St. Louis Blues Vs. Arizona 2.0: Pregame News And Notes

The St. Louis Blues start a home stand to end January with a game against Arizona. It is the perfect opportunity to really show something.

The St. Louis Blues faceoff against the Arizona Coyotes for the second time this season tonight. It will be the second time they see the Coyotes at home as well.

It’s another game day and another chance for the Blues to show the league what they are made of. They have a chance to show their opponent they are better than your average team as well.

For whatever reason, the Blues seem to ejnoy playing up or down to their competition. Put them against Vegas or New Jersey or San Jose or Chicago of the last few years and they rise to the occasion. Put them against a team in the basement and they can’t muster the energy.

That is a fact that must change on this home stand, starting with Arizona. St. Louis cannot afford to falter against teams that should be wins, especially with the rest of the division now breathing down their necks or passing them up.

Tonight is the first of four games at home, all of which feature games with teams that are either in the bottom of the league or struggle on the road. The Blues need to find a way to win at least three of the four to regain their footing in the division.

Know Thy Enemy

The Arizona Coyotes currently sit in last place in the Western Conference. They enter tonight’s game with an overall record of 10-28-9.

They are the new Winnipeg Jets, trying to trust the process but not being rewarded for it yet. They have some good, young talent, but can’t make that translate into wins yet. They are the only team in the West that is essentially eliminated from playoff contention already.

Arizona lost to the Blues earlier in the season. It was a closer game than many expected.

The Blues allowed two second period goals and had to tie the game in the third. It went all the way to a shootout, with St. Louis scoring on two of three shots.

The Coyotes are 2-4-4 in their last 10 games. They’ve pushed their opponents to overtime in three straight games though, so they are not pushovers despite the record.

Blues Tidbits

The Blues have won two games straight following their bye week. This is the team’s first home game since that debacle against Florida on January 9 though.

According to Jim Thomas, Mike Yeo is saying all the right things. The Blues coach wants his team playing desperate hockey because one bad week can put you out of the playoff picture, as the coach put it.

Projected lineup for today:

Forwards
Ivan Barbashev – Paul Stastny – Vladimir Tarasenko
Alexander Steen – Brayden Schenn – Dmitrij Jaskin
Vladimir Sobotka – Patrik Berglund – Tage Thompson
Magnus Paajarvi – Kyle Brodziak – Chris Thorburn

Defense
Joel Edmundson – Alex Pietrangelo
Jay Bouwmeester – Colton Parayko
Vince Dunn – Robert Bortuzzo

Goalie
Carter Hutton

Where To Watch

Television:

Fox Sports Midwest

Streaming:

Fox Sports Go, NHL.tv (subscriber fee)

Radio:

KMOX, KMOX.com, Blues app

The puck drops on tonight’s action a little after 7 Central Time. This is the first home game of four at home to end January. After today, the Blues face Ottawa, Colorado and Montreal.

Predictions

This game scares me since the Blues seem primed for a letdown. I do not think they will lose, but it would not surprise me if they did.

We all love this franchise and love many of the players. However, there just seems this sense of dread when they play these easy teams.

Next: Vince Dunn Needs To Be A Permanent Roster Player

The Blues seem to know what the standings say instead of crushing the opponent from the start and having an easy night from then on. I think they continue their win streak, but it will be tough.

Blues win 3-2.

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