St. Louis Blues vs. Buffalo Sabres: Game Preview
After having their seven-game winning streak snapped by the Nashville Predators on Saturday night, the St. Louis Blues will aim to get back on track on Tuesday against the Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres, who are currently the worst team in the NHL with just eight points (3 wins, 11 losses, 2 overtime losses), will be looking to change their fortunes in St. Louis.
There’s a fair amount at stake in the Blues-Sabres matchup these days, as each team has a couple players who formerly played for the other. Blues forward Steve Ott played for Buffalo from 2012-2014, while defenseman Jordan Leopold played for them from 2010 to 2013. While it’s a virtual certainty that Leopold, who hasn’t played since October 30, will be a healthy scratch for tomorrow’s game, Ott will be looking to make something happen against his former team.
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On the Buffalo side, two former Blues, Chris Stewart (2011-2014) and Tyson Strachan (2008-2011), will have the chance to face their former team. Despite the fact that Strachan has dressed in just six games for Buffalo this year, he has the most points of any Sabres defenseman, having registered three assists on the season. Still, it’s highly possible that he won’t be active for tomorrow’s game. Stewart, who is in one of the prolonged slumps that characterized his Blues tenure (1 goal and 1 assist through 16 games with a minus-8 rating), obviously will be trying to make things change in a situation where he’ll be facing a team that jettisoned him last year as they approached an eventual playoff run.
Brian Elliott will start in goal. The Blues’ personnel is expected to remain the same as it was on Saturday, though Steve Ott and Chris Porter switched roles on the third and fourth lines at Monday’s practice.