McDonald finally returns to lineup

--The long-awaited return of Andy McDonald happened Sunday and the veteran winger didn't disappoint Blues fans. After missing 51 games with a concussion, McDonald was inserted into the lineup against San Jose. He played 16 minutes, 13 seconds and had one assist. His speed was especially noticeable in the offensive zone. "It felt great," McDonald said. "A little bit of nerves before the game, but once you get out there and start playing, the guys around me did a great job of helping me.

"It's nice to be back, it's been so long. A long road of recovery, but nice to be back, especially when you win."

--The Blues scored two 5-on-3 power-play goals against San Jose Sunday and now have four power-play goals in their last two games, including three with a two-man advantage. Their strategy didn't appear to be paying off on the first one Sunday against San Jose, but then defenseman Alex Pietrangelo ripped a point shot past Sharks goalie Antti Niemi. "We have set plays that we run and they weren't working," Pietrangelo said. "Me and (T.J. Oshie) talked about that before ... if it's not there, shoot that shot. It might have looked erratic to you guys than it did to us, but that's four power-play goals in two games. We don't care how it looks as long as we get the job done."

QUOTE TO NOTE
"I wasn't going to shoot and then I heard (David) Backes yell, 'Shoot.' A two-goal lead with five seconds, I'll take it. Should have passed it to Jaro (Jaroslav Halak), maybe give him a chance." -- Blues D Alex Pietrangelo, on his length-of-the-ice empty-net goal to finish Sunday's 3-0 win over San Jose.

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