For the second time this season, the Blues lost to the worst team in the NHL _ the Los Angeles Kings. This time is was 4-3 setback in a Monday afternoon game at Staples Center.
Hardly the recipe to the get back into the playoff race.
Granted, there's not a whole lot that separates the best from the worst in the league, but the Blues have a tendency to play down to the level of their competition this season.
The Blues entered the game just five points out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference, and now have just one game left _ Wednesday at Anaheim _ before breaking for the All-Star Game and their bye period.
Squandering a 2-0 first-period lead, the Blues missed out on another chance to get above .500 for the season, falling to 21-22-5. The Kings improved to 20-26-4.
"Mistakes," interim coach Craig Berube said afterwards. "We made two or three mistakes that cost us and went in our net. Took too many penalties in the second period, they capitalized on one of them _ you know, 5-on-3.
"I thought we played a hard game. Competed. They competed, too. They played a good game. But we just made too many mistakes that cost us."
Ryan O'Reilly's 18th goal of the season, on a power play, tied the game at 3 in the third. But Paul LaDue's second goal of the season for the Kings at the 9:53 mark gave LA a 4-3 lead and the win. LaDue's shot deflected off the body of a diving Alexander Steen.
Goalie Jordan Binnington, who had allowed only six goals in his first five NHL starts, suffered his first regulation loss and is now 4-1-1 as a starter.
