The St. Louis Blues are in the middle of a series of must-win games in their quest for the Stanley Cup playoffs. The run continued Thursday in Detroit, where St. Louis tried to rebound from a rather listless effort Wednesday night in Chicago. They got plenty of help from one of their young guns. David Backes is in his second full season with the Blues and was on the cusp of a 30-goal season heading into Thursday's game. He's not "on the cusp" anymore.Backes scored a career-high four goals in the Blues' wild 5-4 win in Detroit. The fourth goal -- his 30th of the season -- was the game-winner late in the third, stunning the Joe Louis Arena gathering. It happened just 36 seconds after Niklas Kronwall's blue line shot found its way past Blues' goalie Chris Mason, completing Detroit's rally from a two-goal hole.
All four of Backes' goals were even-strength. He had two in the second, giving St. Louis a 2-0 lead, and two more in the decisive third period. His game-winner came off a great feed by Brad Boyes behind the Detroit net.
Andy McDonald had the other goal for the Blues, who at least temporarily moved into seventh place in the Western Conference. Detroit has lost three straight at home and four of five overall. The Red Wings have already won the Central Division, but have been locked in a race with the Sharks for the top seed in the West. Right now, San Jose has a solid hold on first place in the conference, though the Wings still have time to make up the ground if they can get hot in the final week.
