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Blues vs Flames 10/22/16 GDT

October 22, 2016, 4:03 PM ET [51 Comments]
Jason Millen
St Louis Blues Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT


The Blues wrap in their so far winless trip through western Canada in beautiful Calgary, Alberta Canada. Unlike prior years, the Blues have been futile in Canada so far in the 2016-17 season, salvaging only a lone point. So far this season, the Flames have struggled, only getting 3 points in 5 games and giving up more than 4 goals per game, 2nd worst in the NHL, even though they in the top 3rd of the league in shots against. Former Blue Brian Elliott has struggled posting an 84% save percentage and a goals against average approaching five.

The Flames have been scoring around the league average even though their power play is dead last in the league. Michael Frolik and former Blue Troy Brouwer are their leading scorers with three goals in five games.

In the Blues two losses, they have only scored 2 goals on 69 shots. Jake Allen has stopped 44 of 48 shots in the two losses. The key to Blues wins early in this season seems simple – score 3 or more and win, score 1 lose. In an effort to drum up some scoring, coach Ken Hitchcock has thrown the lines in the blender.

I expect the lines to look like this to start:

Johnson
Engelland - Kulak
Jokipakka – Hamilton
Brodie – Giordano
Hamilton – Stajan – Ferland
Chiasson – Backlund – Bouma
Brouwer – Bennett – Versteeg
Frolik – Monahan – Gaudreau

Alexander Steen - Paul Stastny - Robby Fabbri
David Perron - Jaden Schwartz - Vladimir Tarasenko
Dmitrij Jaskin - Patrik Berglund - Nail Yakupov
Scottie Upshall - Kyle Brodziak - Ryan Reaves
Bouwmeester – Pietrangelo
Gunnarsson – Shattenkirk
Edmundson – Parayko
Allen

Notes from around the league:
- The Blackhawks PK is at 42.1% which is less than the PP success rate of 2 teams. Comparatively, last season, the worst PK team’s success was 3.25x that of the best PP success rate.
- The Panthers have yet to give up a power play goal.
- Mike Green seems to have regained forms of yesteryear, with 7 points in 5 games.
- Three of the top eight scorers in the NHL are defensemen.
- The obvious choices for the Calder trophy are Matthews, Laine and Nylander but Zach Werenski may end up more deserving.
- The mastery of Mitch Korn continues to be proven with Braden Holtby posting a 1.63 GAA and a 93.8% save percentage so far this season.

It’s a great day for hockey.

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 donate in their name.
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