Tonight the Blues faceoff against the Ottawa Senators at 6pm(CT).
Coming off of a 4-3 Overtime victory in Montreal last night, the Blues hope to extend their winning streak in Ottawa with another win.
Injury Report:
David Backes will not be playing tonight due to upper body - related issues. Patrik Berglund (who was out with sickness during the last game, will step in and play in Backes' spot on the top line, centering Kariya and Oshie).
Tonight's Lineup:
Kariya/Berglund/Oshie
McDonald/Tkachuk/Perron
Steen/McClement/Crombeen
Winchester/Boyes/Janssen
Brewer/Johnson
Jackman/Polak
Colaiacovo/Sydor(Weaver?)
Mason (starting in goal tonight)
Conklin (backup)
My opinion:
I hope the Blues come out with the same intensity that they brought to the table in the first period last night and score some goals. Goal scoring and goaltending is what won the game for them last night, hopefully they can replicate it again.
Let's Go Blues!
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Blues Win Over Long Time Rivals in Montreal
The Blues hit the road again tonight for a 6:30pm game in Montreal.
In the first period, it was all STL as they showed the Canadiens an offensive show by posting 3 goals by Perron, Kariya, and Steen. The Canadiens only answered with 1.
The Blues battled hard the rest of the game only to find themselves in another overtime situation. After scoring another goal earlier in the third, the Canadiens came back with a goal in the last minute of play after pulling their goalie and gaining 6 attackers.
The game proceeded to overtime and then STL ended up winning due to a brilliant goal by Andy McDonald (set up by Paul Kariya).
The Blues gained another 2 points, pushing them ahead of Minnesota in the Western Conference Standings and hopefully with a win tomorrow night, will tie Anaheim for the 10th place spot.
Saint Louis came to the table with a great effort again tonight on the road and will hopefully continue this play on the rest of the road trip in Ottawa, ON tomorrow night when they faceoff against the Senators at 6pm.
I think that if the Blues come with the same effort in Ottawa that they did tonight against Montreal, then they should prove to be a very worthy opponent for the currently 5th ranked (eastern conference) Senators team.
Let's Go Blues!
In the first period, it was all STL as they showed the Canadiens an offensive show by posting 3 goals by Perron, Kariya, and Steen. The Canadiens only answered with 1.
The Blues battled hard the rest of the game only to find themselves in another overtime situation. After scoring another goal earlier in the third, the Canadiens came back with a goal in the last minute of play after pulling their goalie and gaining 6 attackers.
The game proceeded to overtime and then STL ended up winning due to a brilliant goal by Andy McDonald (set up by Paul Kariya).
The Blues gained another 2 points, pushing them ahead of Minnesota in the Western Conference Standings and hopefully with a win tomorrow night, will tie Anaheim for the 10th place spot.
Saint Louis came to the table with a great effort again tonight on the road and will hopefully continue this play on the rest of the road trip in Ottawa, ON tomorrow night when they faceoff against the Senators at 6pm.
I think that if the Blues come with the same effort in Ottawa that they did tonight against Montreal, then they should prove to be a very worthy opponent for the currently 5th ranked (eastern conference) Senators team.
Let's Go Blues!
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Petr Sykora on Waivers
Today, the Minnesota Wild Hockey Organization placed Right Winger, Petr Sykora on waivers, meaning that he can be claimed by any hockey club for another 24 hours.
The Blues could take this opportunity to obtain some solid, consistent scoring from him if they choose to pick him up.
Petr Sykora has played 935 games at the National Hockey League level and has scored 302 goals and recorded 375 assists in his career. Total numbers result in 677 points.
If the Blues picked up Sykora, it would help solidify some much needed scoring up front at a very cheap price of $600,000 (which is his remaining salary). Sykora is also in a contract year so he could be only a rental-type player if the Blues wish.
Personally, I think they should pick him up. Sykora played with Paul Kariya and Andy McDonald back in Anaheim so that could be a possible line combo for the Blues.
Petr Sykora also brings veteran experience to the table in that he has won a couple Stanley Cups and has been on finals teams as well.
He's an experienced Right Winger that could help solidify their RW depth for this year and a few after this if they choose.
The Blues could take this opportunity to obtain some solid, consistent scoring from him if they choose to pick him up.
