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The St. Louis Blues need to put a rough ending to the regular season behind them if they want to get past the defending Stanley Cup champions in the opening round of the playoffs. The struggling Blues hope to get back on track when they host the Chicago Blackhawks in Thursdays Game 1 encounter at Scottrade Center. Heading into the final week of the regular season, St. Louis was in the running to capture the Presidents Trophy as the leagues top point-earning team. Instead, an 0-6-0 skid knocked the Blues out of first place in the Central Division, where they finished a point behind the Colorado Avalanche to earn a much-tougher first-round matchup against a Chicago team that has won two of the last four Stanley Cup titles. St. Louis went 3-2-0 in the season series against the Blackhawks, with two of those wins coming in a shootout. Chicago, though, has won seven of the 10 all- time playoff series between the Central Division rivals. While this will mark the 11th all-time playoff series for these two clubs, they are meeting for the first time since the Blues ousted the Blackhawks in five games of the 2002 conference quarterfinals. The good news for St. Louis is that it is getting healthy. Vladimir Tarasenko is set to return while forwards David Backes, Vladimir Sobotka, Brenden Morrow and Patrik Berglund are considered questionable for the start of this series. T.J. Oshie has been ruled out for the game however. "Were going to have everyone back at some point in the first round," Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock said on Wednesday. Ryan Miller was acquired from Buffalo at the trade deadline and enters this series as the No. 1 netminder for the Blues. St. Louis hopes Miller can help the club get out of the first round after it fell in six games to Los Angeles in the opening series last spring. Miller was 10-8-1 with a 2.47 goals against average and .903 save percentage in 19 starts with the Blues and is 25-22 lifetime in the postseason with a 2.47 GAA and .917 save percentage. That includes two deep runs with the Sabres in 2006 and 07. Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford didnt slow down after helping Chicago win the Cup a season ago as he went 32-16-10 with a 2.26 goals against average and .917 save percentage in 59 games, including 56 starts. Crawford is 21-15 with a 2.04 GAA in the postseason. Like the Blues, Chicago played the end of the regular season without some key players but the Blackhawks are as healthy as they can be since forwards Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane have been declared ready to go for Game 1. Kane missed the final 12 games of the regular season with a lower-body injury, while Toews sat out the last six with an upper-body issue. Toews, the team captain, won the Conn Smythe Trophy when Chicago won it all in 2010 and Kane claimed the playoff MVP award last spring. "Im excited to get things going," said the reigning Conn Smythe winner. "Ive watched a lot of hockey lately, so its going to be nice to play in some games now." The return of Kane and Toews bulks up Chicagos talented top-six that also includes Patrick Sharp, Marian Hossa and the up-and-coming Brandon Saad. Chicago won the Central Division last season in a lockout-shortened campaign and battled its way to a second Stanley Cup title in four years. The Blackhawks hope to become the first repeat champions since the Detroit Red Wings in 1997-98. The Blues, who were 28-9-4 at home this season, will host Game 2 of this series on Saturday. Chicago was 19-14-8 on the road in 2013-14. Hanley Ramirez Jersey . -- Canadian ski cross star Marielle Thompson accomplished two goals in one race Saturday. Bob Feller Jersey . PAUL, Minn. http://www.indianssale.com/indians-manny-ramirez-jersey/. Hall joined Bengals teammates for a voluntary workout on Monday. Hes got his mobility back and is on schedule to be ready for the season. CINCINNATI - Bengals cornerback Leon Hall is happy with his recovery from a torn Achilles tendon and expects to be ready for the start of training camp in July. Jim Thome Jersey . - The Seattle Sounders busy off-season continues with the team acquiring defender Chad Marshall from the Columbus Crew in exchange for a 2015 third-round pick and allocation money. Brad Miller Jersey . “Im not sure well get Melky Cabrera at all,” said Gibbons. The 29-year-old left fielder struggled all season with knee and hamstring problems. Cabrera was first on the disabled list