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Blues scratch Langenbrunner for second straight game

langenbrunnergetty

For the second straight game, veteran winger Jamie Langenbrunner will watch the St. Louis Blues play in street clothes.

Head coach Ken Hitchcock decided to keep his lineup the same for Monday’s game against the Predators in Nashville, which is pretty reasonable after his team destroyed Detroit 6-0 in the season-opener.

Hitchcock told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he doesn’t think the jersey space-challenging forward will be a regular on the healthy scratch list, however.*

“We felt like if everybody came through healthy and we played that well, why change the lineup,” Hitchcock said. “You know, they’re going to play. I think sometimes you start over-thinking, like you don’t want to get guys too far away from it.

“But (Langenbrunner) knows the deal. He’s a veteran guy; he knows the deal. And I think when he gets in, he’s going to be a good player, and when he gets in he’s not going to get pushed out.”

Some might believe that the 37-year-old is nearing the end of the road, though.

He’s coming off his worst full statistical season in 2011-12. He averaged just 14:37 minutes per game while managing a middling six goals and 24 points. Langenbrunner isn’t that far removed from the days where he fell in the 60-point range, but it’s unlikely he’ll approach that level again.

Right now, he’s just trying to get back in the lineup.

* - And not just to save fabric and ink, am I right?