The St. Louis Blues play their final game in January on home ice at the Enterprise Center, with Columbus coming into town. This past month has been a grueling stretch, and the clock is now ticking louder and louder on the final stretch of the season as the calendar is about to flip to February.
This game against the Blue Jackets is a crucial one, as a win here might spark some more much-needed life into this team. Every player who participated in the 5-4 slugfest win on Thursday against Florida should be invigorated, and a solid performance should be on hand in this upcoming game.
Here are three Blues players that should be x-factors in this game.
Jimmy Snuggerud
That electrifying goal in the final seconds against Florida might have pushed Jimmy Snuggerud into a different category in the Blues' future plans. He is now the future of this franchise and will be a pivotal member of this franchise's success.
Another point to close out January will be a nice achievement for him, as Snuggerud needs to remain on pace for a solid point total to end his rookie campaign. The last time these two teams played, he had four shots on goal, but remained scoreless.
Jordan Kyrou
One of the key reasons why the Blues were able to beat the back-to-back defending Stanley Cup champions was that Jordan Kyrou notched his first three-point night of the season. Everyone, watch out, No. 25 is starting to come alive.
Over the last five games, he has four goals and three assists, which has been a scorching pace for him considering his underwhelming play this season. Can he keep it up against Columbus?
Joel Hofer
Even though he got the nod against Florida and "struggled" by allowing four goals on 20 shots, Joel Hofer should get the nod in this game. The world wants to see if Jordan Binnington can turn things around for the Blues before his Olympic journey begins, but the Blues need to get wins right now to keep themselves in contention for the wild-card race.
Can Hofer shut the door on Columbus, who beat him the last time 3-2 in the only other game of this season series?