The St. Louis Blues have three games on the schedule this week: two of them at home (where they haven't exactly set the world on fire), and one on the road. It's been a mediocre start for the Blues, so hopefully they can use this week to get it right. This isn't the toughest week of games for St. Louis but, as well know, nothing in the NHL comes easy.
Tuesday: the Los Angeles Kings
For the first match of the week, the Blues will host the LA Kings, who, in their first games under new general manager Ken Holland, are not looking great. Letting defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov walk in free agency and trying to replace him with past-their-prime players Cody Ceci and Brian Dumoulin was immediately seen as a misstep across the league, and early returns are in line with league expectations. Ceci and Dumoulin are bad as a pair, together putting up an awful 33.3 xGF%, per Money Puck. Add in the loss of captain Anze Kopitar, who's considered week-to-week, and the Kings are hurting. Goaltender Darcey Kuemper--a Vezina finalist last season--has crashed back down to earth with a sub-.870 SV%. Not saying this'll be an easy game for the Blues, but they should be heavily favored to win this one.
Thursday: the Utah Mammoth
This is probably the most important match of the week for the Blues. It's the first time they'll host the newly-named Mammoth, who've stumbled a bit out of the gate this season but still have a 3-2-0 record. The Central Division is arguably the best in the NHL, with the Winnipeg Jets, Dallas Stars, and Colorado Avalanche the undisputed three best teams in the division--which leaves measly wildcard spots for the remaining five teams in the Central. The Chicago Blackhawks aren't much of a threat, but the Nashville Predators haven't been nearly as bad as expected, and the Minnesota Wild are still a strong team despite a sluggish start; they're the favorites for one of the wildcard spots.
Which makes this week's two points against the Mammoth critical for the Blues. The Mammoth are entering a phase where they can push for the playoffs; Utah and St. Louis are the two teams most likely to battle it out for the final wildcard spot. A win (or loss) here would represent a four-point swing in the standings for either team, so the Blues better come out motivated to get a W.
Saturday: the Detroit Red Wings
Has the Yzerplan finally paid off? The Red Wings are hovering around the top of the standings in the Atlantic Division, which means the Blues will have their work cut out for them when they head to Detroit. St. Louis has been decent on the road to start the season, so perhaps they can get a win in Motor City--especially if star-on-the-rise Lucas Raymond misses significant time. The Red Wings also have some suspect goaltending in an up-and-down John Gibson and an oft-injured but quality goalie in Alex Lyon, either of whom could steal a game.