St. Louis Blues captain David Backes joined NHL Live via Arena Cam on Thursday prior to the Blues' preseason game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Blues enter 2014-15 carrying big expectations. Despite winning 52 games last season, St. Louis was eliminated in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second straight year, falling to the Chicago Blackhawks in six games after holding a 2-0 series lead. The year before, the Blues were ahead 2-0 against the Los Angeles Kings before losing in six games.
"Two-nothing leads, that doesn't win you a series," Backes said. "You have to win four games and those were some pretty good teams we were playing. That being said, we have a lot of good guys on our team and we need to just have that killer instinct. We get a lead we have to take it one game at a time but make sure that we're stepping on their throat when we have those sorts of leads.
"Coming into this year, we've got a lot of depth that we can spread out a few more minutes and be a little more fresh going into the playoffs so that we can really put the hammer down and be peaking at the right time of the year."
Backes' 57 points last season was third on the Blues. He returns this season to a team that added Paul Stastny to fill the No. 1 center position.
"You add a world-class center like Paul on any team and he's going to help out, spread some minutes around," Backes said. "A guy that's responsible defensively, a guy that can produce some points and can run a power play. It will be nice to have him as a teammate."
NHL.com is the official web site of the National Hockey League. NHL, the NHL Shield, the word mark and image of the Stanley Cup, the Stanley Cup Playoffs logo, the Stanley Cup Final logo, Center Ice name and logo, NHL Conference logos, NHL Winter Classic name, and The Biggest Assist Happens Off The Ice are registered trademarks and Vintage Hockey word mark and logo, The Game Lives Where You Do, NHL Winter Classic logo, NHL Heritage Classic name and logo, NHL Stadium Series name and logo, NHL All-Star logo, NHL Face-Off name and logo, NHL. TV, NHL Premium, NHL After Dark, NHL GameCenter, NHL GameCenter LIVE, NHL Network name and logo, NHL Tonight name and logo, On The Fly, NHL Awards name and logo, NHL Draft name and logo, Hockey Fights Cancer, Because It's The Cup, NHL Green name and logo, NHL Vault, Hockey Is For Everyone, NHL Thanksgiving Showdown name and logo, NHL Centennial Classic name and logo, NHL Centennial Season logo, NHL100 Classic name and logo, NHL Global Series name and logo, NHL China Games name and logo, and Don't Miss A Moment are trademarks of the National Hockey League. All NHL logos and marks and NHL team logos and marks depicted herein are the property of the NHL and the respective teams and may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of NHL Enterprises, L.P. © NHL 2018. All Rights Reserved. All NHL team jerseys customized with NHL players' names and numbers are officially licensed by the NHL and the NHLPA. The Zamboni word mark and configuration of the Zamboni ice resurfacing machine are registered trademarks of Frank J. Zamboni & Co., Inc. © Frank J. Zamboni & Co., Inc. 2018. All Rights Reserved. Any other third party trademarks or copyrights are property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.