Yeo era begins in St. Louis as Blues host Maple Leafs

By STATS
Published

ST. LOUIS -- A strong message was sent to the St. Louis Blues about their inconsistency this season when coach Ken Hitchcock was fired Wednesday.

General manager Doug Armstrong made it clear he was more upset with the players than with Hitchcock's coaching, but that a change had to be made.

Mike Yeo, who had been hired as the coach-in-waiting last summer when Hitchcock announced that this would be his final season, will take over beginning with Thursday night's game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Blues come into the game having lost five of their last six contests. They have lost their last four home games in regulation, their longest streak since losing six in a row in 2006.

St. Louis (24-21-5) is also involved in a tight race for a wild-card spot in the Western Conference while also three points out of third in the Central Division.

"I think we've let our group become independent contractors," Armstrong said at a news conference Wednesday. "One of the things I've learned about being around St. Louis is the Cardinals. They don't have independent contractors; when they do, they get rid of them. We have a situation now where I trust these guys and I believe in them. But I have a sense of independent contractors.

"We just haven't played well enough. ... It just felt like we were hit and miss, night-in and night-out. I think we need to demand more of ourselves. Our record is not indicative of what we thought (we'd have)."

Armstrong said the spotlight now shines on the players after the coaching change.

"It's got to turn right away," goaltender Jake Allen said. "If it doesn't, there's a real issue. I think we all should be real excited to play tomorrow. This is tough news for us to take (Wednesday), but it's part of the business, the unfortunate part of the business that we're in. But we've got a real good chance now, we've said it all along, we're still potentially right there in a playoff spot. We can only get better."


















 

Allen could have been speaking about himself as well as the team. He has not won since Jan. 2. He will be in goal for the game against the Maple Leafs, who are coming off a 6-3 loss in Dallas on Tuesday night.

Coach Mike Babcock was disappointed with his team's effort.

"We didn't compete hard enough as a group to have any kind of success whatsoever," Babcock said. "I don't think it's been any indication at all of how we play or have played. It's disappointing. Actually, it's surprising."

Like the Blues, the Maple Leafs are battling for a spot in the playoffs.

"The points are super important now," forward Tyler Bozak said. "This is the second half of the season when it gets the toughest, so we have to be better at the start of the next game."

For the Blues, it's about moving on as well.

"It's going to be a bit of a fresh start for us moving forward but as players, we have to look at ourselves in the mirrors, too," defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk said. "This isn't just a coaching problem. This is something we have to fix in the locker room. We're all in this together, so today is a fresh start, and we have to move forward and get ready to handle this last half of the season."