Struggling Blues look for answers

ST. LOUIS -- Perhaps it's a sign of how desperate the St. Louis Blues have become.

During a 4-2 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night, pint-sized agitator Mike Danton tried to goad muscle-bound tough guy Todd Bertuzzi into a fight. Anything, Danton said, to fire up a team wrapping up an awful January.

It wasn't just for show, either.

"I won't challenge anybody if I'm not going to fight," Danton said. "It's part of my job and if that's what needs to happen, it needs to happen."

Bertuzzi shrugged off Danton like the Canucks shrugged off the Blues when they erased a one-goal deficit after two periods with four goals in the third. The loss extended the worst stretch of coach Joel Quenneville's career, with only five victories in the last 21 games.

The 5-11-5 slide capped by four losses and a tie in the last five games has dropped the Blues, whose $58 million payroll ranks them in the top fourth of the league, from one of the best records in the NHL to the fringe of playoff qualification. The offense is ice cold with only 10 goals in the last seven games, the defense has experienced key lapses and goalie Chris Osgood, supposedly the veteran the Blues needed at that most crucial position, has only one victory in his last 15 starts since Dec. 18.

"We're just in a funk right now," center Keith Tkachuk said. "This last month it's been very inconsistent. We've just got to battle our way out of it."

Playoff run in jeopardy

If the playoffs began Friday, the Blues would be in a shaky tie for fifth in the Western Conference standings with the Nashville Predators, each with 58 points. Three other teams are one point behind. The franchise's run of 24 consecutive playoff appearances, the longest current streak in professional sports, is in a bit of jeopardy.

"It's getting pretty serious, I'll tell you," forward Mark Rycroft said. "We've got the same team we had that started off the year best in the league so we've just got to stay positive.

"We've still got 31 games left so we've just got to keep going, keep working hard, and something good is going to happen eventually."

The Blues are craving that lucky bounce. Right now Quenneville characterized the team as "fragile" and said players essentially gave up after the Canucks scored twice in 1:42 to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead early in the third period.

"That's what happens when you quit playing sometimes," forward Dallas Drake said. "You give a talented team like that space, you see what happens."

The normally stoic Quenneville has tried shaking up the line combinations, benching players and showing more displeasure from the bench. Forward Eric Boguniecki was a healthy scratch for the Canucks game.

Making moves

The Blues also made a minor move Thursday, although not for the skill they seem to be lacking on offense. Instead, they acquired grinding forward Pascal Rheaume off waivers from the New York Rangers for his second stint with the team. Rheaume, who also played for St. Louis from 1997-2001, could make his debut on Saturday against the Devils.

"We know him and he can give us some size and energy," Quenneville said. "He played well for New Jersey last year in the playoffs, and that'll give us more depth up front."

Quenneville insists he's not running out of ideas.

"I think we'll keep doing things," Quenneville said. "Whether it's the same or changing things, we'll keep at it. From sitting guys to shuffling guys, we'll be looking at options."

One thing Quenneville hasn't done is try benching one of his stars like Tkachuk or Doug Weight. Then again, where would the offense come from? Those two, along with Pavol Demitra and Chris Pronger, have combined for more than half of the Blues' scoring.

The Blues also have lost a lot of their luster with defensemen Al MacInnis (eye) and Barret Jackman (shoulder) out for the season. Demitra missed Thursday's game with a hip pointer and could be out through the All-Star break.