“Well, the thing that would help him, we can’t give him — which is more experience,” said Hitch, whose team was shut out again, this time 3-0 Thursday at San Jose. “Vladi’s learning some really hard lessons. Playoffs are for veteran players. And the veteran players on both teams have this thing dialed up. As you experience as a younger player, you’re going to have to learn to fight through a lot if you expect to score. We would like him to learn that lesson a day from now, but we’re not sure about the time frame.

“Some guys never learn it, some guys can’t do it, some guys learn it and really become special scoring players. But he’s going to have to fight through everything if he expects to score a goal and contribute offensively. And there are some days he’s going to be an effective player (in a game) and not even get a point, but he’s going to have to have an understanding of what it takes to play at this time of year, in the conference final, with 100 percent commitment on the other side.”

As we look ahead to Game 4, how, just how, can the Blues score? They can create more pressure and anxiety on the puck-holders in teal. David Backes pointed out that the team can’t be “standing still.” And the only way the Blues win this series is if they make drastic changes to their approach and mindset. But what’s most frightening: They thought they already had.