The St. Louis Blues take on the still hated Detroit Red Wings in tonight’s former rivalry matchup. This is the first time seeing the Wings since March 21 when the Blues took the 5-2 victory in dominating fashion.
The Blues are in the midst of an encouraging preseason that has them above .500 while making a major acquisition along the way. In case you haven’t heard the good news, THE BLUES ACQUIRED JUSTIN FAULK. In their last game with the Dallas Stars, St. Louis was downed 2-1 despite winning 61 percent of the faceoffs and outshooting the opposition 29 to 18.
Opponent’s Record
2-2-2
The Detroit Red Wings are struggling a little bit this preseason losing four of their six games (two of them in overtime.) This will be the Wings’ second game in as many nights after losing to the Pittsburgh Penguins for the second time this preseason last night. Defenseman Madison Bowey and prospect Taro Hirose currently lead the Wings in points this preseason with four. Hirose is one of the more intriguing names to watch, posting seven points in 10 games toward the end of last season.
Blues’ All-Time Record vs. Detroit
124-114-37-10
The Blues and Red Wings have a long history that is surprisingly even. Detroit is third on the opponent games played list with 285. The Blues collect a point nearly 52 percent of the time and average 3.06 goals per game. Their record in the new Little Caesars Arena is just 1-1 in two games played, but in those two games, the Blues have posted nine goals. In the previous Joe Louis Arena, the Blues were 41-54-12-4 in 111 games.
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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 four 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 will be 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 five points in four games. Additionally, he has put a bruising on opponents, averaging over four hits per game with 17 total in the preseason. Originally thought of as a bottom tier forward, Blais is showing the potential to be a highly physical but talented top-six forward.
Tanner Kaspick:
Tanner Kaspick is a seldom talked about prospect. The 21-year old center put up just eight points last season in San Antonio and will be seeing his first preseason action with the Blues tonight. He is a player to watch because of the numbers he put up in the WHL in 2016-17 and 2017-18. Over those two seasons with the Brandon Wheat Kings, Kaspick collected 82 points in 84 games. The Brandon, Manitoba native still has plenty of time to develop and has an opportunity to impress his employer tonight on the NHL stage.
As I mentioned in a previous article, this preseason for Jordan Binnington is huge. He has the opportunity to quiet the noise of a goaltender controversy before it even begins. So far, he proved that his magical run last season was not a fluke. In two games this preseason, Binnington has only allowed one goal on 23 shots. I would imagine he gets some extended work tonight so hopefully, he can keep it going against Detroit.
Tyler’s Take
This might be the case every time we play Detroit, but man it would be great to get a win against the Red Wings tonight. The Red Wings have a young and improving roster that could shock teams if they are not prepared. If Binnington can shut down the speedy youngsters, the Blues should have an awfully fun night against a goaltending situation that on paper appears to be lacking.