Well here is Game #38 on the schedule and things have not been looking to great for the Blues as of late. As of today the Blues are only 2 points ahead of the Winnipeg Jets, but they do have a game at hand which is nice.So they could push it to 4 points tonight and get a streak going. The predators have a 4 point advantage on the Blues as of right now, they also have a GIH on the Blues. The central is pretty tight right now so every win is huge to secure that post season berth.
Paul Statsny has been bumped up between Jori Lehtera and Vladimir Tarasenko which hopefully gets Statsny going. The Blues really need to get him hot because when Statsny is hot there is no telling what kind of streak the Blues can get on. Carl Gunnarsson will be making his return after missing ten games with an upper body injury. He will be paired with Kevin Shattenkirk so hopefully that will help him out with his return. As well as Colin Fraser will be in the Blues lineup from the Chicago Wolves, Fraser Stanley Cup rings with the L.A kings and Chicago Blackhawks, and is a very good energy guy so he fits perfectly with Steve Ott and Ryan Reaves.
Tonights game against the Anaheim Ducks will be the toughest matchup of the road trip. The Ducks high powered offence and solid defence mixed with the hot goaltender Fredrik Andersen will be a huge test to the St.Louis Blues. Expect Ken Hitchcock to have the boys fired up this evening because they have to turn this road trip around before things go south.
Keys to Victory.
60 minute effort, we cannot stray from the simple shit tonight. Pucks deep, Hard fore check, good defencive zone play, and my favourite SHOTS. When you play a hot goalie its shots with traffic because if he cant see it, you have a better chance of putting the puck in behind him. Look no further than David Backes tonight. The captain does this better than anyone else in the NHL he plays a very simple game and is not afraid to stand in front of the net and bury those gritty goals. Brodeur will have to make big saves tonight with the high powered top two lines of the Anaheim Ducks.
Line up tonight ( NHL.com)
Injured: Jaden Schwartz (foot), Chris Porter (leg)
Jaden Schwartz skated for the second day in a row and look for him hopefully to be ready to rejoin the lineup against the San Jose Sharks tomorrow. He will be a huge boost to the lineup, his game is so perfect on the the other wing with Jori Lehtera and Vladimir Tarasenko.
Prediction:
2-0 for the St Louis Blues close game but the Blues strong defence and Martin Brodeur trying to make a statement you will not stop them. Paul Statsny will put up a goal and an assist with his new line mates tonight.
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