Coach long Blues model their game after Cup-winning Bruins

St. Louis Blues coach Ken Hitchcock waits with his team for aruling on a goal late in the third period of an NHL hockey gameagainst the Columbus Blue Jackets, Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2012, inColumbus, Ohio. The Blue Jackets won 2-1. (AP Photo/TerryGilliam)

Coach long Blues model their game after Cup-winning Bruins,For Blues ithful who lose sleep when the power play sags, or fret when the goal-scoring seems inadequate, last seasons Boston Bruins story is Three Cups of Tea.

The Bruins beat the odds and the rest of the NHL during the postseason with an anemic power play and a roster devoid of league-leading snipers. They were like a concept car demonstrating alternative fuels, showing it is possible to win a Stanley Cup without the bells and whistles.

Boston has a worker mentality and then the skill comes into place, said Blues coach Ken Hitchcock, who is striving to clone the mentality in St. Louis. I always tell people, when you turn down the volume on the television and all the players look the same when they have the puck and when its good you know the team has a good buy-in.

The thoroughly bought-in Bruins will visit Scottrade Center tonight, seemingly a little worse for wear. The reigning Stanley Cup champions are missing two of their better attackers in forward Nathan Horton and defenseman Rich Peverley. Coincidentally, the Bruins have been blanked in four of their past nine starts and are 9-10-1 in their past 20 games.

The slide notwithstanding, the Bruins are second in the Eastern Conference, nine points behind the leading New York Rangers. They are considered a serious threat to retain Lord Stanleys goblet, and their achievement last year in the playoffs remains an inspiring blueprint for a team such as the Blues.

I hope wed like to be compared to Boston, hard hat Blues forward Scott Nichol said. We do have similar styles. They have big bodies up front that like to get in on the forecheck and protect the puck. They can play kind of any style of game, same as us.

But the style that we prefer is the work-before-skill style. It seems like every year a team wins the Stanley Cup and teams always try to mimic their style. But St. Louis, I think, has had a game plan for a lot of years and slowly they have stayed with the guys who have matured, and ... its paying dividends now. Were just learning to win the big games now against the good teams.

And in case youre wondering, a game with Boston qualifies on both counts.

Theyve ... been there, Blues captain David Backes said. They reached the pinnacle last year and proved they are the best team in the NHL. The same style of game that we play is the way they did it. Theres no question were trying to get to that level, where its every single night, its playoff caliber teams were doing it against, and its on the road were doing it.

If were able to keep moving forward toward that goal every single day, thats something we can attain.

One parallel the sometimes-frustrated aforementioned like to draw involves special teams. With periodical exceptions, the Blues manpower-related units have been ordinary all season. The team ranks 25th in the league with a power play efficiency of 15.0 percent. The same group is last in the category on the road, succeeding 8.9 percent of the time. The penalty Coach longkill corps is tied for 14th overall, successful 82.0 percent of the time, 80.7 percent on the road.

Likewise, Boston was substandard with a manpower edge in 2010-11, operating at a 16.2 percent success rate and ranked 20th in the league. When the playoffs began, the Bruins dialed it down a notch. Their postseason PP struck gold 11.4 percent of the time, 5.0 percent on the road. In 40 power plays conducted in enemy buildings, the Bruins lit the lamp just two times.

But Bostons penalty kill in the playoffs was over 84 percent, which balanced the scales.

They won because their penalty killing was exceptional and their power play didnt matter, Hitchcock said. But ... over the course of the season, you better be close to 100 (combined percentage of power play and penalty kill efficiency) and were getting there. Were inching closer every week, which is a really good sign.

With the possible exception of sky-scraping defenseman Zdeno Chara, or presidential snubmeister Tim Thomas, the Bruins are without recognizable stars. The teams top offensive threat last season was Milan Lucic, who had 30 goals and 32 assists for 62 points. He ranked 39th in the league, coincidentally, tied with Blues leading scorer Backes (31-31-62). Bostons David Krejci also had 62 points 13 goals and 49 assists.

Three other Bruins scored at least 20 goals, seven others at least 10. This season, Patrice Bergeron is pacing Boston with 48 points, or six more than Backes team-leading total. This season, the Blues appear unlikely to have three players crack the 20-goal bar. But they might have 10 players with 10 or more.

The Bruins dont rely on one player, or one line. They rely on one player or one line to be different almost every night. Sound miliar?

Thats the way we have to approach it, Backes said. We dont have that line of $7-million guys that is going to carry us through everything. We need different contributions from different guys every night. When we have ltered, its been because we havent had enough guys that have been threats. If we sit here and wait for other guys to do it, its going to be a long stretch down here.

Goalkeeping acumen is another trait the teams have in common. Bostons tending tandem of Tim Thomas, 37, and Tuukka Rask, 23, combined for 11 shutouts, a .932 save percentage and a 2.21 goals-against average last season. Thomas had nine of the shutouts and a 2.00 GAA. When the postseason arrived, he was even better, with four shutouts, a .940 SP and a 1.98 GAA in 25 playoff games.

Thomas was awarded the Vezina Trophy for his regular-season work and captured the Conn Smythe Trophy for his postseason performance as the Bruins outlasted the Canucks in seven games. The Boston goalies are back at it again this season. Thomas and Rask have combined for seven shutouts, a .928 SP and a 2.18 GAA.

St. Louis goaltenders have a total of 12 shutouts, six apiece for Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott. They collectively have a .931 SP and a 1.78 GAA. Last year, the Bruins allowed the second fewest goals in the NHL in the regular season (2.30 per game) and rank fourth with the same number this time. For their part, the Blues are the stingiest team in the league, allowing 1.88 goals per game.

If youre looking for aesthetics, look to Pittsburgh, Chicago or Vancouver. If youre looking for work ethic, look at the Bruins. Their recent stumble notwithstanding, they lead the NHL in plus-minus rating at plus-47. They are followed by the Red Wings (plus-44) and the Blues (plus-33).

I know they havent won (lately), but, man, theyve had some dominant performances in the two games Ive watched, Hitchcock said. Its because they all check, they all work, they all hunt the puck. When you have that mentality and they have significant injuries you still find a way to really create scoring chances and create diversity for the other team.

They all play physical. They all work coming back. Theres no gap between the forwards and defensemen. Thats the mentality you have to have in order to win. Its hard to do, it didnt happen overnight for Boston. They built this over a two- or three-year span. There was just this gradual buy-in that ended up with them winning the Stanley Cup.

And if youre a Blues n, it offers hope. After all, one good buy-in deserves another.

Posted inProfessionalonWednesday, February 22, 2012 12:00 amTags:St Louis Blues David Backes,Ken Hitchcock,Dan Oneill,

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