–Congratulations are in order for Blues forward Keith Tkachuk, who scored career NHL point 1,000 with a goal in the Blues’ 4-2 win at Atlanta on Sunday.

We keep waiting for the 36-year-old Tkachuk to fade into the background and for his days as a top-six forward to come to an end, but “Walt” keeps coming back for more and despite a recent scoring slump, has 16 points in 22 games. He will be a free agent after this season.

Speaking of the Blues, goaltender Chris Mason may be aligning himself for more playing time in the future. Mason got the win on Sunday and has won his last three starts. He has stopped 106 of the last 109 shots he has faced. His goals against average this season is 2.29, compared to Manny Legace’s 3.19.

–Things were looking rosy for the Saint Louis University Billikens when they upset then-ranked Boston College by a 53-50 score at home on Nov. 22. But since then, SLU has dropped a pair of road games at Nebraska (71-57) and Detroit Mercy (62-57). Next up is a date at Southern Illinois University Carbondale on Tuesday. While SIUC’s 2-3 record doesn’t look too glitzy, keep in mind that two of the Salukis’ losses came against Duke and UCLA. Simply put, if SLU wants to put key wins on its resume in order to entertain NCAA Tournament hopes, a triumph in Carbondale is paramount.

–The St. Louis Rams have been just plain offensive on offense this season. The Rams rank dead last in the NFL in touchdowns scored (12) on offense and overall (13). It was more of the same on Sunday in a 16-12 defeat at the hands of Miami. All of the Rams points came off the foot of Josh Brown via field goals. The Male Sheep have gone eight straight quarters without a touchdown.

–Rams quarterback Marc Bulger, who suffered a concussion the week before against Chicago, had a passer rating of 22.2 and threw three interceptions. The Rams picked a bad year to have a bad year — Detroit and Cincinnati seem to have dibs on the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft. Bulger is clearly on the downside of his career. He was exposed way too much in Mike Martz’s system and the hits are starting to take their toll. Despite already giving big money to Bulger in 2007, the Rams have to draft a quarterback next spring.

–Missouri head coach Gary Pinkel will apparently have a void to fill on his coaching staff. Offensive coordinator Dave Christensen has reportedly accepted the head coaching job at Wyoming. He’s expected to stay on board as the Tigers prepare for Saturday’s Big 12 title game date with Oklahoma in Kansas City.

The Billikens never could get on a roll last season and finished their maiden voyage under Majerus with a pedestrian 16-15 record, good for a ninth-place finish in the Atlantic 10 Conference (Note: There are 14 teams in the league).

Granted, Majerus should be given a pass for last season. For the most part, the former Utah, Marquette and Ball State coach, and ESPN analyst, inherited the roster from outgoing coach Brad Soderberg; and that roster wasn’t exactly chock full with highly-touted recruits. Never was that more evident than when the Billkens shot blanks in a miserable 49-20 loss at George Washington on Jan. 10. The Billikens made the highlight shows that night — for all the wrong reasons.

The 2008-09 season brings hope for SLU fans. The biggest reason for hope is in the form of Chaifetz Arena, the school’s new $80.5 million, 10,600-seat on-campus facility just off Highway 40 and less than two miles west of their old home, the Scottrade Center.

Chaifetz Arena gives the Billikens — predicted to finish seventh this season by A-10 coaches and media members — a place of their own after they’ve shared digs with other tenants at the old St. Louis Arena and Scottrade Center. The intimate yet state-of-the-art facility should give the university a boost in recruiting and provide more of a college atmosphere to help make life tough on visiting A-10 foes.

While things are looking up for SLU off the court, two familiar faces return to give the Billikens viable scoring options as linchpins Kevin Lisch and Tommie Liddell III are back for their senior seasons.

Lisch, a 6-foot-2 guard, scored 14.6 points per game as a junior and was a third-team A-10 selection. In the league preseason voting, Lisch was tabbed a first-team pick. Liddell, a 6-4 senior guard, was second in scoring (12.3 ppg) and rebounding (4.3 rpg). And while he and Rick Majerus clashed at times last season, one would think player and coach should have a better idea on how to strengthen their relationship and put aside their differences. The coaches and media made Liddell a third-term selection in the league this week.

We’ll take a closer look at the Billikens prospects and this season as we close in on their opener Nov. 14 with Missouri-St. Louis at Chaifetz Arena.

[tags]rick majerus, college basketball, atlantic 10, saint louis billikens[/tags]