Petr Sykora has played 935 games at the National Hockey League level and has scored 302 goals and recorded 375 assists in his career. Total numbers result in 677 points.
If the Blues picked up Sykora, it would help solidify some much needed scoring up front at a very cheap price of $600,000 (which is his remaining salary). Sykora is also in a contract year so he could be only a rental-type player if the Blues wish.
Personally, I think they should pick him up. Sykora played with Paul Kariya and Andy McDonald back in Anaheim so that could be a possible line combo for the Blues.
Petr Sykora also brings veteran experience to the table in that he has won a couple Stanley Cups and has been on finals teams as well.
He's an experienced Right Winger that could help solidify their RW depth for this year and a few after this if they choose.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Blues Goaltending Situation
Going into the rest of the season and into the future afterward, the Blues have some decisions to make regarding their goal-tending situation.
Currently, they have Chris Mason as starter and Ty Conklin as backup.
So far this season, Mason has been average up until this point, compared to his amazing performance last season, ultimately helping the Blues make the playoffs.
Conklin has performed exactly how we thought with a .500 record and has turned out to be a good acquisition for the Blues Organization.
With Chris Mason's contract expiring, the Blues are going to be forced to either resign him to possibly more money or let him walk when free agency hits.
Rumors say that he could receive a 4 year 20 million dollar deal from the Blues if they opt to resign him.
In my opinion, it is too big of a risk resigning a goaltender that is 33 for 4 more years and banking on his success during that time frame.
There are several up and coming younger goalies around the league (Josh Harding, Peka Rinne, Jaroslav Halak) that are becoming restricted free agents and or unrestricted free agents. The Blues could look into signing one of these guys rather than sign an older goalie.
They could also opt to bring up either Jake Allen (who made a great appearance as Team Canada's starting goalie in the World Junior Tournament) or Ben Bishop (who saw some play for the Blues last season).
There are many options for the Blues to consider and ponder as the days pass.
I think they should evaluate Mason's play at the end of the season. If he posts another quality record like he did last season, then they should try and resign him for 1-2 years at no more than $4 mil. per year. They should be cost conscious going forward.
Now, if Mason is requesting more than $4mil. per year, then we should consider going the free agent route or trade route because they need to conserve money for other areas going forward and round out their goaltending with a younger guy for a number of years.
Let's Go Blues!
Currently, they have Chris Mason as starter and Ty Conklin as backup.
So far this season, Mason has been average up until this point, compared to his amazing performance last season, ultimately helping the Blues make the playoffs.
Conklin has performed exactly how we thought with a .500 record and has turned out to be a good acquisition for the Blues Organization.
With Chris Mason's contract expiring, the Blues are going to be forced to either resign him to possibly more money or let him walk when free agency hits.
Rumors say that he could receive a 4 year 20 million dollar deal from the Blues if they opt to resign him.
In my opinion, it is too big of a risk resigning a goaltender that is 33 for 4 more years and banking on his success during that time frame.
There are several up and coming younger goalies around the league (Josh Harding, Peka Rinne, Jaroslav Halak) that are becoming restricted free agents and or unrestricted free agents. The Blues could look into signing one of these guys rather than sign an older goalie.
They could also opt to bring up either Jake Allen (who made a great appearance as Team Canada's starting goalie in the World Junior Tournament) or Ben Bishop (who saw some play for the Blues last season).
There are many options for the Blues to consider and ponder as the days pass.
I think they should evaluate Mason's play at the end of the season. If he posts another quality record like he did last season, then they should try and resign him for 1-2 years at no more than $4 mil. per year. They should be cost conscious going forward.
Now, if Mason is requesting more than $4mil. per year, then we should consider going the free agent route or trade route because they need to conserve money for other areas going forward and round out their goaltending with a younger guy for a number of years.
Let's Go Blues!
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Will the Blues Pull the Trigger?
There is a lot of speculation out there in the hockey world regarding whether the St. Louis Blues are going to make a trade by the March 3rd trading deadline or not.
A lot of people suggest that we should look into somehow obtaining the elite sniper Ilya Kovalchuk via trade with the Atlanta Thrashers at the deadline.
Some people say we should stand pat and just run with what we have again and then work on improving the club in the offseason via free agency and draft.
