The St. Louis Blues are among the best defensive teams in the NHL, but theyve lost goaltender Brian Elliott indefinitely. Getting the nod in his place will be rookie Jake Allen, who will try to help the Blues continue their dominance of the lowly Edmonton Oilers on Friday night. The Oilers dropped to 0-11-2 against the West with Thursdays 1-0 overtime loss at Nashville. Jordan Eberle had a chance to end the slide, but he was stopped on a penalty shot 13 seconds into the extra period. We havent been able to take many positives lately, where at the start of the season, we felt good about the way we played even though maybe we came out on the short end of the stick, coach Dallas Eakins said. This one for the group was a step forward even though we couldnt get both the points. Edmonton has averaged only 1.63 goals during its eight-game skid (0-6-2) and gone 3 for 27 on the power play. Eberle has no goals in six contests and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has none in eight games. Taylor Hall has four goals and three assists in five career visits to St. Louis. Oilers defenceman Justin Schultz and Martin Marincin will both be healthy scratches tonight, Oscar Klefbom and Keith Aulie will take their spots. St. Louis (14-6-2) gives up 2.00 goals per game, tying Nashville for the league lead. Elliott is a big reason for that success, posting a league-best 1.82 goals-against average. Its unclear when Elliott will get a chance to improve on that since hes out indefinitely with a lower-body injury suffered late in the second period of a 3-2 shootout loss to Ottawa on Tuesday. Allen stepped in to stop 15 of 17 shots before giving up the only shootout tally in the third round. The goalies have been the heart and soul of our team and the biggest reason why weve been winning, left wing Alexander Steen said, so its tough to see a guy like Moose (Elliott) go down. With Elliott out, Allen will likely carry the load and hes 6-2-1 with a 2.12 GAA and two shutouts in nine games. However, he has a 3.10 GAA while going 3-1-1 in his last five appearances. Hes expected to be backed up by Jordan Binnington, who was recalled from Chicago of the AHL on Wednesday while free agent Martin Brodeur will start practicing with the team Friday. Binnington was 6-2-1 with a 1.89 GAA in the minors this season. Tuesdays loss was just the second in nine home games for the Blues, who followed a 2-2-0 road trip by giving up a two-goal, third-period lead before falling to the Senators. The loss is one thing, but the way we played at times is disappointing, attention to detail and focus, coach Ken Hitchcock said. Steen has snapped out of his funk, scoring two goals and assisting on two others over the past three games. He had there goals and eight assists through the first 19 after leading St. Louis with career highs of 33 goals and 62 points last season. Steen has no goals in eight career home meetings with Edmonton, but hes managed six assists. The Blues are 14-2-1 in their last 17 matchups with the Oilers (6-14-3), outscoring them 17-4 during a three-game sweep last season - including 6-2 in the only home matchup March 13. Theyve won seven of the past eight in St. Louis, and that dominance seems likely to continue against Western Conference-worst Edmonton, which has lost eight straight. Alec Ogletree Giants Jersey .C. -- The Charlotte Bobcats said head coach Steve Clifford underwent a successful procedure Friday to have two stents placed in his heart. Patrick Omameh Jersey .C. -- The Steve Smith era in Carolina is over. http://www.nygiantsfanatic.com/c-88-giants-will-hernandez-jersey.aspx . -- Antoine Bibeau bought the Val-dOr Foreurs valuable time at the Memorial Cup with his 51-save shutout Friday. Lorenzo Carter Giants Jersey . However, the intensity and physicality that has characterized the postseason so far has caught Gretzky by surprise. "Its a little bit risqué right now," Gretzky told Philadelphia radio station 97. Riley Dixon Jersey . "For the past several weeks, Logan has been dealing and playing with an upper body injury," said general manager Doug Wilson in a statement. "Despite his efforts to play through it, the injury has not responded as we had hoped and Logan has made the decision to undergo a surgical procedure to repair the problem. MAYNOOTH, Ireland -- Saying hes "feeling a bit lost" in a difficult year, Rory McIlroy shot a 2-over 74 on Thursday in the Irish Open to fall eight strokes behind first-round leader Oscar Floren. The second-ranked McIlroy, from Northern Ireland, had four bogeys and two birdies in wet and overcast conditions at Carton House on the outskirts of Dublin. McIlroy hit only five of 14 fairways and took 34 putts. "At the moment, no aspects of my game are strong and Im just feeling a bit lost at the moment," he said. "It feels good on the range and I can hit all the shots, but when I get out on the course it really does not seem to be there. "Off the tee, I am missing one right and then missing one left and its just not going where I want it. It gets you in two minds every time you are playing a tee shot. The game is just not coming easy to me at the moment and while I was struggling at this point last year, I was able to turn the corner in the middle of the summer and have a great end to my season. I dont know whether its a matter of trying to play my way out of it or just keeep grinding away on the range or whatever.dddddddddddd" Floren, from Sweden, had a 6-under 66. He drove the green on the par-4 13th and holed a 20-foot eagle putt. "I just came out and hit everything really, really pure," Floren said. American Peter Uihlein was a stroke back along with Dutchman Joost Luiten, , Frances Jean-Baptiste Gonnet, Northern Irelands Michael Hoey and Irelands Shane Lowry. Uihlein, the Madeira Islands Open winner last month, is making his 10th European Tour start of the year. The former Oklahoma State star won the 2010 U.S. Amateur. Lowry, the 2009 winner at County Louth as an amateur, had six birdies and a bogey played alongside McIlroy. "I was just chomping at the bit to get out there this morning and I was just trying to play me way into the tournament nicely so Im really pleased with a 67," he said. Hoey said wife Barbara had their first child induced last week so he could compete in the event. "Its great being a father and already its added a new perspective to my life," said Hoey, a four-time European Tour winner. ' ' '