Here's a graphical look at the ice time of each Blues defenseman through the first 12 games.  Things have gotten a little confusing with the injuries to three starters, but it's still worth a look:

(click the chart for a better view)

Alex Pietrangelo continues to play like a defensive savant, far ahead of the typical NHL learning curve.  (Remember, kids: he's played exactly 29 NHL games at a position where most top players need 100 or so games to really establish themselves.)

It's no surprise that the three season-opening defensemen continue to lead the team in ice time.  The Blues shifted to a seven-defenseman lineup for the weekend games on the East Coast, and wet-behind-the-ears rookies Ian Cole and Nikita Nikitin did nothing to harm their future prospects.  Both of them took minutes from Tyson Strachan and Nathan Oystrick on Sunday night.

I expect that the seven-defenseman lineup will carry through the midweek back-to-back games.  We could see a return to a six-man unit Saturday night at Phoenix.