The St. Louis Blues have moved up to sixth in the Central Division with a 5-5-1 record, good for 11 points in the standings. That's tied with the Winnipeg Jets (who've lost five in a row), but the Blues have tiebreakers at the moment. The Blues have another three-game slate ahead this week, and coincidentally, they are facing only teams from the Atlantic Division: two at home to wrap up their five-game homestand, and then one on the road to kick off a four-game road trip.
vs. Montreal Canadiens, 10/27
Fresh off a Heritage Classic win over the Winnipeg Jets, the Habs are stuck in the middle of a crowded Atlantic Division. They're 6-3-2 with an even goal differential, but their goaltending has--once again--let them down. Sam Montembeault is out for a while longer, and postseason hero Jakub Dobes has been ugly with a 4.47 GAA and .847 SV%; that's left 21-year-old Jacob Fowler to shoulder the load, and he has been outstanding. In six starts, Fowler is 5-1-0 and sporting a sparkling .924 SV% and 1.79 GAA--and he's likely to get the start tonight against the Blues. The Canadiens are dealing with injuries to Selke-winner Nick Suzuki and winger Ivan Demidov, though, so the Blues may be able to take advantage of a lineup missing some key players.
vs. Boston Bruins, 10/29
A popular pick for regression after getting bounced in the first round last season, the Boston Bruins have hummed along right to the top of the Atlantic with a 9-2-1 record and 19 points in the standings. David Pastrnak and Jeremy Swayman have been excellent once again, and young additions James Hagens, JJ Peterka, and Fraser Minten have provided excellent support. The keys to the Blues coming out of this one with two points will be to keep Pasta quiet and find a way to beat Swayman--no easy task.
@ Detroit Red Wings, 10/31
The Blues have a ~spooky~ Halloween matchup against the Detroit Red Wings, who are floating around the bottom of an extremely competitive Atlantic. Now that Connor Hellebuyck has been traded to the New Jersey Devils, the Red Wings' outstanding trade requests from Dylan Larkin and Simon Edvinsson remain the biggest pieces of business remaining in the NHL (unless you believe Quinn Hughes isn't signing with the Minnesota Wild).
Until the Larkin and Edvinsson situations are resolved, Detroit is kind of stuck in limbo: they know they're likely to lose two key players, but they have to drown all that noise out and continue playing as if it isn't happening. Their 5-4-3 record and 13 points speak to that uncertainty, and though it's a road game, the Blues can take advantage of a team wandering through no-man's land.
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