There are many options that the Blues could utilize.
In My Opinion:
I think that the Blues need to evaluate what they have in their own system, figure out their top 6 forwards for the rest of this system and decide who fits and who doesn't.
Their biggest area of improvement should be obvious: Defense.
The Blues need to take a long, hard look at their blueline. They have a lot of defensive depth in their system but they have zero guys that are big, aggressive, puck movers that can help the offense out.
They should look into trying to acquire Tomas Kaberle from Toronto or Sheldon Souray from Edmonton.
Either of these two guys would be enough to boost up our defense enough to really make an impact on our playoff run.
The price for either of these two guys is worth the experience and usefulness we would get back.
Now the question is, what will the Blues think is best for their organization going forward?
We'll just have to wait and find out.
Let's Go Blues!
A lot of people suggest that we should look into somehow obtaining the elite sniper Ilya Kovalchuk via trade with the Atlanta Thrashers at the deadline.
Some people say we should stand pat and just run with what we have again and then work on improving the club in the offseason via free agency and draft.
There are many options that the Blues could utilize.
In My Opinion:
I think that the Blues need to evaluate what they have in their own system, figure out their top 6 forwards for the rest of this system and decide who fits and who doesn't.
Their biggest area of improvement should be obvious: Defense.
The Blues need to take a long, hard look at their blueline. They have a lot of defensive depth in their system but they have zero guys that are big, aggressive, puck movers that can help the offense out.
They should look into trying to acquire Tomas Kaberle from Toronto or Sheldon Souray from Edmonton.
Either of these two guys would be enough to boost up our defense enough to really make an impact on our playoff run.
The price for either of these two guys is worth the experience and usefulness we would get back.
Now the question is, what will the Blues think is best for their organization going forward?
We'll just have to wait and find out.
Let's Go Blues!
Another Win: Blues String Together 4 in a Row
Tonight, with a 4-1 win over the New York Rangers, the Blues have proven that the first half of the season was a mistake that just needed some time to correct.
Since the coaching change, the Blues have started to win more and more hockey games and players that were "cold" are now on fire.
The new system and philosophy of David Payne has been etched into the hearts and minds of the players and is starting to show in their play. They seem to come to the table with more of a physical game than before and a lot more energy, enabling them to pressure their opponents and create great scoring chances because of them.
Posting a perfect 3-0 homestand at the Scottrade Center this week and have won their last 4 games in a row.
Recent Contributions to Offense:
Alex Steen - since coming back from his broken wrist injury earlier in the season, Steen has slowly gotten better and better as the season has progressed on. He now has 8 goals in his last 7 games and is officially on fire for the Blues. He's definitely making a bid for a spot on the team for years to come.
Brad Winchester - since the coaching change was made, Brad has definitely decided to start playing way more physical and do his best to look out for his fellow teammates while making good plays in the boards as well.
Patrik Berglund - looks like a completely different hockey player since the start of the since. Once Andy Murray was fired, he really came out of his shell and looks to be at 100% in terms of offensive capabilities are concerned. Look for him to start finding the back of the net with regularity.
T.J. Oshie - The little engine that could is starting to become the persistent hotrod with premium fuel. Oshie is becoming the complete hockey player. He hits, can pull the puck out of any situation and keep it on his stick, shoots, plays defense, plays great offense, has Datsyuk-like deking skills, etc. He comes to every game with the same intensity night in and night out. In my opinion: Currently the best player on the team.
The Blues are really starting to show what they're made of but it's still going to be a long road to the playoffs. Let's Go Blues!
Since the coaching change, the Blues have started to win more and more hockey games and players that were "cold" are now on fire.
The new system and philosophy of David Payne has been etched into the hearts and minds of the players and is starting to show in their play. They seem to come to the table with more of a physical game than before and a lot more energy, enabling them to pressure their opponents and create great scoring chances because of them.
Posting a perfect 3-0 homestand at the Scottrade Center this week and have won their last 4 games in a row.
Recent Contributions to Offense:
Alex Steen - since coming back from his broken wrist injury earlier in the season, Steen has slowly gotten better and better as the season has progressed on. He now has 8 goals in his last 7 games and is officially on fire for the Blues. He's definitely making a bid for a spot on the team for years to come.
