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Can St. Louis Blues Make it Three in a Row in Matinee Meeting with Calgary Flames?

By Patrick Karraker

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After finally getting two straight wins with a Thursday victory over the Nashville Predators, the St. Louis Blues will look for a three-game streak on Saturday afternoon against the Calgary Flames.

The St. Louis Blues finally ended a prolonged period of frustration with Thursday night’s 2-1 victory over the Nashville Predators, as it marked the first time the Blues have won back-to-back games since they concluded a three-game streak back on November 10. As trivial as it might seem, Thursday’s game could be a major turning point in the Blues’ season. Coach Ken Hitchcock’s safety has been an increasing topic of discussion in recent weeks as the Blues have struggled to be consistent, so if they can get on a prolonged streak here, it will be a great momentum-builder for the team as it stands now.

The Blues will try to win their third straight game on Saturday afternoon, as they’ll host the Calgary Flames for the second of three meetings between the two teams this year. Last time the Blues faced the Flames on October 13, all was well (relatively speaking). Forwards Paul Stastny and Jaden Schwartz and defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk, all of whom would go down with long-term injuries soon after, came into the game healthy. The Blues’ only injured player was forward Robby Fabbri, and defenseman Colton Parayko (who has also seemingly been slowed by injuries and fatigue as the season has worn on) scored his first two NHL goals to help the Blues to victory.

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The Blues, who have been a bit shaky for the past five weeks but have stayed in second place in the Central, will meet up with a Flames team that hasn’t exactly been spectacular all year but has also kept its collective head above water, currently sitting in playoff position as the third-place team in the Pacific Division. The Flames are on an extremely hot streak at the moment, as they’ve won every game in December (their past seven) after starting the season off 7-14-2. They’re carried by forward Johnny Gaudreau, who despite his total lack of size at 5-foot-7 and 157 pounds, has established himself as one of the best all-around offensive forwards in the NHL and enters Saturday’s game with 12 goals and 21 assists, as well as seven points in his past four games.

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For the first time in a while, the Blues’ lineup will get a little bit of a shakeup on Saturday, as Scott Gomez will re-enter the lineup for fourth line center Kyle Brodziak, who will miss his first game of the year after getting roughed up a bit in Thursday’s victory over Nashville. Gomez’s entrance will snap a streak of six games during which the Blues used the same group of 18 skaters.

Brian Elliott will also play Saturday, getting his 10th start of the season in goal. Elliott will be looking for his first win since October 18. After winning in his first five starts of the season, Elliott has either failed to receive a decision or taken the loss in his past six starts, so he’ll be attempting to get off the schneid against Calgary.

Next: 2015 Arch Awards: Who was St. Louis's MVP This Year?

Here’s what the Blues’ lineup should look like on Saturday afternoon:

Alexander Steen–Paul Stastny–Vladimir Tarasenko

Magnus Paajarvi–David Backes–Troy Brouwer

Dmitrij Jaskin–Jori Lehtera–Robby Fabbri

Scottie Upshall–Scott Gomez–Ryan Reaves

Jay Bouwmeester–Alex Pietrangelo

Petteri Lindbohm–Kevin Shattenkirk

Carl Gunnarsson–Colton Parayko

Brian Elliott

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