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

“This year’s no more talking,” forward Ryan Reaves said. “It’s time to do.”

It’s not offbase to believe that of the 16 teams in the NHL playoffs, the Blues are among the few that have the most to prove. Montreal, Anaheim, Detroit and perhaps even Tampa Bay may be facing similar scrutiny, but the remaining clubs have either tasted success recently (Chicago and the New York Rangers), are breaking in new staffs and systems (Nashville and Washington), or they’re new to the scene (Winnipeg and Ottawa).

“We’ve got plenty to prove, there’s no question about it,” Blues captain David Backes said. “We’ve had shortcomings in the past few years. We feel we have a deeper team, a more prepared team, a team that’s playing better hockey, and healthier than we have been in the last few years in the playoffs. So it’s time to put all those things to fruition and show what we can do. All those things combined ... we should hit the ground running on Thursday.”

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