St. Louis Blues Look to Sweep Back-to-Back in Visit to Dallas Stars
After defeating the Anaheim Ducks in dominant fashion on Friday night, the St. Louis Blues will try to sweep the back-to-back as they visit the Dallas Stars on Saturday.
After defeating the Anaheim Ducks 5-2 on Friday night and matching their season-best five-game win streak, the St. Louis Blues will begin a five-game road trip on Saturday and face the Dallas Stars in the latter end of a back-to-back. The Blues have managed to win both ends of a back-to-back set just once in seven tries this season (October 15 and 16, against the Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Cancucks), so they’ll be aiming to improve on that record Saturday. In addition, after vaulting the Chicago Blackhawks in the Central Division standings on Friday night, they have a chance to take sole possession of the division lead with a regulation win (they can also end up in a tie with the Stars if they win in overtime).
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Despite the Stars’ status as the top team in the Western Conference, the Blues have generally had their number during 2015-16 and are 3-1 against them this season. Of concern, though, is the fact that the Blues’ lone loss in the season series came in a similar scenario, as the teams met in Dallas on December 27 for the second end of a back-to-back. For what it’s worth, the Stars will also be playing in the second game of a back-to-back after defeating the Blackhawks Friday night at American Airlines Center, but they’ll avoid the stress of a plane trip in between.
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It’s theoretically possible that Ken Hitchcock could try to get Magnus Paajarvi or Robert Bortuzzo some playing time in the latter end of the back-to-back on Saturday, but it’s highly likely that he’ll stick with the lineup that has been in place for the Blues’ past four wins. Alexander Steen is also on the trip and has been practicing with the team this week, though it’s unlikely that he’ll return to the lineup against the Stars.
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Here’s what the lineup is expected to look like:
Jaden Schwartz–Jori Lehtera–Vladimir Tarasenko
Robby Fabbri–Paul Stastny–Troy Brouwer
Patrik Berglund–David Backes–Dmitrij Jaskin
Scottie Upshall–Kyle Brodziak–Ryan Reaves
Jay Bouwmeester–Alex Pietrangelo