Brad Winchester - since the coaching change was made, Brad has definitely decided to start playing way more physical and do his best to look out for his fellow teammates while making good plays in the boards as well.
Patrik Berglund - looks like a completely different hockey player since the start of the since. Once Andy Murray was fired, he really came out of his shell and looks to be at 100% in terms of offensive capabilities are concerned. Look for him to start finding the back of the net with regularity.
T.J. Oshie - The little engine that could is starting to become the persistent hotrod with premium fuel. Oshie is becoming the complete hockey player. He hits, can pull the puck out of any situation and keep it on his stick, shoots, plays defense, plays great offense, has Datsyuk-like deking skills, etc. He comes to every game with the same intensity night in and night out. In my opinion: Currently the best player on the team.
The Blues are really starting to show what they're made of but it's still going to be a long road to the playoffs. Let's Go Blues!
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Blues Dominate Columbus
Last night, I was at the Blues vs. Columbus game.
I think that the coaching system and philosophy is finally settling into the team.
Right away in the first period, the team came out like they were in high gear.
Crombeen registered a goal only after 2 minutes of the game as a result of Jay McClement crashing the net and Columbus' goalie Mathieu Garon coughing up a rebound right in front of the net.
The first period was all Blues hockey. Later on toward the end of the period Steen registered a great powerplay goal (slapshot from the point) and McClement was rewarded again with a rebound goal just 45 seconds later.
The Blues got some much needed secondary scoring last night, which ultimately gave the other guys confidence in the new coach and system in place.
The fans were relieved after the clock ticked down to zero in the third period. The Blues have not won a game at home since December 15th and are looking to turn that horrific home record around after last night's victory.
The playoffs at this point look bleak but as we know from last season, the team has the ability to create miracles and go for it.
I just hope the guys are up to the task again this season because from here on out, it's going to be a tough mountain to climb. We'll see just what this team is made of in the next few weeks.
Here's to another miracle run!
Let's Go Blues!
I think that the coaching system and philosophy is finally settling into the team.
Right away in the first period, the team came out like they were in high gear.
Crombeen registered a goal only after 2 minutes of the game as a result of Jay McClement crashing the net and Columbus' goalie Mathieu Garon coughing up a rebound right in front of the net.
The first period was all Blues hockey. Later on toward the end of the period Steen registered a great powerplay goal (slapshot from the point) and McClement was rewarded again with a rebound goal just 45 seconds later.
The Blues got some much needed secondary scoring last night, which ultimately gave the other guys confidence in the new coach and system in place.
The fans were relieved after the clock ticked down to zero in the third period. The Blues have not won a game at home since December 15th and are looking to turn that horrific home record around after last night's victory.
The playoffs at this point look bleak but as we know from last season, the team has the ability to create miracles and go for it.
I just hope the guys are up to the task again this season because from here on out, it's going to be a tough mountain to climb. We'll see just what this team is made of in the next few weeks.
Here's to another miracle run!
Let's Go Blues!
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Blues Win Contest Against LA Kings / Trade Talk
The Blues come off of the Staples Center ice with a victory tonight after a hard fought game.
The young kids stepped up in the game. Oshie and Perron scored very finesse goals and their support players were the tough and gritty guys like Janssen, Crombeen and Winchester who came to the table with hits, good board-work, and a couple fights.
Another interesting tidbit about tonight's game was that when Andy McDonald didn't return to the game due to an upper body injury, the team started to play better.
My theory for this is that the kids are getting more ice time and therefore thriving under the new ice time and coaching system.
Hopefully this will mark a turnaround for the Blues and they can start winning on home ice more often to help improve their playoff hopes.
Now onto Trade Talk.
Recently on NHL rumor sites and online newspaper articles, there has been much talk about many skilled players possibly being traded due to the upcoming Olympic games NHL trade freeze in February and the not so far off trading deadline in March.
There are many big name players out there such as Kovalchuk, Marleau, Phaneuf, Souray, Koivu, Selanne, etc. As far as the Blues are concerned, the odd of management making a trade look good.
So far this season, the Blues have shown after half of the season, that they can be a very inconsistent club in terms of being able to score and produce offensively.
A lot of people point to the coaching, which I agree with for the most part but there are also the problems with the players (mainly the veterans).
