St. Louis Blues Look to Regain Tie for Division Lead in Sunday Meeting with Minnesota Wild
The St. Louis Blues have the opportunity to regain a tie for the division lead on Sunday as they return to action following a four-day layoff.
After going four days without playing a game–the longest layoff they’ve had since the All-Star break–the St. Louis Blues will return to action on Sunday evening against the Minnesota Wild, paying their second and final visit to their division opponents during the 2015-16 season.
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The Blues have a chance on Sunday to regain a share of the Central Division lead alongside the Chicago Blackhawks and the Dallas Stars, which would be more of a legitimate feat than it was when the Blues did so on Tuesday, as all three teams have now played 66 games and will have played 67 at the end of Sunday. The Blackhawks play the Red Wings on Sunday, while the Stars play the Senators, so if both teams lose and the Blues come away with the win, they’ll have 85 points and enter a three-way tie for the division lead.
The Blues will be facing a Wild team that has won four straight but will be playing its second game in 48 hours after visiting the Buffalo Sabres and defeating them in a shootout on Saturday. The Blues have defeated the Wild in two of four games this season, with their latest win being a dominant 4-1 victory on February 7.
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Jori Lehtera is expected to rejoin the Blues’ lineup on Sunday after missing the past three games with a face injury. His return will trigger the re-assembly of the “STL line” and send Paul Stastny back to the second line with Robby Fabbri and Troy Brouwer. Lehtera’s return is also expected to result in the removal of forward Magnus Paajarvi, who had dressed for the past five games, from the lineup. Dmitrij Jaskin will remain active and team with David Backes and Patrik Berglund to form a big, physical third line.
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Here’s how the Blues’ lineup is expected to look against the Wild:
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
Carl Gunnarsson-Kevin Shattenkirk
Joel Edmundson-Colton Parayko
Jake Allen