Blues' Shattenkirk: 'I would assume' changes coming after 1st-round exit

Kevin Shattenkirk expects to see a different St. Louis Blues team next season, and not just in the figurative sense.

The Blues defenseman was asked if changes are coming after a 4-1 series-clinching loss to the Minnesota Wild in Game 6 of their first-round matchup Sunday.

"I would assume so," Shattenkirk told reporters. "(General manager Doug Armstrong) is not a guy who's going to sit back and let this happen year after year."

The blue-liner said he's already concerned about how potential changes might affect the team.

"That's the hardest thing for us right now is having to worry about that."

The Blues have struggled to score in the playoffs recently, as Lou Korac of NHL.com points out.

Goaltending is another issue. Jake Allen struggled in Games 5 and 6 against the Wild, allowing six goals on 32 shots in a pair of losses.

Allen said after Sunday's loss that he disappointed his teammates.

"Two terrible goals again," he said. "I just let the boys down."

Allen allowed a soft goal to Zach Parise with the Blues on the power play in the first period, then let Justin Fontaine go five-hole on a goal that ended the netminder's day in the second.

"I was more focused today than I ever was all year," he added. "Just two bad goals that can't go in at this time of year. It was my job to keep the team in it. I let in a soft one and another bad goal."

St. Louis lost in the first round for the second consecutive year. The Chicago Blackhawks dispatched the Blues in six games in the first round last season.