St. Louis Blues Try to Get Back on Right Track Friday Against New York Islanders
The Blues will try to get back on the right track after arguably the worst loss of the season on Tuesday against Florida.
St. Louis Blues Game 26/82: Friday, December 4, 6:30 PM at New York Islanders
After perhaps the worst season on Tuesday against the Florida Panthers, the St. Louis Blues will be coming back with a new strategy on Friday night as they visit the New York Islanders. All three players who were healthy scratches on Tuesday–forwards Scott Gomez and Dmitrij Jaskin, along with defenseman Robert Bortuzzo–are expected to get back into the lineup against New York, and the Blues will be aiming to display a more aggressive feel to their game after Tuesday’s effort came off as very sluggish.
St. Louis will have the advantage of a couple hard days of practice on Wednesday and Thursday after roughly a month of games that occurred on a near-every other day basis. That little team-building period allowed coach Ken Hitchcock to shake up the lines, and the Blues’ forward groups will have a very different look on Friday. It will be the best of both worlds for the Blues’ top scoring forward, Vladimir Tarasenko, who will get his former KHL teammate and linemate during 2014-15, Jori Lehtera, playing on left wing, with perhaps the Blues’ best setup man, Paul Stastny, playing center.
The Blues will also be looking to get revenge on the Islanders, who beat them 3-2 in overtime on October 24. The Blues’ lineup will be stronger, as Stastny and Kevin Shattenkirk will be healthy after missing the last game against New York. Still, though, they’ll need to communicate better after a rough couple weeks in which they’ve failed to play consistently or win back-to-back games.
Here’s how the Blues’ lineup figures to look against the Islanders:
Jori Lehtera-Paul Stastny–Vladimir Tarasenko
Alexander Steen–David Backes–Troy Brouwer
Dmitrij Jaskin-Scott Gomez-Robby Fabbri
Steve Ott–Kyle Brodziak–Ryan Reaves
Jay Bouwmeester–Alex Pietrangelo
Robert Bortuzzo–Kevin Shattenkirk
Carl Gunnarsson–Colton Parayko
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