St. Louis Blues Return Home, Aim to Extend Shutout Streak Against Vancouver Canucks
Brian Elliott will hope to shut out the Vancouver Canucks for the second time in a one-week period as the St. Louis Blues briefly return home.
Though the St. Louis Blues are just two games removed from giving up a collective 13 goals in two games to two Western Conference cellar-dwellers, the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames, they may now be at their strongest point this season as they head into a Friday night matchup with the Vancouver Canucks. Goaltender Brian Elliott returned last Saturday night in Vancouver, and over 120 minutes in net since then, he has yet to allow a goal while recording 56 consecutive saves. The Blues have shut out both the Canucks and the San Jose Sharks in the past week, and they’ll be looking to continue that streak on Friday.
More from Arch Authority
- St. Louis Cardinals: Randal Grichuk to begin Double-A rehab stint
- John Brebbia deserves a shot as the St. Louis Cardinals’ closer
- St. Louis Cardinals place Randal Grichuk on DL, recall José Martínez
- St. Louis Cardinals release RHP Corey Baker from organization
- St. Louis Cardinals activate Kolten Wong and Kevin Siegrist from DL, option Luke Weaver and Alex Mejia to Triple-A
Thanks to losses by the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night, the Blues can accomplish two major goals on Friday: moving into a tie for first place in the Central Division, and clinching a spot in this year’s Stanley Cup playoffs. As long as they can get themselves into the tournament on Friday, keeping tabs on playoff position shouldn’t be as important this year as it’s been for the past couple of seasons, as there isn’t a team like the 2013-14 Blackhawks or the 2014-15 Wild that has clearly had the Blues’ number this season. With that said, the Wild and Blackhawks are the only two Western Conference teams that have beat the Blues twice this season, so if they could avoid playing either of them in the first round, it might be a nice boost.
—
Elliott will start against Vancouver on Friday and attempt to extend his shutout streak. He’s expected to give way to Jake Allen on Saturday in Washington, as Allen will get a big assignment against the Capitals, who are ahead of the rest of the NHL by an unbelievable 12 points.
Jay Bouwmeester is likely to miss Friday’s game with an upper-body injury, so it’s probable that Robert Bortuzzo will get back in the lineup against Vancouver. That will lead to an adjustment of the Blues’ defensive pairings, with either Colton Parayko or Carl Gunnarsson likely moving up to play with Kevin Shattenkirk.
For what it’s worth, Petteri Lindbohm was recalled from Chicago on Thursday, so the 22-year-old defenseman might be a candidate to play on Saturday if he doesn’t get into the lineup against the Canucks. The Blues will have a season-high four scratches on Friday. Those players are expected to be Bouwmeester, Lindbohm, Magnus Paajarvi, and Anders Nilsson. Here’s how the Blues’ lineup could look against Vancouver:
Next: Blues Recall Lindbohm from AHL Chicago
Jaden Schwartz–Jori Lehtera–Vladimir Tarasenko
Robby Fabbri–Paul Stastny–Troy Brouwer
Dmitrij Jaskin–Patrik Berglund–David Backes
Scottie Upshall–Kyle Brodziak–Ryan Reaves
Joel Edmundson–Alex Pietrangelo
Colton Parayko–Kevin Shattenkirk