Blues brace for changes after their third consecutive first-round exit

He had envisioned himself in a wholly different place this spring, smiling through a triumphant interview session after a St. Louis victory in the first round of the playoffs. Instead, Blues captain David Backes stood in a desolate locker room Sunday for the third year in a row, trying to answer the same questions about the same familiar shortcomings.

After much talk about how things would be different this year, the Blues again ended on a sour note. Sunday's loss to the Wild marked the third season in a row in which they were eliminated in the first round. They lost for the fifth time in their past six playoff series, falling to 10-21 in postseason play since 2009.

There could be more unhappy endings as the Central Division champions face another offseason of uncomfortable soul-searching. Coach Ken Hitchcock's contract expires this summer, and patience could be running low with him after he fell to 10-17 in playoff games behind the St. Louis bench. General Manager Doug Armstrong must decide whether to keep intact a core of veteran players — including Backes, T.J. Oshie and Alexander Steen — that has failed to carry the Blues deep into the playoffs despite high expectations.

Backes finished the series with one goal and one assist, giving him five goals in 29 playoff games with the Blues. The Blaine native said the Blues "didn't flip the switch" as they expected to do in the playoffs, but he did not know why.

"It's myself, and it's everyone in this room, together as a group," Backes said. "We didn't bring enough. And now, we've got to answer way too many questions. The fact of the matter is, we didn't do enough, from the first guy down to the last guy. And now we go to the summer again way too early."

Backes lamented the Blues' inability to bring their usual hard-hitting style to the playoffs. At a time of year when teams must push their game up a notch, the Blues backslid, failing to keep up with the inspired Wild.

When asked to assess the single biggest factor in the Blues' demise, Hitchcock said his team found its best stride too late in the series. He lauded their play in the final three games but added that they had to play catch-up too frequently. They also suffered a lack of two critical playoff ingredients: timely goals and timely saves.

"We played hard the last three games," Hitchcock said. "The biggest thing for me is, it's hard to win when you're chasing games all the time. We were chasing too many games."

In 2013 and 2014, the Blues held 2-0 leads in their first-round playoff series before collapsing and losing each series in six games. Armstrong fortified the roster last summer with a big free-agent signing in center Paul Stastny and added defenseman Carl Gunnarsson, then continued tinkering as he tried to find the right formula.

Defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk, who got his eighth assist of the postseason Sunday, agreed when asked if the Blues were given everything they needed to succeed in the playoffs this season. He said the players accept responsibility for the loss, though he added that they were "almost in shock that this just happened."

Shattenkirk assumes there will be changes coming, though he does not blame Hitchcock. The coach, by choice, has worked on a year-by-year basis and was last given a one-year contract extension last May.

"[Armstrong] is not a guy who's going to sit back and let this happen year after year," Shattenkirk said. "That's the hardest thing for us right now, having to worry about that.