The veteran players' (Paul Kariya, Andy McDonald, David Backes, Keith Tkachuk, etc) poor production in the first part of the season were a big culprit of why we lost games. With the Western Conference at a very high level of competition again this year, you need those veterans to step in and lead when the team needs it.
Now, that being said, the Blues have around $17 mil coming off of the books this off-season, which is more than enough to go out and sign a superstar caliber player like Ilya Kovalchuk.
With the Blues future uncertain for the rest of the season, seeing management make a trade can be hard to predict.
The Blues are in perfect "pounce mode", meaning that if they chose to, they could get a superstar player with the amount of depth in their system and the constantly growing young talent already present on the parent club.
What it will come down to is what management wants to do. They're going to have to make the best decision for the club that they can. So far, we've been doing pretty well, but I think that if the Blues want to be knocking on the door of a Stanley Cup championship then they will have to have at least 1 superstar on their team to help carry them.
If they can obtain a guy like that then they should have the depth everywhere else to take care of business.
My opinion:
The Blues should take a really hard look at Ilya Kovalchuk if he doesn't sign a contract extension in Atlanta. I'm confident that the Blues could make a deal with Atlanta to make a trade for him and extend his contract out so he can play here for long term.
If Kovalchuk doesn't work out then I would focus on creating a more intimidating blueline by pursuing either Sheldon Souray from Edmonton or Dion Phaneuf from Calgary.
During the offseason I think that the Blues should go the free agent or trade route to obtain a new goaltender. Chris Mason is up for free agency and I think that if he wants more than $3.5 mil per season at a 2 season extension, then I would rather see him walk to free agency and see a younger goalie like Jaroslav Halak, Peka Rinne, or Josh Harding take the starter position and have Conklin continue to do a bang-up job as a backup.
Just something to think about....
The young kids stepped up in the game. Oshie and Perron scored very finesse goals and their support players were the tough and gritty guys like Janssen, Crombeen and Winchester who came to the table with hits, good board-work, and a couple fights.
Another interesting tidbit about tonight's game was that when Andy McDonald didn't return to the game due to an upper body injury, the team started to play better.
My theory for this is that the kids are getting more ice time and therefore thriving under the new ice time and coaching system.
Hopefully this will mark a turnaround for the Blues and they can start winning on home ice more often to help improve their playoff hopes.
Now onto Trade Talk.
Recently on NHL rumor sites and online newspaper articles, there has been much talk about many skilled players possibly being traded due to the upcoming Olympic games NHL trade freeze in February and the not so far off trading deadline in March.
There are many big name players out there such as Kovalchuk, Marleau, Phaneuf, Souray, Koivu, Selanne, etc. As far as the Blues are concerned, the odd of management making a trade look good.
So far this season, the Blues have shown after half of the season, that they can be a very inconsistent club in terms of being able to score and produce offensively.
A lot of people point to the coaching, which I agree with for the most part but there are also the problems with the players (mainly the veterans).
The veteran players' (Paul Kariya, Andy McDonald, David Backes, Keith Tkachuk, etc) poor production in the first part of the season were a big culprit of why we lost games. With the Western Conference at a very high level of competition again this year, you need those veterans to step in and lead when the team needs it.
Now, that being said, the Blues have around $17 mil coming off of the books this off-season, which is more than enough to go out and sign a superstar caliber player like Ilya Kovalchuk.
With the Blues future uncertain for the rest of the season, seeing management make a trade can be hard to predict.
The Blues are in perfect "pounce mode", meaning that if they chose to, they could get a superstar player with the amount of depth in their system and the constantly growing young talent already present on the parent club.
What it will come down to is what management wants to do. They're going to have to make the best decision for the club that they can. So far, we've been doing pretty well, but I think that if the Blues want to be knocking on the door of a Stanley Cup championship then they will have to have at least 1 superstar on their team to help carry them.
If they can obtain a guy like that then they should have the depth everywhere else to take care of business.
My opinion:
The Blues should take a really hard look at Ilya Kovalchuk if he doesn't sign a contract extension in Atlanta. I'm confident that the Blues could make a deal with Atlanta to make a trade for him and extend his contract out so he can play here for long term.
If Kovalchuk doesn't work out then I would focus on creating a more intimidating blueline by pursuing either Sheldon Souray from Edmonton or Dion Phaneuf from Calgary.
