The St. Louis Blues are on a hot streak on home ice, but their toughest test is about to enter the Entrerprise Center. The Carolina Hurricanes, who are the reigning Stanley Cup Champions and current top seed in the Eastern Conference, are the third opponent of this five-game home-stand.
These three X-Factors are going to have to step up in this game, as a two-game win streak is on the line. Let’s talk about it.
Robert Thomas
The first line is finally clicking, thanks to none other than Robert Thomas. He is finding his stride after 10 games, and this game against the Hurricanes could not have come at a better time.
Thomas currently has a single goal and five assists for six points on the year, as he just tied Brian Sutter for fourth place on the assists list all time. Can No. 18 produce again against the league’s best?
Joel Hofer
This was slated to be a Jordan Binnington start, going by how head coach Jim Montgomery has been trending the starts. But, this is now going to be starting goaltender Joel Hofer’s net.
In terms of cementing his place as the next franchise goaltender for the Blues, this is the game to do it. A win here, and this goaltending battle is no longer a discussion. Hofer has been dynamite this season, and now we can see what he can do against not only the top talent in the Western Conference, in Vegas, but now the Eastern Conference in Carolina.
Justin Barron
Fresh off of the best game of his NHL career, Justin Barron was electrifying against Vegas. A goal and three assists in the 6-2 win is a very good way of securing your future.
Now, comes the expectation for him to continue to be a top defenseman on this team. With Logan Mailloux still out for a little bit of time, Barron has an opportunity to use this surplus of minutes to sway General Manager Alexander Steen’s mind toward making him a fixture of this team’s future plans.
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