After a heart-wrenching 6-4 defeat to the Detroit Red Wings, the St. Louis Blues look to get back on track against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Sidney Crosby and company have had a great start to their year, while the Blues continue to falter with each passing game. If there was ever a time to get a win and rejuvenate this team, this is the one.
With that said, let’s highlight three Blues players to watch for in this game.
Pius Suter
Pius Suter will be elevated to first-line center, with Robert Thomas out with injury. Thomas went down in the third period against Detroit, and it is being labeled as an upper-body injury.
Since Thomas cannot go, the lines will all likely shift up one spot for centers. The restructure will be missing a key piece of their offense, but Suter is more than capable of taking the responsibility.
Suter has made his mark early on in his Blues career, with three goals and an assist in eight games. He has seen time with a number of top-six wingers, including his line mates against Pittsburgh, Jimmy Snuggerud and Pavel Buchnevich.
Colton Parayko
One of the lowlights of the night in the Detroit blunder was the play of the defense. Especially the top pair of Colton Parayko and Cam Fowler, who were a -3 and -2, respectively. Additionally, they held a corsi% of 42.8% which was the worst of the unit.
With the revolving door of the third pairing with Matthew Kessel and Logan Mailloux, both players are not living up to expectations. That is why the play from Parayko is so important, as it is an assurance of at least some kind of good defense happening.
Jimmy Snuggerud
Jimmy Snuggerud bounced back from his on-ice benching against Utah with a two-assist performance against Detroit. This season has shown some signs that he can be a big part of the future plans, and each game is more important than the last.
With Thomas potentially being out of this one, the offense is going to need a much-needed boost. Snuggerud can certainly fill in that role. In eight games of his “rookie” year, the young winger has three goals and three assists for six points. That point total is just behind his linemate in Neighbours (7 points) for the team lead.
The goaltending and defensive play have been underwhelming. If that were to continue, the establishment of a consistent offense is going to be crucial if the Blues want to win hockey games. Can Snuggerud step up in Thomas’ absence and make an impact against Pittsburgh?