During the offseason I think that the Blues should go the free agent or trade route to obtain a new goaltender. Chris Mason is up for free agency and I think that if he wants more than $3.5 mil per season at a 2 season extension, then I would rather see him walk to free agency and see a younger goalie like Jaroslav Halak, Peka Rinne, or Josh Harding take the starter position and have Conklin continue to do a bang-up job as a backup.
Just something to think about....
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Game Day Thread: Blues at Anaheim
Tonight the Saint Louis Blues faceoff against the Anaheim Ducks in the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.
The Blues, coming off of a strong game last night against the San Jose Sharks, look to draw upon the newly found offense and passion that they came to the table with.
Even though the Blues suffered a loss in overtime last night, the team still earned a point in the standings. The Blues also played an aggressive, physical, and amazing 3 periods of hockey. They have not achieved that type of grit for about a month.
Tonight, the opponent is not a tough but still equally as hungry as the Blues are to get points.
My Prediction:
With the great performance the Blues put on last night against one of the best teams in the league, the Blues will surely grab a win for themselves.
Our goaltender Mason is on his game again and the reunited "Kid Line" is firing on all cylinders. Really look for them to shine tonight against this Ducks team.
Brad Boyes may actually start getting his shots directed to the net once he regains some chemistry with the red hot Andy McDonald and the always tenacious David Backes.
I think the top 5 players tonight for the Blues will be: Alex Steen, Andy McDonald, Patrik Berglund and Roman Polak.
Check out the game tonight on Channel 37 or 792(HD).
In my next post I'll be blogging about some of the trade talk going around with several NHL teams as well as more info about the Blues!
Let's Go Blues!
The Blues, coming off of a strong game last night against the San Jose Sharks, look to draw upon the newly found offense and passion that they came to the table with.
Even though the Blues suffered a loss in overtime last night, the team still earned a point in the standings. The Blues also played an aggressive, physical, and amazing 3 periods of hockey. They have not achieved that type of grit for about a month.
Tonight, the opponent is not a tough but still equally as hungry as the Blues are to get points.
My Prediction:
With the great performance the Blues put on last night against one of the best teams in the league, the Blues will surely grab a win for themselves.
Our goaltender Mason is on his game again and the reunited "Kid Line" is firing on all cylinders. Really look for them to shine tonight against this Ducks team.
Brad Boyes may actually start getting his shots directed to the net once he regains some chemistry with the red hot Andy McDonald and the always tenacious David Backes.
I think the top 5 players tonight for the Blues will be: Alex Steen, Andy McDonald, Patrik Berglund and Roman Polak.
Check out the game tonight on Channel 37 or 792(HD).
In my next post I'll be blogging about some of the trade talk going around with several NHL teams as well as more info about the Blues!
Let's Go Blues!
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
First Post: Gameday for the Blues 1/6/10
The Blues begin their west coast road trip tonight in San Jose when they face-off against the Sharks, the second best team in the Western Conference.
The Blues, coming off of a 4-game losing streak at home, hope to continue their success on the road and string together some wins.
With the firing of Head Coach Andy Murray and the promotion of Davis Payne to take over the position, the Blues are looking to play a new game.
After the past three practices with Davis Payne, the players sounded optimistic about this new style of aggressive fore-checking, rough offensive zone play, and a quicker transition game from their defensive end. They are looking to fight tooth and nail with one of the best teams in hockey right now and show them that they are still in it to win games.
The Blues go into their building posting a road record of 11-4-3, one of the best in the league, however, the Sharks post an intimidating home record of 13-3-5 to counter.
Any way you look at this match-up, it will be a good hockey game and a very physical one at that. Expect a lot of hitting, fighting, and crashing around the net from both teams.
My Prediction:
The Blues are a young team looking to impress their new head coach. They have been given the nod to get creative offensively and trust each other. They have been told to play with passion for the game and each other. With this new style, geared towards offense, I foresee the Blues playing one of their best games of the season tonight and posting a victory after a hard fought game with the sharks. Keep in mind that this team really doesn't have much to lose at this point because they are so far back in the standings. Also a lot of players like Colaiacovo, Steen, etc are playing in their contract years and a future spot on the team is not certain for them unless they start producing. The young talent like Oshie, Berglund, Perron and Johnson are all competing for more ice time and are going to have to come with their "A-game" to impress the new coach.
