The St. Louis Blues take on the Dallas Stars in tonight’s Central Division matchup. This is the second time they are playing each other in the preseason. The Blues downed the Stars with a shutout victory earlier this month.
The St. Louis Blues will look to continue their strong preseason. In their last game with the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Blues were led by Brayden Schenn (3 pts) and Klim Kostin (2 pts, 5 SOG) to a 5-3 victory.
Opponent’s Record
2-2-0
The Dallas Stars are coming off a 6-0 beatdown given to them by the Florida Panthers on Saturday. Overall, they are 2-2 in the preseason which is a little bit underwhelming for the splash they made in the offseason. One of their losses this preseason was to the St. Louis Blues, so I would imagine they are looking for a little bit of preseason payback.
Blues’ All-Time Record vs. Dallas
135-107-43
According to Hockey-Reference.com, the Blues have collected more points against the Dallas Stars than any other team in the NHL. Over the 291 games against the Stars, the Blues have a total of 319 points (.548 point percentage). These numbers do not matter much in the preseason, but keep it in mind going into the matchups against this tough Stars squad.
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Players to Watch
Klim Kostin:
Klim Kostin is someone you have probably heard a lot about this preseason but wonder who he is and where he came from. Kostin is a 20-year old forward who scuffled a little bit in the AHL last season. In 66 games, the young Russian put up 24 points and 102 penalties in minutes.
The preseason has been an entirely different story. In just three games with the Blues, he has been lighting up the scoresheet with six points (3 G, 3 A). He has been impressive all month, and I am interested to see how he continues to progress.
Sammy Blais is the other Blue that has been playing with his hair on fire. He also has more points than games played, posting four points in three games. Additionally, he has put a bruising on opponents with twelve hits for an average of four per game. Originally thought of as a bottom tier forward, Blais is showing the potential to be a highly physical but talented top-six forward.
Brayden Schenn:
I am going to keep this spotlight relatively simple. Brayden Schenn put up THREE points in his first preseason game after a short offseason, coming into a contract year. If this does not scream big year, I am not sure what does. I would expect more than one point coming from the 10-year NHL veteran.
This is the St. Louis Blues, right? We always have to talk about goalies. Adam Wilcox has seen limited time this preseason but has saved all nine shots thrown his way. This Dallas team has a lot of offensive firepower, and it will be interesting to see how he responds against legitimate NHL talent. Hopefully, he will show us exactly how much goaltending depth this franchise really has.
Tyler’s Take
Every time the Blues take on the Stars, it will feel like a playoff game to me. They play us tough every single game, regardless of the time of year. I expect a high scoring affair with a little bit more physicality than you would normally see in a preseason game, especially considering that the preseason is coming to a close. The biggest storyline today will be Klim Kostin. If Kostin can continue to put up this production, we may not be talking about him in the AHL too much longer.