St. Louis Blues Morning Links: Jets Fly In

Feb 9, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues defenseman Colton Parayko (55) skates away from Winnipeg Jets center Mark Scheifele (55) during the third period at Scottrade Center. The Winnipeg Jets defeat the St. Louis Blues 2-1 in a shootout. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 9, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues defenseman Colton Parayko (55) skates away from Winnipeg Jets center Mark Scheifele (55) during the third period at Scottrade Center. The Winnipeg Jets defeat the St. Louis Blues 2-1 in a shootout. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /
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Good morning Blues fans! It’s another game day as we have hit the weekend. Now it is Winnipeg coming to town.

The St. Louis Blues are getting ready to face the Winnipeg Jets. It will be the first time they face rookie sensation Patrik Laine.

The Blues have dealt with some talented foes this season. Outside of Alex Ovechkin, they may not have faced a more talented scorer yet this year.

In 26 games, he already has 15 goals and 21 points. Not too shabby for rookie.

The Winnipeg Jets were briefly in the spot the Blues hold right now a few weeks ago. They were in second place in the division behind Chicago when the Jets were playing at their best.

However, since that time, they have faltered quite a bit. They are 4-6-0 in their last 10 games and just got blown up by a 6-3 score by the Edmonton Oilers.

So, the question is whether they are looking to break out of this slump or whether their current play will continue over. Most people thought the Tampa Bay Lightning were ready for a bounce back game and though they made it close, they really were not completely in the game against the Blues.

The two teams have a history of close games. Since the Jets moved to Winnipeg from Atlanta, there has never been a game decided by more than two goals. In that time, only three games were decided by two goals.

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The Blues won three of four against Winnipeg last season. The only one they dropped was via the shootout, so the Blues are used to dominating the Jets in the final result even if not the final score.

They haven’t faced this current incarnation yet though. The Jets may not be winning games with regularity, but they are a much different team this year.

The Blues defending has not been at all what they want. They had better start playing up to snuff or there could be another hat trick that is not scored by one of their own.

Here are your St. Louis Blues Morning Links to get your day started off right.

Jeremy Rutherford has all the little nuggets of information you need prior to tonight’s game in his preview. (STLToday)

Patrik Laine was always thought to be one of the can’t miss prospects of 2016.  Nobody knew he would catch on this quickly though and that includes his veteran teammates.  (ESPN)

Despite their winning ways, the Blues are constantly looking for ways to improve.  In the short term some ideas include sitting Jori Lehtera and having Robby Fabbri taking more faceoffs.  As long as they work, more power to them.  (Post-Dispatch)

Speaking of benching Lehtera, in case you missed it, we covered that very subject.  It does not need to be long-term, but the time to sit him is now as he has been playing on borrowed time for awhile.  (Bleedin’ Blue)

The St. Louis Blues have opened a fantastic exhibit at the St. Louis Public Library.  It covers the team’s entire history and has plenty for anyone to enjoy, from the novice to the die-hard fan.  (Arch Authority)

The NHLPA rejected a proposal to extend the current CBA in exchange for Olympic participation.  While this move was expected, it doesn’t come off too well given the fact other sports have extended their CBA’s lately.  (ESPN)

Have a great day Blues fans!