St. Louis Blues Game Preview: Team Looks to Get Physical Against Winnipeg Jets
The St. Louis Blues return to home ice on Tuesday evening and face their division rivals, the Winnipeg Jets. Though the emerging Jets aren’t quite at the level that the Blues are this season, they’re hanging in the race, and despite a fifth-place ranking in the Central Division, they’re still in possession of a playoff spot at the moment.
The Blues have defeated the Jets in both of their meetings this season, winning 4-2 at Winnipeg on November 23 and winning again on the road on February 26, coming away with a 2-1 shootout victory. This will be the teams’ first game at Scottrade Center during the 2014-15 season.
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As the Blues know well from having faced them twice this year, the Jets are a very physically-taxing team to go up against. They’re consistently physical and have 16 skaters on their roster who are 6-foot-2 or taller, 14 of whom are at least 200 pounds. Winnipeg is currently ranked fifth in the NHL in hits with 2,313 this season.
Fortunately for the Blues, the Jets’ biggest and most physical player, 6-foot-5, 260-pound Dustin Byfuglien, is out for the next 2 to 4 weeks with an upper-body injury, so they won’t have to deal with him on Tuesday. In addition, forward Bryan Little, the team’s second-leading scorer, will not suit up against the Blues.
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The Blues’ lineup is likely to see a few alterations on Tuesday. Marcel Goc is expected to get back in the lineup, taking back the fourth-line center position that he had filled for 18 straight games before becoming a healthy scratch as the Blues got newly-acquired Olli Jokinen into the mix on Saturday night at Toronto. Jokinen, however, suffered an upper-body injury in that game, and his status is up in the air for Tuesday even if the Blues should need him.
Defenseman Jay Bouwmeester also missed Saturday’s game while dealing with an illness, and though he didn’t practice on Monday, coach Ken Hitchcock said that he expected Bouwmeester to be available to play on Tuesday. If he got back into the lineup, he’d be replacing Chris Butler, who scored in Saturday’s game while dressing for the first time since February 26.
Brian Elliott will start in goal on Tuesday. After struggling a bit as of recent, Elliott delivered a strong performance in Saturday’s game, stopping 23 of 24 Maple Leafs shots.
Next: Are the Blues Really Better Off Without Jay Bouwmeester?