St. Louis Blues Game Preview: Team Looks to Start New Winning Streak Against Edmonton Oilers
The St. Louis Blues face the Edmonton Oilers for the third and final time this year on Saturday night, as the teams will meet for the only time this season at Rexall Place. The Blues have won their first two matchups against Edmonton, beating them 4-3 in overtime on November 28 and then defeating them 4-2 on January 13.
With the recent string of losses the Blues sustained before finally picking up a win against the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday night, they’ve fallen rather far out of contention for first place in the Central Division. With 82 points, they’re now seven points behind the Nashville Predators, who have a NHL-leading 89. The Blues need to get a new winning streak going to protect their spot in second place, as the Chicago Blackhawks (who, granted, will be weakened without Patrick Kane) are just three points behind the Blues in the standings.
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Though Edmonton seems to play tough against the Blues every time that the two teams meet, there’s no excuse for the Blues to lose to them on Saturday. The Oilers have just 46 points and sit in last place in the Pacific Division, making them the worst team, standings-wise, in the Western Conference. Their record puts them only ahead of the historically bad Buffalo Sabres in terms of the worst teams in the NHL.
The Blues had the day off on Friday, so we don’t have a great idea of what the lineup is going to look like on Saturday night. It’s possible that Brian Elliott will get another start in goal after giving up only one goal on 31 shots on Thursday against Winnipeg. However, with a back-to-back this weekend, the Blues may opt to start Jake Allen against Edmonton, a less formidable opponent than Vancouver, who the Blues play Sunday. Allen has performed well in two starts against Edmonton this season, while Elliott has yet to play against the Oilers during 2014-15.
Ian Cole could get back into the lineup on Saturday after sitting out Thursday’s game with a minor injury, though coach Ken Hitchcock seems to like to stick with the same lineup following a win if possible, and Cole’s replacement, Chris Butler, did nothing in particular to deserve a trip back to the press box against Winnipeg.