from June 27-July 20 with tendinitis in his left knee.WASHINGTON -- To prepare for the playoffs, Denver coach Brian Shaw said he wants his high-scoring team to learn to win tough games. There was no better training ground for bump-and-grind basketball than Mondays 75-74 victory over the Washington Wizards. Wilson Chandler scored 17 points, Nate Robinson added 16, and Kenneth Faried had a key block and transition dunk with 33 seconds left. Washington had three possessions after Faried put Denver ahead, but John Wall missed a layup, Trevor Ariza missed a 3-pointer, Chandler blocked a layup try by Garrett Temple, and Robinson stripped the ball from Wall in the closing seconds. Denver, which came in sixth in the NBA in scoring (104 points per game), had its lowest output of the season -- falling 13 points below its previous low -- but was able to conclude a 4-2 road trip. Holding Washington without a field goal for the final 4:04, Denver showed some of the grit that it hopes to employ later in the season. "We didnt even get into the 80s tonight," Shaw said. "But just being able to execute down the stretch, make tough defensive stops when we needed to, I thought we did that tonight, especially at the end of the game." Chandler also had eight rebounds as the Nuggets rallied from 12 points down in the second half, and Robinson helped the Denver reserves outscore their depleted Washington counterparts 34-5. Wall finished with 20 points and eight assists, Marcin Gortat scored 16 points, and Trevor Booker added 12 points and 12 rebounds for the Wizards. Wall was miffed by a no-call at the end of the game, when Robinson made the last of his four steals. "Same thing that was happening all game but I didnt get the call," Wall said. "Nate Robinson was grabbing my arm every time I went by him and thats how I lost the ball and we lose a tough game tonight." In the other locker room, Robinson told reporters that he would "let you all make that decision." Robinson had another key play when sneaked through a screen, stole a pass, and streaked for a fast-break layup, giving Denver its first lead since the second quarter, 73-72. "You gotta be scrappy, do whatever it takes to win," Robinson said. Washington led most of the way behind Wall, but with four rotation plaayers out, Washington got only five points from six reserves who played a combined 62 minutes and shot just 2 for 13.dddddddddddd "Weve got to get more than five points from our bench," Wizards coach Randy Wittman said. "Thats gotta get better for us, no question about it. I think we got up 12 at the end of the third. I looked up, its two right away. I gotta figure out a way to find guys that are gonna go out there and increase it by 12, keep it at 12, keep it at 10, keep it at eight, until you can get your main guys back." Neither team led by more than four points in a stagnant first half until Washington scored six straight points, including four by Wall, to go up 43-36 with 2 minutes to go before the break. Washington remained in command in the third quarter, pushing its lead to 58-46 on a jumper by Wall. However, the 5-foot-9 Robinson came off the bench for Denver and scored eight points. Timofey Mozgovs tip-in before the end of the quarter pulled Denver to 60-58. The Wizards still had control until midway through the fourth quarter when reserve forward Jordan Hamilton hit consecutive 3-pointers and former Wizards guard Randy Foye followed with another 3-pointer with a drive and pass to Chandler for a dunk, setting the scene for the final grind. "We missed a lot of open shots. They missed a lot of open shots. It was terrible basketball," Faried said. "Its like that sometimes but we came out with a win, so well take it." NOTES: The Wizards announced during the game that forward Al Harrington underwent surgery on Monday to remove particles from his right knee and will be re-evaluated in four weeks. ... Washington also disclosed that top scorer Bradley Beal has been cleared to increase basketball activities. The second-year guard, who missed his seventh straight game on Monday, has been out with a stress injury to his left fibula. ... Washington also was without Nene (foot tendinitis) and Martel Webster (ankle sprain), who remain day-to-day. ... Denver was without top scorer Ty Lawson (hamstring), who missed an opportunity to play in his hometown. Front-court players Danillo Gallinari and Javale McGee remain out for the Nuggets . With Beal and Webster out, Glen Rice Jr. made his starting debut for Washington. ' ' '