from Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch,

Despite the Blues’ bruises this season, they did finish with the sixth-most points in the NHL (60) in the regular season. Like LA last season, they are playing perhaps their strongest hockey heading into the playoffs, going 12-3 down the stretch.

“But you prove everything in the playoffs,” Hitchcock said. “For us to be effective, certain people have to play out of character. That’s what six or eight weeks of hockey is … playing out of character. For us, we just want a chance to prove ourselves.”

For the Blues to prove themselves, however, it means “accomplishing” more than winning just one game or one round, as they thought a year ago.

“I can’t tell you it’s not going to happen (again),” Backes said. “I think it’s something we have to prove by putting the effort in. The group in here has shown at times this year that we’ve got the resiliency and other times maybe we’ve got a little complacent. But winning should make you hungry for more winning, rather than thinking you’ve done something.”

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