St. Louis Blues vs. Tampa Bay Lightning: Game Preview
The St. Louis Blues continue with a tumultuous stretch of the schedule on Thursday, already playing their seventh game over the 12 days of February thus far as they face off against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena.
The Blues, who currently sit four points behind the Nashville Predators for first place in the Central Division, will be looking to experience success similar to that which they had when they faced the Lightning at home on February 2 and won 2-1 in overtime, being lifted by a Vladimir Tarasenko goal with just less than four minutes left in regulation, followed by a Jaden Schwartz overtime winner. Though Tampa goalie Ben Bishop gave the Blues’ offensive attack fits throughout the game, the Blues held strong. It was a big victory to take down Tampa, who has the best record in the Eastern Conference.
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For the first time in the past six games, there aren’t any expected personnel changes among the Blues’ skaters for Thursday’s game. With Jori Lehtera and Patrik Berglund now returned from injuries and Chris Butler having moved comfortably into one of the defensive spots, the lineup should remain rather static going forward (assuming health) until defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk returns from his abdominal injury.
Despite the fact that goalie Brian Elliott has taken the loss in his last two starts, while Jake Allen has wins in his last five and gave up only one goal on 26 shots against Arizona on Tuesday, Elliott will be back in net against Tampa. He played well against the Lightning nine days ago, giving up just one goal on 31 shots.