The St. Louis Blues will be tested during an upcoming three-game road trip through Canada and could set the tone for the rest of the season.
The St. Louis Blues have started slow start this season, going 1-2-1 to start the year and with a competitive division, this upcoming three-game road trip could make or break the Blues year.
Trips through Canada are never easy, the Blues will be making stops in Montreal, Toronto, and Winnipeg. The Canadiens do not figure to be competing for a playoff spot this year, but the Maple Leafs and Jets have one of the best teams in the league.
Each team the Blues will play poses their own unique threat, but the simple fact remains: if the Blues want to get to the top, then they will have to beat the best.
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The Canadiens are the weakest team the Blues will face on the road trip but they are hot to start the season going 3-1-1.
It’s unlikely that Montreal can keep up this pace but with the way the Blues have started this season, its key the Blues earn at least a point against the Canadiens.
Toronto is far and away the best team in the league to start the year. Auston Matthews is off to a historic start,10 goals in seven games played this year to go along with six assists.
After signing superstar forward John Tavares over the offseason, Toronto is a Stanley Cup favorite and will be at the top of the league all year.
The Winnipeg Jets are the team the Blues need to play better against. After losing 5-1 in the season opener to Winnipeg, the Blues have only registered one win.
Winnipeg is 3-2-0 on the year, but the expectation for the team is they will turn it around quickly and get back on track. One of the surprise team from last year, the Jets fell to the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference Finals and could make a deep playoff run again this season.
St. Louis will make some changes to the lineup before Wednesday’s game in Montreal. Jordan Kyrou is skating on the top line with Ryan O’Reilly and Vladimir Tarasenko.
Meanwhile, Jaden Schwartz is likely to return from a lower-body injury after missing the last two games. The scoring has not been a problem without Schwartz this season. Granted, it has only been two games but it is encouraging to see the Blues not falling apart like they did last season when Schwartz missed significant time due to injury.
Jake Allen should get the start in all three games in Canada. The Blues will play Wednesday, Saturday, and Monday so there should be no reason why Allen cannot start all three games.
To call this trip a success, I anticipate the Blues will need at least three points. You have to go into Montreal and get two points because the next two opponents are some of the best teams in the league.
St. Louis is in the toughest division in the NHL, if the Blues fail to earn at least a point in two of these games, they may have dug themselves an early grave.