The St. Louis Blues will look to get back on the winning track in what will be their final game ever at Rexall Place.
After snapping a season-long six-game losing streak on Monday night with a 7-4 loss to the Calgary Flames, the St. Louis Blues will attempt to get things back on the right track Wednesday as they face the Edmonton Oilers. The meeting between the two teams, which will be the second game of a three-game Western Canadian wing for the Blues, will certainly represent the Blues’ final visit to Rexall Place in Edmonton, as the Oilers have the worst record in the Western Conference and are mathematically eliminated from playoff contention.
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They’ll move out of their 42-year-old arena and into new Rogers Place at the conclusion of this season.
The Blues are 2-0 in their season series with the Oilers, and they’ll be looking to sweep the series tonight. It will be the first time that the two teams have met since the first week of the season, as they met in the season opener, with the Blues winning 3-1, before meeting in Edmonton on October 15, with the Blues taking a 4-2 victory. The Blues also have the opportunity to take sole possession of first place in the Central Division on Wednesday night, as the team they’re currently tied with, the Dallas Stars, sits idle.
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For the second straight game, coach Ken Hitchcock will make adjustments to the Blues’ forward corps, asDmitrij Jaskinwill re-enter the lineup and get back on the third line withDavid BackesandPatrik Berglund, whileMagnus Paajarvi, who replaced Jaskin on Monday night, will drop down to the fourth line and pushRyan Reavesfrom the lineup. Though he served a three-game suspension from February 25-28, this is the first time that Reaves will be a healthy scratch since February 6.
Carl Gunnarssonis expected to miss Wednesday night’s game with a lower-body injury, snapping a streak of seven straight games during which the Blues had used the same six defensemen. As a result,Robert Bortuzzowill re-enter the lineup for the first time since February 27. No matter how the defensive pairings are aligned, the Blues will have two righthanded shooters grouped together on Wednesday. Thus, it would make sense forColton ParaykoandKevin Shattenkirkto play together again, as they did in late December, though it’s also possible thatJoel Edmundsoncould move up to play with Shattenkirk, with Bortuzzo and Parayko serving as the third pairing.
Despite exiting Monday’s game during the second period and allowingAnders Nilssonto make his Blues debut,Jake Allenis expected to start his 10th straight game Wednesday in Edmonton. He’ll definitely be looking to improve upon Monday’s performance, when he allowed four goals on just 17 shots faced.
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Here’s what Wednesday’s lineup is expected to look like:
Jaden Schwartz–Jori Lehtera–Vladimir Tarasenko
Robby Fabbri–Paul Stastny–Troy Brouwer
Patrik Berglund–David Backes–Dmitrij Jaskin
Scottie Upshall–Kyle Brodziak–Magnus Paajarvi
Jay Bouwmeester–Alex Pietrangelo
Colton Parayko–Kevin Shattenkirk
Joel Edmundson–Robert Bortuzzo
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