Blues forward David Perron used to give Ken Hitchcock fits when Hitchcock was behind the bench of the Columbus Blue Jackets. Now on the same side, Hitchcock has an even better understanding of how Perron makes life difficult on the opposition.
"I didn't know he is as competitive as he is, No. 1, and No. 2, I didn't know he was as strong on the puck as he is," Hitchcock said recently. "I always viewed him as this dangerous skill guy, because it seemed like if there was a 2-on-1 or something, he had the puck all the time against us. But I didn't know he is as feisty-competitive as he is."
After missing 97 games with a concussion, Perron returned to the Blues' lineup last month and, pumped with adrenaline, scored 13 points (two goals, 11 assists) in his first 14 games. He was simply feeling his way through, his legs not always underneath him, and so that feistiness was happening in spurts. But it's been on display more lately as Perron rediscovers his awareness on the ice.
"I think it's something that I am getting more comfortable with as we go on," Perron said recently. "As I get more hits and get hit I know when I react good to that, I keep getting more and more comfortable.
"I just have to work as hard as I can when I have the puck and when I don't have it. The more you focus on playing your game and playing well, it seems like you don't think too much about that other stuff and you just play your regular game."
On Saturday night, after Perron was the recipient of a fierce hit from Minnesota's Justin Falk, he responded with a goal and he helped set up the Blues' other goal in a 3-2 shootout win. He also had a career-high nine shots on goal.
First, though, there was a gasp in the air in the opening minute at Scottrade Center when Falk lined up Perron in the neutral zone. Falk made contact with Perron's upper body, not his head, but it was perhaps the biggest hit he's received since his return, sending him to the ice.
"The way that it finished, with Falk in the air, I thought it might have been dirty, but the linesman came over right away and said he watched the whole thing and said it was clean," Blues forward T.J. Oshie said. "I was worried a little bit, but I saw him get up right away, and it was good."
But in the heat of the moment, Blues captain David Backes addressed the situation immediately. Backes skated directly to Falk, dropping the gloves. When the dust settled, Backes had been issued 19 minutes in penalties, including a 10-minute misconduct.
"Perry is an important part of the team and Backes being the captain that he is, he leads by example," Oshie said. "It's not just because he's got the 'C,' he's been backing up his teammates for a while â€" guys see that and respect it."
While Backes was being escorted away, Perron remained in the game and his performance was reminiscent of one two years ago. After being hit by San Jose's Joe Thornton Nov. 4, 2010, a shot that would eventually keep Perron out 13 months with a concussion, Perron returned to that game and scored in the Blues' 2-0 win over the Sharks.
On Saturday, he tied the score 1-1 with his first goal in 14 games. He took a long pass from Kevin Shattenkirk, fed linemate Chris Stewart and then scored off Stewart's rebound.
"I'm trying to work as hard as I can every day, and in practices, to get up to speed with the guys," Perron said. "I mean, it's just trying to find guys. When you play with guys like 'Backs' and 'Stewie,' you just have to hold on to the puck and try to find them. They're good players. We're working hard together and trying to create some chances."
Later in the period, Perron brought the puck into the offensive zone, and although he wasn't awarded an assist, he helped set up Alex Pietrangelo's power-play goal that tied the score at 2-2.
"I think when he came back (on Dec. 3), he was excited and then he started to play careful, which is natural," Hitchcock said. "Now he's back to playing reckless again, and that's good for us. Because when he's playing reckless and he's playing with the flair that he's playing with now, he's dangerous. I think when he plays with this level of tenacity, he's tough to play against."
On Sunday, many worried how Perron was feeling, however. In a season when players such as Minnesota's Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby have been concussed, returned to action and were subsequently knocked out again, some feared further symptoms.
The Blues did not hold a full practice Sunday, and therefore many players, including Perron, didn't skate, but Hitchcock indicated that Perron was OK. "We haven't heard anything," he said. "I'm sure we would have heard by now."
The Blues will face Dallas tonight at Scottrade Center, and with Perron set to play in his 20th game of the season, Hitchcock said the club isn't worried about him seeing stars.
"No, he's beyond that now," Hitchcock said. "I find that with those guys, those second concussion guys, they either go out right away, go out after two or three games or they go forever. (Boston's Patrice) Bergeron, he comes back, he gets rocked, goes out and now he's back. He's gotten knocked down every game. I don't think we worry about David anymore. We were nervous the first three or four games because you don't want to see a guy get knocked down and have it happen again, but we're beyond that now."
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