ST. LOUIS -- The secret is out on T.J. Oshie, who showed the world at the Sochi Olympics hes perfected the art of the shootout. Hes among nine Olympians whove rejoined a top contender that doesnt overly rely on razzle-dazzle. The St. Louis Blues are in prime position for the NHL stretch drive. They lack star power, with no one among the top 25 scorers, but are second overall in the Western Conference and atop the Central Division entering the re-start Wednesday at Vancouver. "Weve played awfully well. Weve been really resilient all year, weve responded to challenges all year," coach Ken Hitchcock said before the break. "But its going to really get dialed up when we get back and our players recognize that. "I think some guys are really looking forward to it." So far, theyve done the franchise proud. The next few months, theyll be working on solidifying their position and proving they belong against other powers in the conference. Theyre 3-0 against the defending Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks, but 1-2 against the Kings, 0-3 against the Sharks and 0-2 against the Ducks. The Sharks have outscored them 16-7, the Ducks 8-4. "I told the players when we come back in March and April, its for them," Hitchcock said. "They have to really grab it coming back." The blueprint for success is a defence thats allowed the second-fewest goals. Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott have combined for seven shutouts aided by strong support and willing shot blockers throughout the defensive rotation. Oshie and Alexander Steen are tied for the team scoring lead at 46 points, Steens total coming in 46 games due to a lengthy concussion-related absence. Theres plenty of depth with six players scoring at least 14 goals and Alex Pietrangelo is the first defenceman in franchise history and first in the NHL since Dion Phaneuf (2005-08) to record 40 or more points in each of his first three seasons. Theyve been dominant without much of a power play lately, entering the break in an 0-for-20 skid that included numerous failures with the two-man advantage. The Blues must regain their stride quickly after the break with 12 games in 22 days and never more than one day of rest. Theyve played the fewest games in the Western Conference and have three games in hand on the Ducks, first overall, and Blackhawks, who like St. Louis have 84 points. "Its really going to be like coming out of the lockout where everybody is full-tilt and every point means something down the stretch," defenceman Barret Jackman said. "Its going to be about the mental focus coming back and being the team that doesnt crack in those one-goal games." The Blues got a taste of the pressure going to overtime the last four games prior to the Olympics. They won three of them, with Oshie providing a preview of his Sochi show with four shootout goals to drive the United States past Russia in a preliminary round game. Stateside, Oshie scored in overtime to beat the Bruins, scored in the shootout to help beat the Jets and had a goal and assist against the Senators and then scored again in the shootout in a 5-4 loss. "We came through some injuries, sickness, like a lot of teams have gone through," Jackman said. "But were still one of the top teams in the league and thats a pretty good feeling." NCAA Jerseys From China . After a first half in which he thought "the lid was on the basket," the Toronto Raptors coach watched his squad mount a second half surge to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 98-91. College Jerseys Outlet . - Olympic champion Marielle Thompson accomplished her mission of defending her skicross World Cup title at Nakiska Ski Area on Saturday. https://www.ncaajerseys2020.com/.com) - The Vancouver Canucks will try to win two straight games for the first time since mid-January on Monday night as they play host to the struggling New York Islanders. Fake NCAA Jerseys . Reimer is winless (0-2-1) since returning from a six-week absence due to concussion-like symptoms. The Maple Leafs dropped a 4-2 decision to the hosting Washington Capitals on Friday. NCAA Jerseys 2020 .Y. -- Major League Soccer has agreed to new measures to protect gay players from discrimination and harassment as a result of meetings with New Yorks attorney general.Everton boss Roberto Martinez is desperate to arrest his teams recent slump in form when they play Watford at Vicarage Road. Both teams are in need of the three points having failed to win any of their games since clinching a place in the FA Cup semi-finals last month.Everton have lost to Arsenal and Manchester United since their quarter-final win over Chelsea, while Watford also lost to the Gunners after a home defeat to Stoke since they beat Arsene Wengers side in the cup. Watfords semi-final opponents, Crystal Palace, who play Everton in midweek, have not won a top-flight match in 2016.While Everton have yet to discover their next opponents in the FA Cup, Martinez is concerned his team could lose buoyancy for that match if they do not pick up their league form. Everton manager Roberto Martinez You can work on every aspect of the game, and every technicality, but confidence comes with achieving good results and feeling good about yourself, Martinez said.Its something we need to regain with a good performance and getting back to winning ways. Its as simple as that. We need to simplify it.We should forget about the semi-final. Every team that got through to the semi-finals, they havent won a game in the league.Thats probably something that happens when you reach a real high, its difficult to reach the same llevel in the next few games.dddddddddddd Thats why we need to control the level of performance in the game against Watford. Martinez has been impressed by Watford and Quique Sanchez Flores (right) The Everton manager expects a tough encounter in Hertfordshire based on Watfords display in the 2-2 draw at Goodison in August, when he was impressed by the sharpness of Quique Sanchez Flores side.Martinez said: They are in a similar situation. First and foremost I think Watford have had an outstanding season.We faced them in the opening game of the campaign, they surprised us with how quickly they got into the tempo of the Premier League, how well organised Quique Sanchez Flores had the team, the partnership that has been so successful playing up front, and I think they are not a surprise any more.What they are doing in the cup is probably what makes it a really interesting game. Both sides are desperate to get the form into the league. Also See: Martinez: Cup hype hurting us Watford v Everton preview Mersons predictions Premier League video Fixtures Table Live on Sky Get Sky Sports ' ' '