Coach Ken Hitchcock is putting all his best players on the first power play. The first power play will consist of David Backes, T.J. Oshie and David Perron up front with Kevin Shattenkirk and Alex Pietrangelo. The Blues have the 28th best power play in the NHL with only 23 goals so it can't be a bad move placing everyone together. The Blues play for the first time since the break as they had the longest vacation of any team, nine days.

David Backes had a hand in all four of the St. Louis Blues' goals Saturday night against the Buffalo Sabres, as he exploded for two goals and two assists in the 4-2 victory. In addition, he had a game-high six shots on net and was a plus-three. The physical forward has really turned on the jets lately, as he now has 12 points in nine January games. The goals were his 15th and 16th of the year, and he's now accumulated 35 points as well. Other goal scorers for the Blues included B.J. Crombeen's first of the year and David Perron's fourth. T.J. Oshie and Alex Pietrangelo each had two helpers. The young defenseman has now notched points in nine straight, amassing 13 in that span.

David Backes produced a goal and an assist in a 3-0 win over Montreal on Tuesday night. The St. Louis captain has been hot of late with three goals and three assists during a four-game scoring streak. Backes has 31 points, 40 penalty minutes and a plus-11 rating in 42 games this campaign. Chris Stewart also had a goal and a helper in the contest, while Jason Arnott supplied the game's winning tally.

David Backes got his 15th assist of the season on Tuesday. Backes has taken a mild step back offensively from his 2010-11 pace, but he's still a great player to own in fantasy leagues. Backes will help you in almost every standard category. He currently has 11 goals, 26 points, a plus-nine rating, and 40 penalty minutes in 39 games. If your league uses hits as a category as well, then Backes is even better with 114 recorded.

David Backes scored a goal in a 3-2 defeat Wednesday. Chris Stewart accounted for the Blues other goal. Carlo Colaiacovo, Patrik Berglund, and David Perron each registered an assist in the losing effort.

St. Louis forward David Backes left Sunday's game briefly, but seems to be fine. Backes was forced to the locker room after taking a cross check from the Blue Jackets' Fedor Tyutin, but he returned to the St. Louis bench to begin the third period. Although this appears to have been a near miss for Backes, keep an eye on his status throughout the week to ensure there are no lingering issues from this hit.

David Backes scored his 10th goal of the season in the Blues' 3-2 win over Detroit Tuesday. In his role as a defensive specialist under Ken Hitchcock, Backes hasn't exactly racked up the points, but he has scored enough to make him relevant in fantasy leagues. Alexander Steen and Patrick Berglund also scored in the St. Louis win.

David Backes scored his ninth goal of the season Sunday as the Blues downed Columbus by a score of 2-1. Backes' third period power play marker broke a 1-1 tie and held up as the winner. Since he's been used as a shut-down defender by Ken Hitchcock, Backes hasn't racked up a ton of points, but he's been a solid contributor in rotisserie formats nonetheless. Kris Russell also potted his fifth marker of the season in the victory.

David Backes scored a shorthanded goal and registered an assist in a 2-0 victory Friday. Alex Pietrangelo scored the other Blues' goal. Kevin Shattenkirk and Alex Steen each registered an assist for St. Louis.

David Backes seems to shaking off his slow start. In the Blues' last two games Backes has scored three goals and registered four points. He is a must start going forward not only for his offensive capabilities but also for his contribution to your teams' penalty minute totals.