Blues 4 Coyotes 5 (SO)

Well, I supopose I should be happy with the point on the road, but we sure didn't play very well for most of the game. We do seem to be finding a way to cash in some goals, the powerplay continues to improve, and the kids keep chipping in (big goals by Wideman and Senja.) I'd just hate to lose momentum now, right before the All-Star break.

Speaking of Senja, Jeff Gordon had this to say on him today:

And there was Sejna Monday, back in the NHL on an emergency recall, actually scoring a goal for the Blues to help them earn a point in Phoenix.

You’ll recall that Sejna won the Hobey Baker Award in college. He has terrific hands and can play off of skilled linemates.

He got a big free-agent deal to sign with the Blues, but he hasn’t had enough jump in his legs and enough grit in his game to stick at the NHL.

If Sejna can be salvaged – a big IF – the rebuilding process will go much more smoothly. He has more upside than, say, Mike Glumac or Jon DiSalvatore.

He scored 36 points in 39 games at Peoria, but is capable of much more. The question: Can Andy Murray convince him to play hockey at NHL speed?

Sejna isn’t a kid any more. He has to decide whether he wants to pay the price to stick at the highest level. That is a challenge Petr Cajanek met after coming over from the Czech Republic.

I'm not sure how many kids we have in the organization that are close to making the jump to the NHL. The fact that Backes has done so this quickly is a big surprise, but I don't think we can expect the same from, say, T.J. Oshie anytime soon. That puts a premium on getting something from the likes of Senja. He doesn't need to be Sidney Crosby. I'd settle for the second coming of Tony Hrkac.

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