The St. Louis Blues have a potential lineup as they begin their four-game homestand by hosting Seattle. There are a couple of players to watch for, with one of them being one of the most-watched players in all of hockey right now.
Jordan Kyrou, who was benched before the 3-0 victory against Buffalo, returns to the lineup. Head coach Jim Montgomery used this tactic to send a message to Kyrou to be better and to the rest of the team that anyone is in jeopardy of sharing the same fate. But, before tonight's matchup, the former Jack Adams award winner had one more message to one of his best goal scorers.
"It could have been a lot of guys, it's just the way I ended up making my decision. This morning (Kyrou) showed up, he's in a good frame of mind and I'm giving him the opportunity to respond," Montgomery said. "I expect him to be good tonight."
Kyrou has to be great against Kraken
There is no more room for error. Kyrou has to be everywhere on the ice against the Kraken, and has to be an impact player from the very first shift. In terms of this being a show-out or get-traded-type game, that is not necessarily the case, but there is a sense that both Montgomery and General Manager Doug Armstrong are keeping a close eye on him.
This has to go for just about everyone with a Blue Note on their jersey. The team played like a complete unit against Buffalo, and cannot afford another setback. Seattle is a solid team, but they are the 32nd-ranked team in scoring goals, and their starting goaltender, Joey Daccord, is out. Philip Grubauer will make his second start of the year, which was back on October 16.
The Blues have to take advantage of this, especially Kyrou, who has been great against Seattle in his career. Can Kyrou get back in the goal column?