Blues Crazy Road Trip 1 - Game 4: Beware Slipping on the Oil(ers)
The first of two long late season road trips heads north in Alberta before heading West to the Pacfic coast as the St. Louis Blues take on the Edmonton Oilers.
This will be the fourth and final matchup between the two clubs. In this season's series the home team has been the victor in all three previous meetings. Edmonton was twice one of the Blues victims durnig their impressive 8-1-2 run in January. The Oilers played a contributing role in St. Louis' coaching change with their 4-2 win back on October 30th.
Though the Blues' record away from Scottrade is not strong this season at 13-13-3, February has been the opposite with a 5-3-0 mark. A win tonight means taking 12 out of 18, or 66.6%, of the points possible on the road. Which is less than 1% off from their 85 out of 126, 67.4%, of the points possible pace overall to date this season. That mark would also be 16% higher than their 29 out of 58, 50%, of points possible on the road to date. Statistical evidence supporting what fans have seen of late.
For as excited as we should all be for the new found success a bit of caution is warranted.
Edmonton owns a winning record at home, 16-11-4. They've also defeated the Blues two of the last three games in Edmonton. The Oilers power play has converted on 4 for 10 opportunities in the last five games and is rated tops in the league at 21.8%. On the Home split their 2nd at 23.9%. A bunch of kids sitting in the basement they may be, but the skill and fire power they posses is real and must be taken seriously.
Think like the Boston game one week ago. The Blues didn't show up to play the same way the Bruins did. We're they caught thinking ahead to the game in Nashville? Next up on Thursday is Vancouver. Certainly a team in the sights. Not just from a standings perspective, but also from a status perspective. Beating the likes of Winnipeg, Calgary and Edmonton is expected. Taking down the Canucks furthers the quest to prove they are as good as their record says they are.
Take care of business tonight. Worry about tomorrow... tomorrow. Whether or not the Blues are able to accomplish the first half tonight is
the storyline to follow.
As he often does, captain David Backes will likely lead the way. In thee games against the Oilers this season he has 2 goals and 2 assists. Alex Pietrangelo has 3 goals and four points. Carlo Colaiacovo has four assists. Chris Stewart is the only other Blues player with multiple points vs. Edmonton. He has a goal and an assist.
There are no expected lineup changes.
McDonald - Backes - Oshie
Perron - Berglund - Stewart
Sobotka - Arnott - Porter
Crombeen - Nichol - Reaves
Colaiacovo - Pietrangelo
Jackman - Shattenkirk
Huskins - Polak
Jaroslav Halak will get the start in goal. In his career vs. Edmonton he is 4-1-1 with a 2.15 GAA, .907 save percentage, and 2 shutouts. Devin Dubnyk gets the nod at the opposite end for his seventh consecutive start. In his career vs. St. Louis he is 05-05 with a 4.67 GAA and .838 save percentage.
On the Injury Front
For the Blues: Forwards Alex Steen, Matt D'Agostini and defensemen Kris Russell remain out with concussion symptoms. Forward Jamie Langenbrunner is out with a broken foot.
For the Oilers: Listed as "day to day" are netminder Niklaio Khabibulin (groin) and defensemen Theo Peckham (face)
The Big Question
Can the Blues power play keep clicking? They put two behind Mikka Kiprusoff in three chances, but before Monday the last time the Blues bagged a PPG away from Scottrade was December 27th in Detroit. Two months to the day and 10 road games between conversions.
Keys to the Game
- Avoiding the Penalty Box: With so few penalties being called the Oilers power play cannot be allowed to be the difference maker.
- Get a Better Start: A clean sheet of ice, fast players and a desire to jump out early at home could put the Blues behind early. Can't rely on Halak to hold the fort down all the time. Can't have another slow first 10-15 minutes.
- Manage the Puck Well: Turnovers lead to odd man rushes and the likes of Hall, Eberle and Nugent-Hopkins don't need many chances to end up burying one.
Thanks for reading. Enjoy the game and Let's Go Blues!
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