Lessons learned from the last week of play:
u25baGetting unhitched
The St. Louis Blues were stuck in transition from being a physically punishing team to emphasizing skill when they fired Coach Ken Hitchcock last week and promoted Mike Yeo from coach-in-waiting. Their biggest problem has been weak goaltending, and they asked future Hall of Fame goalie Martin Brodeur — their assistant general manager — to work with their goalies. The Blues’ plans took a hit when they lost forward Robby Fabbri (torn knee ligament) for the rest of the season. Yeo planned to play Paul Stastny, dynamic Vladimir Tarasenko and Alexander Steen together with the aim of creating a combination that can carry the Blues through a tight playoff scramble.