The St. Cameron Erving Super Bowl Jersey . Louis Blues will try to put the defending Stanley Cup champions on the ropes when they visit the Chicago Blackhawks for Game 3 of the Western Conference quarterfinals on Monday. The team will be without David Backes however, after the Blues captain left Game 2 early in the third period after a hit from Blackhawks defenceman Brent Seabrook. Patrik Berglund will take Backes spot in the lineup. St. Louis has jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series thanks to a pair of victories on home ice. Both games have gone beyond regulation, with the Blues beating Chicago 4-3 in triple overtime on Thursday before taking Saturdays OT battle by the same score. The Blackhawks won their second Stanley Cup title in four years in 2013, but the reigning champs need to turn things around on home ice in Games 3 and 4 or they could face an early exit from this springs postseason. Chicago did lose in the opening round in consecutive seasons after winning the Cup in 2010. Chicago had an excellent opportunity to tie the series on Saturday, as the Blackhawks overcame an early 2-0 deficit in Game 2 to grab a 3-2 edge in the third period. However, Vladimir Tarasenkos power-play goal tied the game with just 6.4 seconds remaining in regulation and Barret Jackman scored 5:50 into OT to hand St. Louis a 2-0 lead in the series. The Blues now have a commanding hold on the best-of-seven series heading into Mondays Game 3, though Blues goaltender Ryan Miller said he knows its been a lot closer than that. "The way these games have gone, you have to respect the fact that Chicago was a shot away in both of these games, too," said Miller. "Thats the weird part about hockey." Chicago snapped a lengthy shutout streak by Miller to get back in Saturdays game. But after three Chicago Blackhawks defensemen scored three straight goals against Miller, one of them took a series-changing penalty that the Blues exploited for the comeback victory. Brent Seabrooks charging major due to a check against Blues center David Backes led to Tarasenkos tying goal in the closing seconds of the third period. Millers shutout streak of 119 minutes and 27 seconds since allowing three goals on seven shots in the first period of Game 1 was snapped when Duncan Keith scored with 2:35 left in the second period to get the Blackhawks on the board. Seabrook and Michal Rozsival then beat Miller 1:45 apart in the third period to give the Blackhawks the 3-2 lead, but Chicago was later done in by Seabrooks game misconduct with 4:51 left in regulation. Skating near full speed, Seabrook checked Backes in the face with his right shoulder, sending him head-first into the corner boards and sparking a scrum between the teams as Backes tried to get back on his feet. The St. Louis captain left the game after the hit and did not return. The fallout from the hit continues into Mondays game, as Backes status for Game 3 is up in the air. Seabrook, meanwhile, was suspended three games for the illegal check and defenseman Nick Leddy expects to enter Chicagos lineup in his absence. Initially it appeared Chicago may survive Seabrooks penalty and win Game 2. The Blackhawks killed off an initial 46-second 5-on-3 and were seconds from escaping with the win before Tarasenko beat Corey Crawford to the near side with a long shot from above the right circle. "Youre right there -- six seconds away," Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said. "The other game was tough losing it with a buck and change (left) but today was brutal." The Blues converted only one of their nine power-play opportunities in the game, but they made that one goal count. After the break, Jackmans winner from the left boards squirted in between Crawfords legs with Max Lapierre creating a screen in front. Chris Porter and Kevin Shattenkirk scored first-period goals to give the Blues the early lead. Miller ended with 25 saves. "The way these games have gone, you have to respect the fact that Chicago was a shot away in both of these games, too," said Miller. "Thats the weird part about hockey." Crawford stopped 27 shots in the loss for the Blackhawks, who have received five of their six goals in the series from defensemen. Chicago hopes to regroup at the United Center, where it posted an impressive 27-7-7 record this season. That included a 2-0-1 record against the Blues during the five-game season series. The Blackhawks, of course, are no stranger to mounting postseason comebacks. Chicago trailed Boston 2-1 in the Cup Finals a year ago before winning three straight to take the series and also overcame a 3-1 deficit to eliminate Detroit in the 2013 Western Conference semifinals. Game 4 of this series is scheduled for Wednesday at the United Center. In addition to Backes, the Blues also could be without forwards Patrik Berglund (sprained shoulder) and Brenden Morrow (bruised foot) on Monday. Berglund has yet to play in this series and expects to be out again in Game 3, while Morrow sat out Game 2 and is questionable for this evenings test. Kendall Fuller Super Bowl Jersey . -- The Chicago Bears say they have agreed to a one-year contract with centre Roberto Garza. Darrel Williams Super Bowl Jersey . Toronto has lost six of its last eight games but is coming off Thursdays 7-3 victory at Kansas City. Juan Francisco and Colby Rasmus both went deep for the Blue