Happy New Year! Blues get first win of 2011 against Kings

Seriously, it's Jan. 13 and the Blues just got their first win of the new year? This streaky shit is fun when we're getting the wins, but when the Blues are losing it seems interminable. I like the way this team has played (excluding last night) without Perron, McDonald and Oshie in the lineup. They tend to be tenacious and opportunistic and the defense and goaltending (except for last night) have played like they know they can't give up a goal and hope to win.

Some notes for your discussion:

• Davis Payne is a guy I think we're going to be happy with for a long time. That said, someone needs to let the CPA know that it's OK to use the one timeout at any point of the game. Those things don't roll over to the next game. When the Blues gave up the second goal last night, it was time to call a timeout and throttle his lethargic team. Since he didn't use it then, in the third period when the Ducks scored quickly to make it 4-2, fine use it then. When the Kings came out tonight and were flying for the first few minutes of the second period and threatened to run the Blues out of the building, a timeout would have been nice. Quiet the crowd, calm down the opposition, fire up your troops. Please, someone let my Statistics professor know that it's fine to use that timeout early if need be.
• Alex Steen scored the back-breaker goal, but even without that he was, again, the best Blues player on the ice. Back in Brian Urlacher's heyday, he was on the TV screen in virtually every play. Steen is similar, he never has a shift where you don't notice him. In every zone, he is working his ass off. At the start of the season I heard a bunch of people say they were going to get No. 20 jerseys because (1) He's awesome, and (2) No one else has one. Now, only point number (1) applies.
• A few weeks ago Davis payne said in the P-D that Jaroslav Halak is a great goalie and that he is learning this year how to be a Number One goalie. That seems about right to me. I think the consistency will come from him as he gets used to the workload that a starter gets. He'd better, because Ty Conklin is poo.
• Ryan Reaves gets his second goal in two games (three total NHL games). Cam Janssen is officially freaking the fuck out. Bam Bam hasn't scored since 2008-09 and he can't be relied on to play every game as the team's official puncher because his defense sizzucks and his offense is non-existant. Reaves and Janssen are both RFA this summer. If you were Blues management, which guy would you want? The hometown guy who sells a few jerseys but can't be expected to do much other than fight or the younger dude who plays a true fourth line role and can also go fight guys when needed?
• I'm now inching ever closer to investing in a No. 17 Vladimir Sobotka jersey to go with my No. 18. For the obvious reasons.
• Tony Twist was hungover tonight. This is not fact, but it kind of is. When I lokk like I've been stung by a swarm of bees, can't deal with having a tie tied all the way up to my neck, can't finish a complete sentence, have bed head at 11:30 at night and am described as having "drank ALL of the coffee," I am hungover. Just so you know, Twister, people can see you.

Blues play the struggling Sharks on Saturday night. Tonight's two points propelled the Blues from 12th place in the West to ninth place.Those two up for grabs on Sattidy are important. Let's go get 'em.