Canadian roster was rounded out by Aleksandra Wozniak of Blain

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. ETwaun Moore Jersey . -- Victor Bernardez tied the game with his second goal in the 95th minute and the San Jose Earthquakes drew 3-3 with Real Salt Lake on Saturday night. Nikola Mirotic Pelicans Jersey . - A late-game interception by defensive back Malcolm Butler saved the Super Bowl for the New England Patriots. https://www.pelicanslockerroom.com/Darius-Miller-City-Edition-Jersey/ .com) - The Tennessee Titans agreed to terms with running back Jackie Battle on a one-year contract Friday. Nickeil Alexander-Walker Jersey . - In about six minutes, the Memphis Grizzlies had allowed their 23-point lead to be cut to seven. Frank Jackson Pelicans Jersey .com) - The Buffalo Bills will return to the friendly confines of Ralph Wilson Stadium on Sunday when they welcome the upstart Cleveland Browns to town.PARIS - Canadas Fed Cup team has drawn a tough opponent for its first appearance in the elite World Group. The top-ranked Czech Republic will visit Canada for a first-round tie Feb. 7-8, 2015. "This will be our first World Group tie and the team knows that no matter who the opponent, it will be a very talented team that is one of the best in the world," Canadas Fed Cup captain Sylvain Bruneau said in a release. "This is very true of the Czech Republic as they have solid players and lots of experience winning in this competition." The official draw was conducted Wednesday at Roland Garros. In other first-round ties, Italy will host France, Germany will entertain Australia and Russia will visit Poland. The 2014 tournament will be decided in November when the Czechs host Germany in the final. Canada is currently ranked No. 8 in the world. Canada defeated Serbia 3-1 in the World Group II first round in February and beat Slovakia 3-1 in the World Group playoff in April in Quebec City. The host venue and playing surface will be announced at a later date. "We are very happy to be playing at home again as I believe it makes a difference to have the support of your home crowd," Bruneau said. "Even from the last tie against Slovakia, the core players on our team have improved so much. We now havve another eight months to take further steps and be ready in February to try and win Fed Cup.dddddddddddd" Eugenie Bouchard of Westmount, Que., anchored the Canadian victory over Slovakia with a pair of singles victories. She will play Russias Maria Sharapova in the French Open semifinals on Thursday. The Canadian roster was rounded out by Aleksandra Wozniak of Blainville, Que., Torontos Sharon Fichman and Ottawas Gabriela Dabrowski. The Czech lineup boasts players like Petra Kvitova and Lucie Safarova. The Czech Republic has won the Fed Cup seven times, including back-to-back titles in 2011 and 2012. The two countries last met in a World Group qualifying tie in 2002, when the host Czechs defeated Canada 5-0 on clay in Prerov. Canada has an all-time record of 0-5 against the Czech Republic. The winner of the tie will move on to the Fed Cup semifinals and will keep its place in the eight-country World Group for the following year. The loser will have to play a World Group playoff to maintain its spot in the elite level for 2016. The semifinals next year are scheduled for April 18-19, and the final for Nov. 14-15. In World Group II, its Argentina vs. the United States, Romania vs. Spain, Netherland vs. Slovakia, and Sweden vs. Switzerland. ——— With files from The Associated Press. ' ' '