Jays, who are second in the American League with 34 home runs on the season.DENVER – The story of Jonathan Cheechoo is one that offers caution to the 23-year-old centre plugging the Maple Leafs third line. Now playing for Moscow Dynamo, Cheechoo led the NHL with an astounding 56 goals as a 25-year-old with the Sharks and was gone from the league entirely less than five years later. Its a funny game that way, says Peter Holland, far from making it himself just yet. They say one of the hardest things to do is to get to the NHL, but its even harder to stay here. If there is that opportunity where I can say Ive made it, who knows maybe Ill be 38 years old. Eight picks after Toronto plucked Nazem Kadri with the seventh overall selection in 2009 did Anaheim spring for the Caledon, Ontario-born Holland, who rung up 67 points in 68 games that year with Guelph. Five years down the line and now 80 games into his NHL career, Holland is in the earliest stages of securing his place in a league that will chews up those that cant stick quickly and banishes them elsewhere. He was an up-and-down type for the Leafs last year – his first in Toronto – bouncing between the NHL and AHL with varying degrees of success (he had a dominant playoff with the Marlies), but its now, with opportunity at hand, that he needs to show why he belongs in the league. Holland has moved up in the lineup and is drawing bigger minutes with Joffrey Lupul sidelined – including a season-high of more than 16 minutes over the weekend. Hes also added power-play duty in Lupuls absence and is killing penalties for the first time since those junior days with the Storm. Simply put, his opportunity has never been better to show how and why he belongs. We know what Peter can do, said Leafs assistant and former Marlies coach Steve Spott. Obviously I saw it firsthand in the American Hockey League last year. I thought he was the best player in the American League last year. And now hes starting to find that here. Hes playing on the power-play now with [Kadri], hes killing penalties and his minutes are going up. Hes also slowly earning the sometimes difficult faith of head coach Randy Carlyle. That wasnt the case often a year ago – Hollands minutes were often overtaken by the veteran hand of Jay McClement. Thats a real big word for coaches is trust and I think Petes now got that from Randy, Spott said. Now hes got to keep it. In doing so, Spott says, Holland needs to be responsible with the puck and without it. And for young players that can be a challenge. It was Hollands ill-timed drop pass to Jake Gardiner behind the Toronto goal Tuesday night that precipitated Gardiners error and the Coyotes first goal. With trrust from the coach, however, Holland admits to feeling more confident, more willing to hang onto the puck and try to make a play from time to time. Xavier Williams Super Bowl Jersey. He knows he needs to become more difficult for opponents to play against, more refined and aware away from the biscuit, more disruptive on the forecheck, and far better in the faceoff circle. My game is having the puck, making plays with the puck, said Holland. I dont make too many mistakes when I do have the puck, but its a matter of putting myself in position to have it more. Holland has just three points in 12 games this fall – including the game-winning goal over Chicago on Saturday – and poor possession numbers, but some of that has to be attributed to the sparse minutes he drew early on Torontos fourth line. Since moving into the third unit centre gig – alongside Leo Komarov and Mike Santorelli – those possession stats have improved and hes become a much more noticeable presence on the ice, using the size, speed and skill that made him a first round pick. And that has to become the norm for him to succeed. Though he boasts a new two-year deal and cant go down to the Marlies again without waivers – thereby keeping him in the NHL barring some unforeseen drop-off – Holland still must determine what kind of player he can be for the Leafs, establish himself as a piece of their future. He looks enviously at Bruins all-around ace David Krejci and sees a model to follow. I look at a guy like that and think thats something I want to strive towards, Holland said. He sees a player in Krejci that Claude Julien and the Bruins count on across the board, someone who rose up the ranks of a depth chart to become the leading scorer of a Stanley Cup champ. I want to be a guy that can be counted on in all situations, he says, whether were down a goal in the last couple minutes [and] I need to be put there to get one for us. Or if were up a goal, be trusted to shut the other team down. Its something that you just need to keep building towards. Holland was one of those players in the desert on Tuesday. He was there on the Gila River Arena ice in the final minute of the third period with the Leafs pushing for one more goal – they wouldnt get it, falling 3-2 to Arizona. Thats what he wants, but its also what he has to earn. And thats a process hes only just beginning. I dont know if you can ever really take your foot off the gas pedal, Holland said. Its a funny game in the sense that if you go on a bit of a slide, next thing you know they bring in the next better kid. Theres always kids up and coming trying to take your spot. ' ' '
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