Blues Look to Stay Hot in Denver

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The Blues face Colorado Saturday night at 8:00 in the third-of-a-six-game road trip. The Note has won five-straight (three before the two-week Olympic break and two this week) and found themselves one point behind arch-rival Detroit for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference, entering Friday night's action in the NHL. The Red Wings were to host Nashville.

The Blues have been outshot in each of their last two wins but netminder Chris Mason has been razor sharp and has won each of the five games. Backup Ty Conklin hasn't played since relieving Mason on February 8th in a 5-2 loss (the team's last loss) in Denver. Mason has started the last seven games for Davis Payne. Conklin's last start was on February 4th in a 4-2 loss at home to San Jose.

Brad Boyes, the Blues' leading scorer last season with 33 goals, has scored in each of the last two games after a 13-game drought before the break. The surge is impressive and perhaps a bit unforseen considering that Boyes has been playing on the third line with Alex Steen and Jay McClement. To Steen's credit he, like Boyes, has looked like anything but a third-line player as of late.

Following tomorrow night's game the Blues will return home before playing their next game next Thursday night in New York against the Islanders. The trek will wrap with a set of games on back-to-back nights against Columbus and Minnesota on Saturday March 13th and Sunday March 14th, respectively.

TPC