Blues try to explain home-ice disadvantage after Monday's loss

For the third consecutive playoff series, the St. Louis Blues have lost a pair of games on home ice after Monday's Game 5 loss to the San Jose Sharks. Now one game away from elimination, the team is trying to figure out why it's struggling at Scottrade Center.

"I said we're a little cuter at home than we are on the road," captain David Backes said, according to NHL.com's Lou Korac. "We've just got to stay simple and stay on the page and get a task done. I don't know if that's a trend in Game 5s; I don't keep track of that."

The Blues hold a 4-6 record at home during this postseason, but their 6-3 record on the road has kept them alive. Defenseman Alex Pietrangelo wishes he knew what was ailing his team in its own arena.

"If I had the magic answer, I'd give it to you," he said. "I'm not too sure. It's something that we really need to take a hard look at and figure out why we're doing that. That's on us players."

Meanwhile, head coach Ken Hitchcock, who has said home ice doesn't mean what it used to, suggested the pressure of playing in front of your own fans can be dangerous.

"It's hard to describe," he said after the game. "The pressure to win at home is greater, and so is the discouragement if you're not doing well. Winning at home right now in the playoffs is either feast or famine. You either look like you're a million dollars, or you get frustrated at times.

"I think from that standpoint there's a few times we've been frustrated. Our expectations are high and we want to do well for the fans. Sometimes that cocktail doesn't mix very well."

If the Blues hope to end their home struggles in a Game 7, they'll need to continue their dominance on the road with another road win in San Jose on Wednesday.