St. Louis Blues What To Watch For: Baby Blues Sent To Play Blue Jackets

By Jason Martin | Sep 23, 2018

ST. LOUIS, MO - OCTOBER 01: St. Louis Blues left wing Klim Kostin, right, takes a shot on goal past Washington Capitals defenseman Dmitry Orlov, left, during the first period of an NHL hockey preseason game October 1, 2017, at Scottrade Center in St. Louis, MO. (Photo by Tim Spyers/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

The St. Louis Blues will head to Columbus, Ohio to take on the Blue Jackets for their fourth preseason game and the roster includes a lot of youth.

The St. Louis Blues will give their young talent a chance to shine on Sunday afternoon, the coaching staff is sending a lot of young players, with a splash of veteran presence.

After being held out of practice almost all week, Robby Fabbri is expected to be in the lineup for the Blues in Ohio. He will play alongside names like Jordan Kyrou, Sammy Blais, and Robert Thomas.

Klim Kostin is also expected to make the trip. Kostin, who is a top prospect for St. Louis, will need to get things going if he wants to earn a spot on the roster. Players like Blais, Thomas, and Kyrou are making it difficult for Yeo and the coaching staff to find room for returning players, let alone a young rookie.

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This may not be the preseason that Kostin takes the next step on his way to becoming an NHL-ready player, however anytime you get the chance to be evaluated by NHL scouts and coaches, it is important to put your best foot forward.

This game will be a good test for other young talents for the St. Louis Blues, being paired with a lot of the guys they are competing with could provide a spark to their game.

Guys like Kyrou and Thomas, who are showing they are capable of making the NHL team, will likely see time on the ice together on Sunday.

The two biggest stories heading into the fourth preseason game against the Blue Jackets is how well Fabbri is able to bounce back after dealing with a sore back and how Ville Husso performs in net.

Husso is expected to play the entire game in net for the Blues. Chad Johnson will back him up but it is believed that he is there in case of an injury. Husso played well against the Minnesota Wild in the Blues second preseason game and has shown coaches and fans why he is considered a top prospect.

The young goaltender is looking like he could handle the backup duties for the Blues this season. However, he is better off getting a full workload in the AHL while still being capable enough to perform in the NHL if needed.

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Robby Fabbri made it through the first game healthy, kind of. He completed his first NHL game in a year and a half against the Wild but had some back pain afterward.

The coaching staff downplayed the severity of the injury and said the issue came about because he had not seen game action in a year and a half.

We have mentioned before how Robby Fabbri could be an X-factor for the Blues in the upcoming season, hopefully, he can progress through these next couple of games in the preseason and be ready on October 4th for the regular season opener.