Finally healthy, Blues' Shattenkirk is flashing his All-Star form
ST. LOUIS -- Thursday, April 16. Game 1 against the Minnesota Wild.
It was the first time since undergoing abdominal surgery in February that Blues defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk played a game without pain. He'd been back in the lineup since March 28, when the Blues faced the Columbus Blue Jackets, then played Vancouver, back-to-back games against Calgary and Dallas, and three key divisional contests against Chicago (twice) and Winnipeg. By the time the Blues played their final game of the season against the Minnesota Wild on April 11, and with a divisional title locked up, the coaches decided Shattenkirk needed a rest.
He didn't want to take it, but looking back, he admits it helped.
"Those four or five (extra) days really helped the recovery," he says. "It's a process. There's still little things that you have to get used to, but I'm feeling better and better every game."
Sitting out of the lineup that Saturday allowed him to go almost a full week without the wear and tear of game action on his body. The downside was a bit of rust in Game 1 of the playoffs, but the upside wasn't a bad counter -- a two-assist night, one on a goal by Jaden Schwartz at the start of the third period, and the second on a shorthanded goal by Alexander Steen. The follow-up was another two-point performance in Game 2 and, more important, a Blues win.
Those two games told Shattenkirk he was back.
"Games 1 and 2 were really comforting for me, knowing that I could play again and just feel like myself again," he says. "I think that, confidence-wise, just helped me out a lot.
The injury undercut an All-Star -- and, at one point, a speculated Norris Trophy -- season for the 26-year-old defenseman. He missed almost two months of the season while his body recovered, yet still managed to top his season-high point total from last year by one, despite playing 25 fewer games than he did the previous season.
After his team was shut out Monday in Game 3, Shattenkirk rebounded with his highest-scoring game this postseason, logging three assists in the Blues' 6-1 rout of the Wild. He now leads the NHL in assists this postseason with seven, and is tied with Anaheim's Corey Perry for the lead in points.
In fact, in only four games against the Wild, Shattenkirk has already topped his postseason points total from last year, when he played six games and accumulated five points.
Fellow Blues defenseman Alex Pietrangelo says Shattenkirk is so effective in the postseason -- and against the Wild in particular -- because of his puck decisions.
"He's obviously a really skilled player," Pietrangelo says. "Makes great decisions with the puck, especially in the offensive zone, frees up a lot of space along the blue line."
"I think knowing what's in front of you before you get the puck is important," he told Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "For me, I think it's easy because I know what our team philosophy is. It's shoot pucks because we know we have bodies going in front of the net. Against a team like Minnesota, who does a good job getting in lanes, you have to get pucks there early. So, I'm focusing on getting it to the net, not really picking corners. It's more just to get it in the area and try to create something."
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When that philosophy leads to already having assisted on seven goals this postseason, Shattenkirk can rest assured he's doing "something" right.
You can follow Elisabeth Meinecke on Twitter at @lismeinecke or email her at ecmeinecke@gmail.com
