David Backes: Blues "Don't Have That Desperation"

From Lou Korac:

David Backes: "We just don't have that desperation, that accountability, that responsibility to each other." #stlblues

— Lou Korac (@lkorac10) February 12, 2013

Well, then, boys, hold a closed door meeting and GET that responsibility to each other. But wait! It gets better!

Backes: "We've got too many guys out there looking at the stat sheet wondering how many goals & assists, cookies they've got rather (1/2)

— Lou Korac (@lkorac10) February 12, 2013

Backes: (2/2) "... than taking a hit to make a play and getting run over so we can get a puck out so that your teammates can have a 3-on-2."

— Lou Korac (@lkorac10) February 12, 2013

I don't know what in the hell is going on in that locker room, but it needs to get fixed, now. Figure out the putzes with agendas and bench them. Rotate out some call-ups. Do something to light a fire under their butts and show them that the team comes first, not themselves.

I don't care what they do, and I'm sure most fans don't either. Stop talking about what the problems are and just fix them.

Backes: "It's time to put the boots on and go do it or else pack your bags and go home because it's slowly slipping." #stlblues

— Lou Korac (@lkorac10) February 12, 2013

He and I have a very different definition of the word "slowly."

Kings At Blues Recap: Blues Drop Fifth In A Row 4-1 To Kings

The Blues lost Jaroslav Halak to a groin injury re-tweak and fall to 6-5-1 on the season after tonight's 4-1 loss.

Jaroslav Halak Injury: Halak Suffers Setback In Warm-Ups; Elliott Starts Game

The Blues just can't catch a break recently. They activated Jaroslav Halak off of the injured reserve yesterday, fully expecting him to start tonight's game against the Los Angeles Kings. Brian Elliott has started the last four games, going 0-3-1 and offering up shaky performance after shaky performance; it was time for him to get a break.

What a relief, then, to see Halak out there taking warm-ups. And then, you start seeing tweets like this:

Elliott in goal tonight.

— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) February 12, 2013

Oh, ok. Maybe that was just a typo. Nope. Elliott starts the game in net, and Halak's on the bench. What happened? Halak re-tweaked his groin during warm-ups. Of course, after the end of one period, the Kings lead 1-0 on a Jeff Carter goal. More of the same from Elliott? Hopefully not. He looked a little better that period, but it would be helpful for the guy who didn't expect to start tonight if the Blues would maintain offensive zone pressure. The Kings lead in shots on goal 7-5.

GameThread for Los Angeles Kings at St. Louis Blues, Feb 11, 2013

The Kings would like to win a game where they play well, and so would the Blues. Which team'll actually get handed a break for once?

The Royal Half Photoshops Of The Day

My fellow Bloguin Blog The Royal Half has been tapped to do the official Kings game day blog (that they trust him is a miracle -- I mean, great job landing that gig!), and he's a bit of a photoshop guru. Head over to the Kings' site to laugh at the Jon Hamm/Dustin Penner hilarity and wish him good luck. Actually, just thank him for the link to Game Time, because we might have more confused Kings fans than usual tonight to have fun with.

viaThe Royal Half.com

Kings At Blues Preview: Jaroslav Halak Returns To Host Tired Kings

Tonight's a duel between two struggling teams -- which is great news, because that means one of them has to win. The downside is, no one knows who it'll be.

Kings At Blues Morning Open Thread

The Blues need to close out their five game homestand with a win, and the Kings just lost a heartbreaker in Detroit. Will tonight be more of the same ol' same ol'? Not if Jaroslav Halak has anything to say about it.