The St. Louis Blues have a tough test ahead of them as they fly down to South Florida to face the back-to-back champions. The Panthers are already on their march back to the playoffs despite not having two of their top players, captain Aleksandar Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk.
Let's look at three players in the Blue Note who can make an impact in this game.
Robby Fabbri
There is a good chance that with the demotion of Matt Luff down to Springfield, either a key player who was injured might be coming back into the lineup, or Robby Fabbri will be back in. My guess is that Fabbri will be back in after being scratched for the back-to-back against Winnipeg and the New York Rangers.
Fabbri got off to a hot start, but then hit a bit of a wall. It made sense for head coach Jim Montgomery not to push him too hard, as he was able to gain some chemistry a bit in practice, rather than continuing to learn on the fly. Expect that if he is in the lineup against the Panthers, he could be an x-factor.
Jonatan Berggren
Speaking of X-factor, Jonatan Berggren has had about as great a first impression with this organization as I have seen in a long time. He has packed up and moved on from being waived by Detroit, and used that as a chip on his shoulder in St. Louis. With a sweet goal against one of the best goaltenders in the NHL, Igor Shesterkin, he has been great in the early going and has already proved that Detroit made the wrong decision.
Berggren has played against the Panthers three times in his career and has a goal and an assist in those games. Can he contribute as a part of the Blue Note?
Otto Stenberg
This kid has proven he can be something special. Once one of the players who are injured, like Jordan Kyrou, Jimmy Snuggerud, Nathan Walker, Dylan Holloway, and Nick Bjugstad, comes back, it might be the end of the run for Otto Stenberg in the NHL this season.
That is, of course, a trade was to happen, or Stenberg continues to develop so fast that he earns his spot on this team. Grabbing his first career goal against the back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions is a good way to earn it.