St. Louis Blues: Battle Of Blues’ Farmhands In The Nation’s Capital
The St. Louis Blues will attempt once again to win three games in a row. This time, they will take their shot at the defending Stanley Cup champions.
The matchup with the Capitals could be an intriguing one for the St. Louis Blues, especially those fans who are locked into the Blues farm system. When the Blues traded away Kevin Shattenkirk to the Washington Capitals in 2017, the “forgotten” player in the deal was Pheonix Copley.
Trading Shattenkirk was a big deal for the Blues, he had been a mainstay in the Blues organization for a long time, and he was rightfully the main piece in the February trade two years ago.
Washington Capitals (1st Place In Metropolitan)
Record: 27-12-5
Last 10: 6-2-2
Season Series: STL Leads 1-0
Point Leaders: Alex Ovechkin (50), Nicklas Backstrom (45)
Copley has turned out to be the hidden gem for the Capitals. Washington moved on from Phillip Grubauer after last season, and it left an opportunity for Copley to step into the backup role.
Copley has appeared in 16 games for Washington so far this season and has a record of 10-2-3. He has been nothing short of sensational this season in Washington and could get the start tonight against his former team.
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The Blues are 4-2 over their last six games and are once again looking like they are getting back on the right track after an abysmal three months to start the season.
Led by young goaltender Jordan Binnington, the Blues are on a mission to finally win their third game in a row.
Binnington is the third goalie to see time in net for St. Louis this season and he has had one of the best starts of any rookie goalies in Blues history.
St. Louis is pretty banged up at the moment, but no one seemed to tell the Blues that. Oskar Sundqvist, in particular, has been outstanding for the Blues this season and has turned his career around.
Every hockey team goes through injuries, and the good teams get players that are able to step up in big spots and contribute while key players are on the sideline. Young players for the Blues have also stepped up in the absence of some Blues regulars.
St. Louis called up Jordan Nolan and Jordan Kyrou yesterday ahead of tonight’s game with the defending champs. Nolan performed especially well in his time with the Blues, but with so many players returning from injury, there was not enough room on the roster to keep him in the NHL.
Similar to past occasions, if the Blues are going to call up Kyrou, they need to give him an opportunity to play significant minutes. Head coach Craig Berube has been notorious for sticking with his veteran players throughout games and has left the young prospects with little ice time.
Kyrou has finally hit his groove at the AHL level and was named to the AHL all-star team and has been in the middle of the recent success of the San Antonio Rampage. I am thrilled he is here, now it is time to let him play.
Next. Sundqvist Has Been A Revelation For The Blues. dark
Capitals goalie Braden Holtby could also start in net for the Caps tonight, but he injured his left eye in the Capitals previous game, and it could lead to another start for Copley.