numerous clutch saves and give the Blues a chance. While Mason plays well, the Blues have to be effective on the power play. Special teams are crucial. For that to happen, they need more frequent contributions from their veterans, i.e. Brad Boyes and Keith Tkachuk.

Last but not least, they need T.J. Oshie and David Perron to keep taking whatever vitamins they have been taking, and share them with the rest of their teammates. They have been terrific over the last couple of weeks.

TOM TIMMERMANN
Chris Mason. 4-0-0 in the past four, 1.72 GAA, .930 save percentage. You can point at some other things, but without Mason, the Blues are cooked. Goalie play is a fickle matter, but you’ve got to give the Blues management credit for farming Manny Legace out and riding Mason. Talk about making the right choice.

KEVIN WHEELER (Host of “Sports Open Line” on KMOX)
The biggest key of all in the Blues’ 5-game winning streak is that every single player on the team is contributing. That’s a little broad in scope, so I’ll narrow it down a bit below, but it is absolutely true. Everyone is pulling their weight.

As Bernie Miklasz noted in his “5 Minutes for Blogging” entry today, the offensive re-emergence of the “Kid Line” has been a driving force in this late-season push. T.J. Oshie has been leading the way with dynamic offensive play, gritty corner work and an amazing physical presence (Paging Mr. Nash, Mr. Rick Nash. Please come pick up your pride at the customer service counter.) Patrik Berglund and David Perron have elevated their games right alongside Oshie and it’s been a thing of beauty to watch.

It should also be pointed out that goalie Chris Mason continues to play at an elite level. Even though he’s not getting any rest, Mason is still carrying the mail. In this 5-game winning streak he’s stopped 126 of 135 shots (.933 save percentage) and made some absolutely huge saves, including in the shootout against Columbus with the game on the line.

Finally, the defensemen need to be recognized for the consistency of their play. They’ve been rolling with the same 6-man unit for a while now and they’re doing a solid job night in and night out. It may be an unofficial St. Louis pastime to find some poor defenseman and nitpick his every move, but right now there isn’t much to complain about.

It’s great to see it all come together, isn’t it?

ANDY STRICKLAND (Hockeybuzz.com, Team 1380)
There has been an absolute revival of Blues hockey in St. Louis and it has been pretty amazing to get an up-close and personal view of what has taken place. There are several keys that have allowed the Blues to skate their way back into contention.

First off, head coach Andy Murray doesn’t let these guys off the hook when they make a mistake. He holds them accountable and doesn’t allow them to become complacent or satisfied.

Since the turn of the New Year the Blues have been one of the top hockey clubs in the NHL. You can’t be a playoff team in this league without goaltending and quality special teams. The Blues rank in the top ten in both power play and penalty killing percentage. Thanks to the consistent play of goaltender Chris Mason, the Blues also have climbed all the way into the top ten in goals against average. It wasn’t too long ago the team was ranked 26th in the league in GAA.

The team is playing their system almost to a “T.” How good is this team playing defensively? The Blues have done an outstanding job of controlling their scoring chances against. They don’t give up many chances, which allows the team to be in virtually every game. How many odd-man rushes or breakaways do you see the Blues allowing from game to game? (The goal by Antoinne Vermette the other night for Columbus was a player showing incredible explosiveness and beating two guys to a loose puck.)

The Blues have the ability to counter and score better than we’ve seen in recent seasons. When they create a turnover or force a mistake they have skilled players who can make you pay offensively.

The Blues became a bigger team by adding guys like B.J. Crombeen and Brad Winchester and they use their size very well. Management deserves some credit here, as well, for pulling off a two-for-one trade in which they’ve added two professionals in Alex Steen and Carlo Colaiacovo. This move was a major turning point for the season.

The bottom line is this team was picked to finish last at the start of the year and have used the underdog role as motivation. Throughout the last 30 games the Blues and coaches have maintained a level headed approach which has their focus where it needs to be.

Did I mention Oshie, Perron, and Berglund?