Blues limping down the stretch once again

T. J. Oshie believes information overload preparing for the playoffs could be the reason for the St. Louis Blues’ late- season skid.

“There’s so much we’re trying to pack in here,” Oshie said after a lacklustre 4- 1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night. “I’m not sure what it looks like from up top, but guys aren’t really sticking with their gut and going with their first instinct.”

If the playoffs began Wednesday, the opening- round opponent would have been Chicago, the team who beat them a year ago after the Blues limped into the post- season on a six- game losing streak. “I don’t believe it naturally comes back, you’ve got to work at it,” coach Ken Hitchcock said. “So we’ll have to work at it.”

The Blues have lost two straight at home, and seven of their last 11 at the Scottrade Center.

Defenceman Zbynek Michalek put it bluntly: “It’s not good enough. Not even close.”

“Sometimes when you’re slow in the head, any information you’re getting is too much information,” Hitchcock said. “We’re playing slow, everything we’re doing is slow.”

Not long ago, the Blues were in first place in the Central Division and on the cusp of a seventh 100- point season in franchise history. They’re stuck on 99 points, three points behind Nashville, with six games to go entering Thursday’s matchup against Calgary.

“Obviously, we’re having troubles breaking out of our little slump here,” goalie Brian Elliott said. “We’ve got to take some time to think about it, think about how much we want to invest and come back ready to go.”