Happy NHL Opening Day to all. For the St. Louis Blues, there is nothing like starting off the 2016-17 with a game against your I-55 arch rival Chicago Blackhawks. Only adding to the intensity is the Blues seven game first round victory over the Blackhawks in last year’s playoffs.
Last regular season, the Blues were 3-2 versus the Hawks with very even stats between the two teams. The shot differential was -5 with only a -1 goal differential. Both teams scored four power play goals.
For the Blues, Jake Allen looks to be healthy or at least healthy enough after giving fans a bit of a scare by leaving last Saturday’s preseason game against the Blackhawks early. Allen has been very strong against the Blackhawks, posting a 2.05 GAA and a 93.4% save percentage, both substantially better than his 2.34 and 91.5% career averages.
With Jaden Schwartz starting on injured reserve, your 2016-17 Blues will start with the following forward lines:
Fabbri – Stastny – Steen
Perron – Lehtera- Tarasenko
Jaskin-Berglund-Yakupov
Upshall-Brodziak-Reaves
Paajarvi and Rattie are you opening night healthy scratches at forward. When Schwartz gets healthy, it might be interesting to see Perron sliding in Jaskin’s spot on the 3rd line and Jaskin replacing Reaves on the 4th line.
On defense, Coach Ken Hitchcock threw everyone a bit of a curve ball today, announcing that Carl Gunnarsson will be the healthy scratch tonight. And, no, I don’t think it was retaliation for not being strong on his skates and falling on Allen’s ankle. You defensive pairings will be as follows:
Bouwmeester - Pietrangelo
Shattenkirk - Bortuzzo
Edmundson - Parayko
(Hitch said a couple of days ago that Parayko will be on the right side suggesting Shattenkirk would be the one playing off side)
Will Yakupov and Perron be able to replace the scoring of Brouwer and Backes? Will their quicker and more possessive style of play lead to more penalties drawn and more goals scored? Will the higher level of possession allow the defensemen to get more actively engaged in the offense? Will Allen be able to handle being given the #1 goalie spot? Will Hutton be able to perform if he is called into service for long stretches of time? These are just a few questions facing the Blues this upcoming season.
For the Blackhawks, expect the following lines:
Panik – Toews – Hossa
Panarin – Anisimov – Kane
Motte – Kruger – Hartman
Hinostroza – Schmaltz – Tootoo
Keith – Van Riemsdyk
Seabrook – Kempny
Forsling - Campbell
Crawford
The defensive pairings may be off but oh well.
It’s a great day for hockey.
ETA - Fellow Hockeybuzz bloggers
Nashville Predator's Paul McCann,
Winnipeg Jet's Peter Tessier and
Minnesota Wild's Dan Wallace have generously agreed to a friendly charity wager. We were hoping to do the whole division but don't have it fully represented yet. The blogger whose team finishes the highest the standings at the end of the year gets to pick a charity to whom the others must donate in their name.
St Louis Blues Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»