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4/18, Blues vs. Coyotes - GDT |
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TONIGHT’S GAME
St. Louis (24-16-2, 50 points – 7th) vs. Phoenix (18-17-7, 43 points – 11th)
Game Time: 7:00pm Central
Scottrade Center, St. Louis, MO
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SERIES THIS SEASON
March 7, at Phoenix: Blues 6, Coyotes 3
March 14, at St. Louis: Blues 3, Coyotes 0
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TALE OF THE TAPE
-- Goals scored per game: Blues 17th (2.57 GPG), Phoenix 19th (2.55 GPG)
-- Goals allowed per game: Blues 12th (2.48 GPG), Phoenix 16th (2.62 GPG)
-- Shots per game: Blues 22nd (27.9 SPG), Phoenix 9th (30.5 SPG)
-- Shots allowed per game: Blues 2nd (24.1 SPG), Phoenix 20th (30.2 SPG)
-- Power Play: Blues 11th (25-for-129, 19.4%, 5 SHGA), Coyotes 26th (21-for-145, 14.5%, 2 SHGA)
-- Penalty Kill: Blues 7th (113-for-134, 84.3%, 3 SHG), Coyotes 13th (122-for-148, 82.4%, 1 SHG)
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LAST GAME
-- The Blues hit the scoreboard again with a 3rd period goal and went on to beat Vancouver 2-1 in the shootout on Tuesday night. Jay Bouwmeester scored his first goal as a ‘Note, and Brian Elliott stopped 21 of 22 shots in a game that saw lots of physical play between a Blues team and a Canucks team that clearly don’t like each other.
-- Phoenix was blanked at home 4-0 by San Jose on Monday night, dealing a serious blow to the already fragile playoff hopes of the Coyotes. Jason LaBarbera was peppered for 41 shots, stopping 37 of them in the loss.
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PROJECTED BLUES LINES
FORWARDS
Perron – Backes – Steen
Schwartz – Berglund – Stewart
McDonald – Sobotka – Tarasenko
Cracknell – Porter – Reaves
DEFENSE
Bouwmeester – Pietrangelo
Leopold – Shattenkirk
Jackman – Polak
GOALIES
Elliott
Allen
Scratches: Cole, Russell, Nichol, Halak, Jaskin, Murray
Injuries: Oshie (foot, IR); Halak (lower body, out); Nichol (lower body, out).
The Blues recalled Andrew Murray from Peoria this morning. Peoria won’t make the playoffs, and the Blues want Murray available for the rest of the season – and didn’t want to chance him getting hurt in the minors. The only other change is that Jaskin is out and Cracknell is back in. Elliott is back in net after Tuesday night’s strong play.
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FROM THE OTHER BENCH
FORWARDS
Doan - Hanzal - Vrbata
Conner - Vermette - Boedker
Klinkhammer - Gordon - Moss
Bolduc – Chipchura - Bissonnette
DEFENSE
Ekman-Larsson - Michalek
Yandle - Morris
Stone – Klesla
GOALIES
C. Johnson
LaBarbera
Scratches: Schlemko, N. Johnson, Korpikoski, Smith
Injuries: Smith (lower body, questionable); Korpikoski (upper body, out).
The Coyotes went with 7 defensemen against San Jose, but I expect Bissonnette (who was a healthy scratch against the Sharks) to get the nod tonight, with Schlemko coming out. Chad Johnson gets the start tonight.
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PREVIEW
-- A win tonight by the Blues puts them in 6th in the West, just a point back of the Sharks. If it’s in regulation, it would effectively end the Coyotes playoff chances as they’d be 6 back of 8th with just 5 games to play and a pair of road games upcoming in Chicago and Detroit.
-- Over the last 5 years, the Blues have generally controlled the series with a 12-5-1 record. The last time the Coyotes won was April 6, 2012 when they knocked off the Blues 4-1 at Scottrade.
-- Most of the games between the Blues and Coyotes only go 60 minutes; since the 2005-06 season, only 4 of the 30 games played have gone into OT – and only one of those (January 15, 2007 at Phoenix) went to a shootout (the Coyotes won 5-4). The last OT game: November 19, 2009 when the Blues won 3-2 at home.
-- The last shutout by Phoenix in St. Louis: October 29, 2009 when the Coyotes blanked the Blues 2-0.
-- No ex-Coyotes on the Blues, but Alexandre Bolduc, a 4th round pick of the Blues in the 2003 draft, is (sort-of) the only ex-Blue on the Coyotes roster.
-- Elliott in his career against the Coyotes: 3-2-0, 2.17 GAA, .921 SV%.
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