St. Louis Blues Look to Avenge Recent Loss to Sharks

The St. Louis Blues will welcome the San Jose Sharks to Scottrade Center for the second time this month. Can they avenge a 3-1 loss to San Jose?

The St. Louis Blues host the San Jose Sharks on Monday evening at Scottrade Center, looking to extend their current winning streak, which is already at a season-high five games, to six straight. They’ll be looking to avenge a recent loss to San Jose as they face them for the second time this month; in one of the Blues’ most disappointing efforts of the 2015-16 season, they lost 3-1 to San Jose on February 4.

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However, that was well before the Blues got back Jaden Schwartz, who should now be respected by all as a spectacular creator of offensive opportunities, so the offense should be more lively on Monday. With that said, it will be the Blues’ first game of the season without Alexander Steen, who had given the lineup a major boost recently after moving to center, as he suffered an upper-body injury on Saturday that will keep him out for an extended period.

San Jose currently has a decently firm grip on a playoff spot, as they sit in third place in the Pacific Division, seven points ahead of the Arizona Coyotes. They’ve had a solid month of February, going 5-3-1. The Sharks recently had their three-game winning streak snapped by the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday, so they’ll be looking to start a new one against the Blues on Monday.

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With forward Alexander Steen having suffered an upper-body injury on Saturday that will keep him out for at least a month, one thing is for certain: the Blues’ lineup will be different for the first time since Jaden Schwartz returned and helped the team start its current five-game winning streak back on February 12 at Florida. There are several different permutations of the lineup that could be used on Monday.

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Either winger Dmitrij Jaskin, who was recalled Sunday following a three-game stint in the minors, or Magnus Paajarvi, who has been a healthy scratch for the Blues’ past five games, could get another chance to contribute in Steen’s absence on Monday. Since both players are versatile and have been used both in the top nine and on the fourth line, it’s difficult to know whether their possible entrance into the lineup would push a player like Scottie Upshall into the top nine, or whether either Paajarvi or Jaskin would get another opportunity to contribute on a scoring line.

Considering that Ken Hitchcock sat aggressor Ryan Reaves against San Jose on February 4, it’s possible that he could choose to make the same move and use both Paajarvi and Jaskin against a San Jose lineup that’s big but speedier than most NHL teams. The Blues’ fourth line has performed very well over the past five games with Reaves in the lineup, however, so that might be unlikely, especially considering that the Blues lacked physicality in their 3-1 loss to San Jose.

Perhaps the most likely option, however, would involve the Blues dressing seven defensemen and going one forward short on Monday. That’s the strategy that Hitchcock used on January 3 of last year, when the Blues defeated the Sharks by a score of 7-3. That way, the Blues could easily get 22-year-old Jordan Schmaltz, who was recalled on Sunday, into the lineup. Hitchcock has previously acted quickly to get freshly-recalled players, particularly young ones, into the lineup, so it would make sense for Schmaltz to dress against San Jose. If the Blues do go with a more traditional 12-forward, six-defenseman lineup, Robert Bortuzzo could be a scapegoat as Hitchcock tries to get Schmaltz some experience.

Hitchcock will also face one other dilemma on Monday that he hasn’t had to seriously think about since January 8: which goalie to start. Jake Allen was activated from injured reserve on Sunday, completing his recovery from a knee injury that cost him nearly two months of playing time. In his absence, Elliott started seven straight games and went 12-3-2, so with the return of Allen, Monday’s game will be the first time in a long while that Hitchcock will have to think about not starting Elliott.

Going into Saturday’s game, there seemed to be no question that the Blues would have to ride out Elliott’s unbelievable streak until he began to show some signs of regression. But after he gave up four even-strength goals on 22 shots against the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday, it’s possible that he could give way to Allen again as soon as Monday.

It’d be rather coldhearted to yank Elliott, who now leads the NHL in GAA (2.06) and save percentage (.931) and is largely responsible for the team’s current five-game winning streak, right out of the net for a goalie who hasn’t played since January 8. But the Blues are going to have to give Allen, their full-time starter prior to the injury who was impressive in his own right (2.17 GAA, .924 save percentage, five shutouts), a turn at some point, so with Elliott having started 17 straight and beginning to show some signs of fatigue, perhaps Monday would be a good opportunity to get Allen some work.

Next: Blues Recall Dmitrij Jaskin, Jordan Schmaltz from AHL

After a Sunday where the Blues didn’t practice and completed a flurry of transactions, there are plenty of roster variables heading into Monday’s game. Here’s a quick guess at what the lineup might look like, however:

Jaden Schwartz–Jori Lehtera-Vladmir Tarasenko

Magnus Paajarvi–David Backes-Patrik Berglund

Robby Fabbri–Paul Stastny–Troy Brouwer

Scottie Upshall–Kyle Brodziak–Ryan Reaves

Jay Bouwmeester–Kevin Shattenkirk

Carl Gunnarsson–Colton Parayko

Joel Edmundson–Robert Bortuzzo

Brian Elliott

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St. Louis Blues Look to Avenge Recent Loss in Second February Meeting with San Jose Sharks

By Patrick Karraker | Feb 22, 2016

The St. Louis Blues will welcome the San Jose Sharks to Scottrade Center for the second time this month. Can they avenge a 3-1 loss to San Jose?

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