After an ugly season opener where the Blues were shut out by a final score of 5-0 against the Minnesota Wild, they bounced back in a big way to win 4-2 over the Calgary Flames. They are going to look to keep that momentum going on the road against the Vancouver Canucks on Monday.
Last season, the Blues had success against the Canucks as they won two out of three regular-season meetings. However, it wasn't easy as those two wins went to overtime, and it could be another tight game in the first meeting this season.
When looking ahead to tonight's game, these are three players that the St. Louis Blues are going to need to have big games if they hope to come away with a win.
Jake Neighbours
The first player is one who is coming off a great game against the Calgary Flames, as Jake Neighbours had two goals in the game. It wasn't so much the goals but when they came in the game, with the first coming in the second period, that tied the game up at 1 goal apiece.
The two teams traded goals after that to close out the second period, and it remained tied until about midway through the third period. Neighbours once again delivered a timely goal that gave the Blues the lead and would be the game-winning goal.
The Blues former first-round pick is entering a pivotal season as the hope is that he can continue to improve after 38 points in his rookie season and 46 last season. Another goal in this game can help continue to build that confidence and keep the momentum.
Logan Mailloux
It has not been a great first impression for Logan Mailloux, especially when fans compare it to what Zach Bolduc has done with four points in three games for the Canadiens. Meanwhile, Mailloux has been playing on the third pair for the Blues with a +/- of -3 and averaging around 11 minutes of ice time per game.
Now, it isn't necessarily fair to compare the two players, as this is the rookie season for Mailloux at the NHL level after only eight NHL games prior to this season. While Bolduc went through the growing pains last season. The focus for Mailloux will be to just show growth and continued improvement, which can start in this game against the Canucks.
Jordan Binnington
The final player is one who will want to put behind him the start of the season, and that is goalie Jordan Binnington. He would be the starting goalie for the season opener against the Minnesota Wild and let in five goals on only 21 shots.
Joel Hofer got the start in the second game for the Blues and had a much better showing in net with only two goals allowed on 29 shots. With Hofer's performance against the Flames, Binnington might be feeling a little bit of pressure to deliver a great performance against the Canucks.