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Despite wins, Blues have to be concerned about lack of scoring

Blues versus Coyotes

It’s not often a team scores just seven goals in seven games and ends up with five victories.

But that’s exactly what the Blues have managed in their last seven contests. Two 1-0 wins. One 2-0 victory. And a couple of 2-1 shootout triumphs, including last night’s over Phoenix.

Suffice to say, goalie Brian Elliott has been their most important player. The 28-year-old who struggled so badly earlier this season was the savior once again on Thursday.

“We didn’t play our best game,” St. Louis d-man Barret Jackman said, per the Post-Dispatch. “I think we let the way that they play dictate the way we played. And it should be the other way around. We were trying to pick them apart instead of playing in straight lines.

“The two points is huge and (Elliott) stood on his head again.”

“We can’t play like that at this time of the year,” added head coach Ken Hitchcock. “Even if you do get into the playoffs, there’s too many holes in your game.

“The goalie saved us tonight.”

Offensively, St. Louis has fallen all the way to 17th in the NHL (2.54 goals per game).

One of the major reasons? The Blues -- who started the season with a red-hot power play -- have scored just twice with the man advantage in their last 15 games.

At the very least, St. Louis has had at least 30 shots in each of its past four outings. Opposition goalies -- including Vezina Trophy candidate Sergei Bobrovsky, plus two others enjoying strong seasons in Chicago’s Corey Crawford and Vancouver’s Cory Schneider -- have combined for a .977 save percentage over that stretch.

St. Louis hosts a desperate Dallas side tonight. The Stars, unlike the Blues, aren’t have trouble scoring. They’ve got 26 goals in their last seven games.

Related: TJ Oshie thinks he can be back by playoffs