Beginning today, the Blues will have nine days off for the NHL All-Star break, time to ponder what has been accomplished in 49 games, time to prep for 33 more. In the big picture, they have come far, shaking off an indifferent start and responding to a coaching change to compile a 29-13-7 record.

The immediate picture appears less inspiring. Coming off a 3-1 loss at Detroit 24 hours earlier, the Blues lost 3-2 in an overtime-shootout to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday at Scottrade Center.

But the outcome calls for perspective. Not only were the Blues playing for the second night in succession, they were playing for the fourth time in six nights. And you think Demi Moore is exhausted.

What’s more, they were playing a Penguins team that has now won seven in a row, a team that features two of the league’s premier forwards in Evgeni Malkin and James Neal, a well-rested team that had a 2-0 lead with less then half the clock remaining. A shootout-loss wasn’t the outcome the Blues were hoping for, but it was nothing of which to be ashamed.

"This one’s good," said Blues coach Ken Hitchcock. "We were good. We had a little bit of a soft spot there, when they went up 2-0, we weren’t very good. But then we really ramped it up. This is a hard game. They’re sitting here rested, a great hockey team. And to play like we did, pretty impressive."

The 2-2 regulation tie left the Blues 7-0-2 at home and 8-1-2 overall for January. They earned 18 of a possible 22 points for the month, with the loss at Detroit on Monday being the only glitch in regulation. Yes, the pre-break schedule ended with a regulation loss and a shootout loss, but ...

"It was bittersweet," T. J. Oshie said. "What we can take away from this is the way we raised our level as the game went on. Last night against Detroit, that’s where we fell down, that’s where we struggled. They kicked it up in the second and third periods, and we didn’t respond. I think tonight we were that team."

Doing much of the kicking was center Patrik Berglund. Without a point in seven games, and sometimes without much of a presence, Berglund scored both Blues goals. His clutch penalty shot 5:04 into the third tied the score 2-2.

In addition to those markers, Berglund came close on other occasions and often dominated during his shifts. The Blues may have lost the extra point, but they may have gained a threat for the second half.

"He was very competitive," Hitchcock said. "He was determined to score. I thought the weight of the world went off his shoulders when he scored the (first) goal. He started really playing, danced with the puck and was a threat every shift. If he plays like that coming back, he’s going to be a tough guy to play against."

Unfortunately, taking the highly skilled Penguins to a shootout is not the desired game plan. The Blues are now 1-6 in shootouts this season, while Pittsburgh improved to 6-2.

Malkin and Oshie traded goals in the initial three rounds of shots, with Berglund and Kevin Shattenkirk unable to convert for the Blues. Then, after Pittsburgh netminder Marc Andre-Fleury poke-checked Alex Pietrangelo, Chris Kunitz scored on Brian Elliott to win it for the Penguins.

For streaking Pittsburgh, the break came too soon. For the weary Blues, the All-Star stop didn’t come quite soon enough. Nonetheless, the finale before the break was entertaining.

The first-period set the tone, with heavy hitting and many contentious moments. The Blues flirted with danger early in the second when Malkin went down. Official Kevin Pollack interpreted the drama as a hold on David Backes and the Pens scored a power-play goal to get a 1-0 lead.

Defenseman Paul Martin won a battle in the corner and slid the puck to Neal, who beat Elliott less than four minutes into the period with his 27th goal. The Blues got a power-play chance moments later, but the power play fizzled three times during the evening. The Blues’ man-advantage squad is two for its last 29 at-bats.

"I think for us, looking back at things, the one thing we’ve got to fix is the power play," Hitchcock said. "Our power play could have won both of these games for us. We were in a perfect position to do it (tonight). We’ve got to fix it."

Opportunities lost came back to bite the Blues harder when Pittsburgh made it 2-0 with 7:44 remaining in the second. Deryk Engelland fired a shot from the point that changed directions. Elliott kicked out a pad to make the save. Carlo Colaiacovo and Steve Sullivan swatted at the rebound in mid-air and it caromed into the net.

But the Blues showed life with a goal by Berglund, who faked Fleury to score his 11th goal. The Blues trailed 2-1 with 4:44 to play in the second period.

"I haven’t scored a bunch of those," Berglund said. "It was an important goal, it gave us a lot of energy. We had a lot of good scoring chances. I think we’re still struggling with burying our chances."

Elliott, who turned aside 36 shots, continued to sparkle in the third, making a save on St. Louisan Joe Vitale to keep it a one-goal game. Moments later, Vlad Sobotka got a retaliation penalty, but it worked to the Blues’ advantage. During the penalty kill, Berglund shook loose for a breakaway and was hooked from behind. Berglund was awarded a penalty shot and he snapped a shot past Fleury to tie it 2-2 with his 12th goal and just less than 15 minutes to play. As ineffective as they are in shootouts this season, the Blues have been successful on their last four penalty shots. David Backes converted the most recent one on Dec. 18, 2010. Berglund is 0 for eight in his career in shootouts, one for one in penalty shots.

As Hitchcock mentioned, the Blues had a fabulous power-play opportunity to win. With 1:19 remaining in regulation, Pittsburgh’s Matt Cooke was penalized for boarding. But the power play couldn’t produce.