Arch Authority
Fansided

In First Meeting with David Backes, St. Louis Blues Try to Solve Road Woes

By Patrick Karraker

Dec 22, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; St. Louis Blues defenseman Colton Parayko (55) tries to stop Boston Bruins left wing Brad Marchand (63) during the first period at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 22, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; St. Louis Blues defenseman Colton Parayko (55) tries to stop Boston Bruins left wing Brad Marchand (63) during the first period at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports /
twitterfacebookreddit
Prev
1 of 2
Next
St. Louis Blues Boston Bruins
Dec 22, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; St. Louis Blues defenseman Colton Parayko (55) tries to stop Boston Bruins left wing Brad Marchand (63) during the first period at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports /

The Blues will face David Backes for the first time ever as they begin a two-game East Coast road trip.

The St. Louis Blues will look to extend a three-game winning streak on Tuesday night, as they begin an East Coast back-to-back with a visit to the Boston Bruins. For sentimental reasons, it will perhaps be the most intriguing game that Blues fans have had to watch so far this season. After 19 games, the Blues will finally be forced to confront David Backes, who spent the first 10 years of his career in the Blue Note, wearing the captain’s “C” for the final five years of that tenure, before defecting to the Bruins in free agency this past summer.

Backes was adored by the fan base, and he obviously was an extremely prominent voice in the room while with the Blues. It will be interesting to see how Backes, who’s always been an edgy, physical presence, performs against so many of the guys that he spent years playing with in St. Louis. Backes has three goals and four assists with a plus-9 rating and 19 penalty minutes through 13 games this season.

In the same way, we’ll see whether a Blues team that sometimes seems to back down under pressure is up for the challenge. They’re currently in the midst of a three-game winning streak–tied for their longest of the season–but all three of those wins came at home, where they’re 8-1-2.

They’ve been much more inconsistent on the road, as they’ve posted a 2-5-1 record in their white jerseys this season. They’re currently in the midst of a four-game losing streak on the road, and they haven’t won an away game since October 22 at Calgary. Tuesday night’s game should give us a better indication as to whether this Blues team, which seems to have woken up since a 8-4 road loss to Columbus on November 12, is truly on the right track, or whether their recent home success has simply been an aberration.

Let’s take a look at the lineup that the Blues are expected to use on Tuesday:

Home/St. Louis Blues