from Dave Matter of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch,

The bulk of this Blues team overcame the odds countless times last year to hoist Lord Stanley’s trophy, but these odds are unmerciful. The Blues’ only hope heading into Sunday’s Game 3 is that last year’s scar tissue serves as a reminder that even with backs flat against the wall there’s always a way back into a fight.

“You just got to keep playing and eventually things turn,” defenseman and captain Pietrangelo said after Friday’s rapid turn of emotions. “Is it frustrating? Yeah, sure. But we don’t really care what people think outside of our locker room. We had a lot of noise last year, too and look what we did. It’s a new year, obviously. We don’t want to keep going on last year, but the core of this group went through that together and we know how to bounce back from these things.”

Two games down and this has all the makings of a bad matchup for the defending Cup champs. The Blues, still winless in Edmonton, are built to grit and grind teams into submission during a long series. Break their will straight into the boards.

One problem: You can’t punish what you can’t catch. The Blues outhit Vancouver 41-27 Friday, but the Canucks have the speed and puck skills to overcome the pounding and turn the slightest mistakes into scoring chances.

more

The game highlights can be watched below.