The season-long five-game road trip reaches its final stop in Newark, as the St. Louis Blues are set to face off against the New Jersey Devils. After four games, this team has secured four points, winning against the New York Islanders, losing to the New York Rangers in regulation, and then taking Philadelphia and Toronto to overtime before losing both.
The Devils have a great team despite losing their superstar forward, Jack Hughes. It will be a crucial game, as we will see how much this team has grown when the Blues get back home after celebrating Thanksgiving with a game on Friday against potentially Brady Tkachuk and the Ottawa Senators.
First, let's dive into which Blues could make a big impact against the Devils.
Jordan Binnington
After backup goaltender Joel Hofer had a stellar performance in the losing effort against the Rangers, it will likely be Jordan Binnington's turn in net. With that said, all eyes are going to be on No. 50 as he continues to try to pull himself from the bottom of the starting goaltender statsheet across the league.
The Blues have been failed by their goaltending all season, which was supplemented by the atrocious play from the defensemen as well. As of late, namely this road trip, things have started to get a little bit better. Binnington and Hofer have gone back and forth with better starts against Toronto, Philadelphia, and the Islanders.
Binnington has to get his game in check, as we have reached the quarter mark of the season. Time is starting to run out, especially with the Olympic Games coming up in February. Can he get back to being that great goalie who has dragged the Blues out of dire situations before?
Robert Thomas
Robert Thomas has to have the best game of his season, as he will be going against the second-best centerman with the Devils. With Hughes out on the Injured Reserve list due to his "freak injury", now it is Nico Hischier against Thomas. Not to discredit the Devils captain, but it is a night-and-day difference between him and Hughes in terms of skill.
Can Thomas take advantage of the "mismatch" and really make an impact?
Brayden Schenn
After scoring in back-to-back games on this road trip, can Brayden Schenn keep his goal-scoring streak alive against the Devils? He has been a part of a fantastic line of Dalibor Dvorsky and Pavel Buchnevich, and that line will have to be stellar once again.
Schenn has been doing a lot more lately, but has it been enough? Can he do even more for this team and bring the Blues from the bottom of the NHL standings?