The game starts at 9:30 CT on Fox Sports MidWest (Channel 37 or 792 in HD).
Keys to the game for the Blues:
-Quick transition game in our own end
-Smart defensive plays to disrupt the opposing offense
-Strong goaltending
-Good puck movement and unpredictability on the Powerplay
-Cut back on taking bad penalties
Injury Report:
-Paul Kariya is traveling with the team on the road trip but is not expected to play due to the concussion-like symptoms he is experiencing. He will most likely be evaluated by the doctors to see if he can be inserted into the lineup. He remains as day-to-day on the injured reserve list.
-Keith Tkachuk was hit with a puck in the mouth in the last game against the Chicago Blackhawks on Jan. 2. He lost several teeth and underwent surgery. He skated with the team in the last practice but the decision was made for him to stay in Saint Louis and not travel with the team to recuperate from the injury. He has been placed as day-to-day on the injured reserve list. Yan Stastny was called up from the Peoria Rivermen to fill his spot on the lineup for the roadtrip.
-Ty Conklin does not have an injury but his son suffered one. He opted to remain in Saint Louis to tend to his family matters and is expected to rejoin the Blues on the road trip. Prospect Ben Bishop was called up from the Peoria Rivermen to fill the backup goaltender role until his return to the lineup.
-Barret Jackman had the flu but is expected to play during the road trip.
The Blues, coming off of a 4-game losing streak at home, hope to continue their success on the road and string together some wins.
With the firing of Head Coach Andy Murray and the promotion of Davis Payne to take over the position, the Blues are looking to play a new game.
After the past three practices with Davis Payne, the players sounded optimistic about this new style of aggressive fore-checking, rough offensive zone play, and a quicker transition game from their defensive end. They are looking to fight tooth and nail with one of the best teams in hockey right now and show them that they are still in it to win games.
The Blues go into their building posting a road record of 11-4-3, one of the best in the league, however, the Sharks post an intimidating home record of 13-3-5 to counter.
Any way you look at this match-up, it will be a good hockey game and a very physical one at that. Expect a lot of hitting, fighting, and crashing around the net from both teams.
My Prediction:
The Blues are a young team looking to impress their new head coach. They have been given the nod to get creative offensively and trust each other. They have been told to play with passion for the game and each other. With this new style, geared towards offense, I foresee the Blues playing one of their best games of the season tonight and posting a victory after a hard fought game with the sharks. Keep in mind that this team really doesn't have much to lose at this point because they are so far back in the standings. Also a lot of players like Colaiacovo, Steen, etc are playing in their contract years and a future spot on the team is not certain for them unless they start producing. The young talent like Oshie, Berglund, Perron and Johnson are all competing for more ice time and are going to have to come with their "A-game" to impress the new coach.
The game starts at 9:30 CT on Fox Sports MidWest (Channel 37 or 792 in HD).
Keys to the game for the Blues:
-Quick transition game in our own end
-Smart defensive plays to disrupt the opposing offense
-Strong goaltending
-Good puck movement and unpredictability on the Powerplay
-Cut back on taking bad penalties
Injury Report:
-Paul Kariya is traveling with the team on the road trip but is not expected to play due to the concussion-like symptoms he is experiencing. He will most likely be evaluated by the doctors to see if he can be inserted into the lineup. He remains as day-to-day on the injured reserve list.
-Keith Tkachuk was hit with a puck in the mouth in the last game against the Chicago Blackhawks on Jan. 2. He lost several teeth and underwent surgery. He skated with the team in the last practice but the decision was made for him to stay in Saint Louis and not travel with the team to recuperate from the injury. He has been placed as day-to-day on the injured reserve list. Yan Stastny was called up from the Peoria Rivermen to fill his spot on the lineup for the roadtrip.
-Ty Conklin does not have an injury but his son suffered one. He opted to remain in Saint Louis to tend to his family matters and is expected to rejoin the Blues on the road trip. Prospect Ben Bishop was called up from the Peoria Rivermen to fill the backup goaltender role until his return to the lineup.
-Barret Jackman had the flu but is expected to play during the road trip.
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