Blues rattle Blackhawks, lead series 2-1

CHICAGO -- On defense, the St. Louis Blues were relentless. They clogged the middle with a physical style of play that left the Chicago Blackhawks struggling not only for goals, but for shots.

"That's as good defensively as we've played," St. Louis coach Joel Quenneville said after the Blues took a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series by blanking the Blackhawks 4-0 Sunday night.

"We've shut them down the last couple of games. They've got so many weapons and you don't want to give them life," Quenneville said. "We want to continue to disrupt their rush because that is one of their strengths."

Brent Johnson stopped just 12 shots -- only one in the final period -- for his second shutout in a span of about 30 hours. He beat Chicago 2-0 Saturday.

"Our defense shut down the middle and when you don't have many chances in the middle against Alex Zhamnov's and Eric Daze's lines, it's something to see," Johnson said. "I didn't have many hard saves tonight."

The crowd at the United Center was loud and emotional at the outset of Chicago's first home playoff game since 1997, but Jamal Mayers of the Blues quieted them in a hurry.

He scored from the left circle on a 2-on-1, just 1:48 into the game, beating Jocelyn Thibault and sending the Blues on their way.

Keith Tkachuk assisted on power-play goals by Scott Mellanby and Pavol Demitra, and Scott Young added a short-handed goal as the Blues regained home ice advantage. Game 4 is Tuesday in Chicago.

For the third straight game, Chicago's top three scorers during the regular season, Daze, Zhamnov and Tony Amonte, couldn't score. The Blackhawks mustered little offense all night and were 0-for-5 on the power play.

"Guys like me have to step up," Amonte said. "I'm playing like a boy right now and I've got to play like a man. Maybe we felt too comfortable here at home and felt it was just going to happen. We've got to make it happen."

St. Louis made it 2-0 in the opening period with its third power-play goal of the series.

Mellanby passed to Tkachuk, who skated behind the net and gave it right back to Mellanby on a give-and-go that beat Thibault at the edge of the crease. It was Mellanby's second goal of the series.

Early in the second period the Blues were on the power play again. Tkachuk got the puck on the left side and maneuvered a pass around Alexander Karpovtsev across the crease to Demitra, who pushed it in for a 3-0 lead.

Thibault made a huge mistake late in the second period and the Blues got a crushing short-handed goal with 50 seconds to go, prompting boos.

Thibault came out of the crease and into the corner to chase a puck, and when he tried to shovel it past Young, it rolled off his stick. Young easily intercepted, went around the net and tucked it in from the far side.

"I saw him coming, I wanted to chip it out. I made a mistake and it was bad," Thibault said. "It happens."

Steve Passmore replaced Thibault for the third period.

"It had to be one of the worst hockey games anybody ever watched," Chicago coach Brian Sutter said.

"We're a team that can score some goals and they shut us down. You've got to work your way through it."

Johnson faced just seven shots in the first period and only four in the second.

"Our success all year has come from keeping everything to the perimeter and limiting play in the neutral zone," Tkachuk said. "We don't want to give them anything, and keep them away from our goaltender and get the rebounds."

For two straight games, that's exactly what the Blues have done.

Notes: Chicago D Boris Mironov, who played sparingly in Game 1, missed his second straight game with a groin injury. ... The Blues' appearance in the playoffs is their 23rd straight. St. Louis has made the postseason in 32 of its 35 seasons. ... Game 5 is slated for Thursday at the Savvis Center in St. Louis. ... Johnson's back-to-back shutouts are also his first two playoff wins. ... Mayers was flattened in the final period when hit by Lyle Odelein, who got a game misconduct. Odelein said he hit Mayers in the shoulder and not the face.