Hawks ought to ignore Ott

Steve Ott returned to the Blues’ lineup in Game 3 after missing more than four months recovering from hamstring surgery and colitis.

Ott, one of the NHL’s premier agitators, has a knack for getting under opponents’ skin with the verbal and physical abuse he doles out on the ice. And he’s the kind of player who can draw a retaliatory penalty that could prove costly in a series as tight as this one.

A former 22- goal scorer with the Stars, Ott has only three goals since the start of last season. A key for the Hawks will be to ignore him.

‘‘ Yeah, he’s made a career of it,’’ Hawks winger Andrew Ladd said. ‘‘ So he’s obviously doing something right. At the same time, you can’t let him be a factor in this series. He can play his six or eight minutes or whatever he’s going to play, and we’ll just worry about playing hockey.’’

Role reversal

In baseball, Chicago has been chasing St. Louis for years, with the Cubs finally passing the Cardinals last season. In hockey, the roles are reversed, with the Hawks playing the part of the Blues’ bullying big brother.

The Blues are trying to do what the Cubs did in the fall.

‘‘ Yeah, we’re just trying to start a new trend,’’ Blues defenseman Alex Pietrangelo said. ‘‘ I said that at the start the playoffs. They’ve had some success in the playoffs the last six years or however many times they’ve won it. Time to start a new trend.

‘‘ It starts right here. We’re going to have to beat them eventually, so why not start in the first round?”

Extra gear

Ladd, whose wife, Brandy, gave birth to their third child, Walker, after Game 1, has been wearing his hospital bracelet the last two games.

‘‘ He’s still in the hospital, so I need it to go see him,’’ Ladd said.