The Blues will play their first pre-season game on home ice tonight, as they are set to battle the Columbus Blue Jackets for the second time during pre-season.
Paul Stastny will play in his first game as a member of the St. Louis Blues tonight, and it will be on home ice.
Alexander Steen will be side-lined tonight as he was banged up during yesterday's scrimmage game and Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock doesn't want to take a chance on him injuring himself any further in a game.
So in place of Steen, Magnus Paajarvi will take his spot on a line with Stastny and the Swedish winger, Joakim Lindstrom, who will get the first look on a line with Stastny. Lindstrom was expected to make the opening night roster, but not many expected it to be on the wing with Paul Stastny. This will be his shot to show he deserves to play big minutes with the Blues most offensive center.
David Backes and T.J. Oshie will be on a line with the Blues 2015 second round pick, Ivan Barbashev. Barbashev isn't going to be make the team this year, but it's a chance for him to showcase his skills.
The third line will be made up of Jori Lehtera, Vladimir Tarasenko, and Peter Mueller. Mueller is still trying to show the Blues brass that he deserves to be in the NHL again and playing with two offensive line-mates in Lehtera and Tarasenko could really help Mueller find the offensive game that he possessed when he was drafted 8th overall by the Phoenix (now Arizona) Coyotes.
The fourth line will consist of Colin Fraser, Yannick Vielleux, and Cody Beach. Fraser, who was signed as depth for the American Hockey League, will get a chance to prove that he's worth being a call up in case of an injury later in the year. Vielleux and Beach are trying to prove to the Blues brass that they are ready for spot NHL duty.
Vielleux really pack up some muscle this off-season and was one of the top players in physical evaluations during the beginning of training camp, as he benched 300 pounds, one of the highest of any players. He's got the potential to be a bottom six forward, and he's looking to prove it.
Cody Beach is stuck in a rut, as the Blues currently have Ryan Reaves locked up on a long term contract, and not to mention the fact that Paul Bissonnette in camp as well. "Biznasty" is looking to steal Reaves' spot, and very well has the opportunity too. That leaves Beach looking to show the Blues that he's capable of playing in the NHL, so if one of the two get hurt, he's capable of being the guy called up to fill their shoes.
Alex Pietrangelo and Jay Bouwmeester are getting ready for the regular season and will anchor the top pairing for tonight's game.
Ian Cole is getting a shot in the top four with an injury to Carl Gunnarsson, and will play alongside Nate Prosser. Cole is entering the season and is expected to finally get the brunt of playing time on the bottom pairing, but with Gunnarsson's injury, he's getting a lock at a top four spot.
Petteri Lindbohm and Chris Butler will round out the bottom pairing.
Brian Elliott is set to start tonight with Swedish goaltender, Niklas Lundstrom will dress as the back up. Don't be surprised if Elliott plays the full 60 minutes.
I'll have a post game article tonight with quotes from Hitch and the players. Be sure to follow me on twitter