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Blues plan to watch their step vs. Panthers

Oct 25, 2008 - 10:43 AM Florida (4-3-0) at St. Louis (4-3-0) 8:30 pm.

ST. LOUIS (Ticker) -- The St. Louis Blues have vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin to thank for a freak injury to star goaltender Manny Legace. The Blues will look to stay healthy when they host the Florida Panthers on Saturday.

Palin dropped the ceremonial first puck prior to Friday's game against the Los Angeles Kings. Her presence proved detrimental to the Blues, however, as Legace suffered a strained hip flexor after slipping on the carpet Palin used to walk on the ice.

The netminder started the game but allowed two goals on 12 shots in the 4-0 loss.

"I went to go step on the ice and the (security guard) says, 'Watch the carpet,'" Legace said. "He had his foot there holding it, so I figured it would be safe to step on it if he's holding it and the other end is secure.

"As soon as I went to step down, he took his foot off the carpet, and the carpet just shot out and my leg kept going, and my other one was still on the bench. I felt the pull right away."

Losing Legace for any period of time is a big blow for the Blues. An All-Star in 2007-08, Legace has posted a 4-2-0 record with a 2.94 goals-against average this season. Rookie Ben Bishop replaced Legace on Friday and stopped 15 shots.

St. Louis, which is 2-2-0 on a seven-game homestand, was shut out for the first time this season.

Meanwhile, the Panthers have won two straight games and are coming off a win over the red-hot San Jose Sharks. Former St. Louis left wing Cory Stillman scored a pair of goals and Tomas Vokoun stopped 47 shots in a 4-3 win on Friday.