After a lengthy break, the Blues are back in action tonight to take on the Winnipeg Jets. It'll be Joel Hofer in net tonight. A break as lengthy as this one isn't typical in the middle of the NHL season, so it will be intresting to see how both teams look. The break can be a good thing for teams to get healthy, or a bad thing to lose the feeling of game speed. Here are three players to look for in tonight's game.
1. Joel Hofer
Joel Hofer hasn't started a game for the Blues since February 6th against Florida. That's a long time in between starts when you were in a routine, especially for a goaltender. It'll be interesting to see how all of the Blues look after the extended break, but especially the goalies. Hofer has a .903 save percentage so far this season.
2. Jake Neighbours
We''ll be curious to see if this break is what Jake Neighbours needed to get going. His first half of the season was a disappointment to say the least, at least from his 27 goal season last year. Neighbours will be looking to rebound in the second half of the season.
3. Zach Bolduc
Bolduc was assigned to the AHL right before the Four Nations Break happened. This move was made so he would have an opportunity to still play during the extended break, the exact same thing other NHL teams did before the break.
In four games with Springfield, he recorded just two assists. But big picture, this was a great move by the Blues. They didn't want any of his growth to be stunted from a two week break, so why not send him down for a couple of games. Look for Bolduc to come out flying since he's had more game time then a lot of players playing tonight.