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St. Louis Blues Seek 3-0 Start As They Host New York Rangers

By Patrick Karraker

Feb 25, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues goalie Jake Allen (34) blocks the shot of New York Rangers left wing Marek Hrivik (46) during the third period at Scottrade Center. The New York Rangers defeat the St. Louis Blues 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 25, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues goalie Jake Allen (34) blocks the shot of New York Rangers left wing Marek Hrivik (46) during the third period at Scottrade Center. The New York Rangers defeat the St. Louis Blues 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /
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Carter Hutton St. Louis Blues
Sep 25, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues goalie Carter Hutton (40) makes a save against the Columbus Blue Jackets during the third period of a preseason hockey game at Scottrade Center. The Blues won 7-3. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /

Blues Projected Lineup

Robby Fabbri-Paul Stastny-Alexander Steen

David Perron-Jori Lehtera-Vladimir Tarasenko

Magnus Paajarvi-Patrik Berglund-Nail Yakupov

Scottie Upshall-Kyle Brodziak-Ryan Reaves

Jay Bouwmeester-Alex Pietrangelo

Carl Gunnarsson-Kevin Shattenkirk

Joel Edmundson-Colton Parayko

Carter Hutton

Scratches: Dmitrij Jaskin, Ty Rattie, Robert Bortuzzo

The biggest change in the lineup on Saturday is the first goalie change of the 2016-17 season, as Carter Hutton will make his Blues debut while Jake Allen gets a night of rest. Allen’s coming off a minor leg injury suffered last Saturday, so it might be overdoing it to have him play three games during the season’s opening week, and it’s nice to get Hutton involved in the early going anyway.

As Ken Hitchcock tries to find the right mix of players through the first few games of the season, it’s possible that more skaters could be swapped in and out on Saturday, even though the team has started 2-0. Robert Bortuzzo seems likely to get another opportunity, as Hitchcock has said that the Blues want to settle on a regular group of six defensemen soon, and Bortuzzo was the odd man out on Thursday. With Joel Edmundson playing well and getting a ton of time on the penalty kill, Carl Gunnarsson would likely be the player taken out if Bortuzzo were to enter the lineup.

Next: Blues Can't Lose, But Could Win Big with Nail Yakupov Trade

The Blues are also still trying to get a look at all their forwards, so there’s a chance that Dmitrij Jaskin or Ty Rattie could enter the lineup on Saturday. Most of the forwards have played very well during the early going, though, and Magnus Paajarvi scored a goal during his season debut on Thursday, so there’s not an obvious player to take out if Jaskin or Rattie is to get a look against the Rangers.

Update, 12:38 PM: With the exception of Hutton, the lineup is expected to stay the same tonight, so Bortuzzo will be out for a second straight game.

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