It's the first game of the week for the St. Louis Blues, and tonight they welcome the struggling Los Angeles Kings, who are 1-3-2 on the season. We highlighted the matchup a bit on Sunday, but there are plenty of storylines to dive into--here's three of them.
The top lines
According to Daily Faceoff's lineup predictions, the Blues are running back the top line of Dylan Holloway, Robert Thomas, and Jake Neighbours. That's a little surprising, as the trio has a dismal 33.3 xGF percentage, per Money Puck; they've only played a little over 12 minutes together at 5-on-5, though, so perhaps we'll see some chemistry develop tonight.
Pius Suter retains his spot as the second-line center, between Pavel Buchnevich and Jimmy Snuggerud, and for good reason: that line has dominated in their minutes together, posted a 62.5 xGF percentage.
The LA Kings, however, are in a bit of a tight spot. Captain Anze Kopitar is sidelined with an injury, and is considered week-to-week, straining the team's center depth. It's likely that Quinton Byfield will have to step up and center the Kings' top line, but time will tell if he's prepared for that elevated role. The Kings' weakness down the middle provides an opening for the Blues to take advantage of.
What to do with Jordan Kyrou?
At the moment, it seems that Kyrou will be on the third line with Brayden Schenn at center and Mathieu Joseph on the opposite wing. Kyrou is too good to be that far down the lineup, however, and likely won't be there much longer.
The second line is clicking, so messing with that chemistry would be ill-advised. The most sensible option, then, is to swap Kyrou with one of Neighbours or Holloway if the top line continues to struggle to find chemistry together. That'll be a difficult decision for head coach Jim Montgomery, and one he may have to face tonight.
Are the home ice struggles finally over?
The Blues did not start their home games well this season: a 5-0 loss to the Minnesota Wild in the home opener, and an 8-3 thrashing by the rebuilding Chicago Blackhawks. Finally, however, the Blues got a win in their own barn--against the Cup contending Dallas Stars, no less--over the weekend. Here's hoping that victory sparked something, and the Blues are able to keep themselves in the win column when they're playing at home.