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St. Louis Blues: Fabbri Returns To Take On Defending Conference Champs

By Jason Martin

ST. LOUIS, MO - JANUARY 17: St. Louis Blues center Robby Fabbri (15) and Ottawa Senators defenseman Marc Methot (3) battles for the puck during a NHL hockey game between the St. Louis Blues and the Ottawa Senators on January 17, 2017 at the Scottrade Center in Saint Louis, MO. (Photo by Jimmy Simmons/Icon Sportwire)
ST. LOUIS, MO - JANUARY 17: St. Louis Blues center Robby Fabbri (15) and Ottawa Senators defenseman Marc Methot (3) battles for the puck during a NHL hockey game between the St. Louis Blues and the Ottawa Senators on January 17, 2017 at the Scottrade Center in Saint Louis, MO. (Photo by Jimmy Simmons/Icon Sportwire) /
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The St. Louis Blues will look to keep the positive momentum going after their 7-2 win over the Blackhawks last week. The Blues will also get some reinforcements as three players will be returning from injury.

For the first time all season, the St. Louis Blues will be at full strength. Jake Allen was taken out by teammate Zach Sanford during the Blues last game against Chicago but has been practicing, and he says he is ready to go.

It looks like Allen will be starting in goal for the Blues tonight, which is a big sigh of relief for both the team and its fans.

Vegas Golden Knights (7th Place In Pacific)

Record: 5-6-1

Last 10: 4-5-1

Point Leaders: Jon Marchessault (12), William Karlsson (9)

The Golden Knights, like the Blues, have gotten off to a very slow start to begin the year. After the best inaugural season in sports history last season, Vegas is starting to show signs of being like any other team.

Injuries are a significant contributor to this issues for the Golden Knights. Nate Schmidt has been suspended 20 games for violating the league’s substance abuse policy, while former Blue Paul Stastny and Max Pacioretty are nursing lower and upper body injuries.

Vegas still, however, has some firepower on their team despite the injuries. Marchessault leads the team in points after a breakout season last year. The Golden Knights also have one of the best goalies on the planet in Marc-Andre Fleury.

This is a beatable Golden Knights team, and if the Blues want to get back into the race in the Western Conference, they will need to come away with two points.

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The biggest piece of news ahead of the matchup against Vegas is the return of Robby Fabbri to the lineup.

After missing the past two years with ACL injuries and playing in a conditioning assignment with the San Antonio Rampage, Fabbri is back and ready to contribute at the NHL level.

Fabbri, at least initially, will begin the year on the fourth line with Robert Thomas and Oscar Sundqvist. I’m a big fan of Fabbri’s placement on this line. This will limit Fabbri’s minutes to start the year and will give him a chance to get back into NHL shape.

Carl Gunnarsson and Nikita Soshnikov are also healthy and on the roster for tonight’s game, although both of these players are expected to be healthy scratches.

Jordan Schmaltz has played well enough to stay in the lineup even with the return of Gunnarsson. After many years of development in the AHL, Schmaltz has seemingly found a niche with the Blues and is playing much better than in previous NHL stints.

The remaining forward lines will stay the same for St. Louis. Vladimir Tarasenko, Brayden Schenn, and Jaden Schwartz will lead the Blues on the first line. Zach Sanford, Ryan O’Reilly, and David Perron will anchor the second. Alex Steen, Tyler Bozak, and Patrick Maroon will be the third line for the Blues once again.

Next. Robby Fabbri Could Be Key To Blues Success. dark

I’m very excited to see how this team looks at full strength. I’ll be glued to how Fabbri plays tonight and how well he gets up after taking his first real hit. This team has loads of potential, and after their performance against Chicago, there is a lot to be excited about.

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