Preview: Blues at Canadiens
Send a link to a friend
[February 11, 2017]
The St. Louis Blues received an
immediate bump from a change behind the bench and will look to
remain perfect on their five-game road trip when they visit the
Atlantic Division-leading Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night. St.
Louis has won the first three games of its trek to improve to 4-1-0
since coach Ken Hitchcock was dismissed.
The most noticeable difference for the Blues has been a dramatic
improvement on defense, with only one goal allowed in wins at
Philadelphia, Ottawa and Toronto. "I really appreciate the mindset
of our players right now," coach Mike Yeo said of the commitment to
defense. "We recognized that that was an area of our game that we
needed to improve." Montreal's dormant offense came to life in a 5-4
overtime win at Arizona on Thursday night, halting a four-game
losing streak (0-3-1). The Canadiens had scored just three times
during the four-game skid and are seeking back-to-back wins for the
first time since a three-game winning streak from Jan. 3-7.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, NHL Network, FSN Midwest (St. Louis), TVAS, CITY
(Montreal)
ABOUT THE BLUES (28-22-5): Paul Stastny, who centers St. Louis' top
line that features Vladimir Tarasenko and Alexander Steen, suffered
a lower-body injury Thursday at Toronto and was labeled as
"doubtful" to play Saturday. "So we don't expect it to be long-term
or anything like that," Yeo said Friday. "I don't think he's going
to play tomorrow; he could, but I don't think he will." Stastny is
fourth on the team in scoring and has amassed eight goals and nine
assists in his last 17 games.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2016/Aug/26/images/ads/current/directory_buttons.png)
[to top of second column] |
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2016/Mar/14/images/ads/current/tires250x300.gif)
ABOUT THE CANADIENS (31-17-8): Captain Max Pacioretty
single-handedly awoke Montreal out of its offensive doldrums by
scoring a pair of goals and assisting on two others in the victory
on Thursday. Pacioretty's first tally of the game placed him among
elite company, joining Chicago's Patrick Kane and Dallas' Jamie Benn
as the only players from the 2007 NHL draft to score at least 200
goals. "He was a true captain. He took charge ... and deserves a lot
of credit for that win," coach Michel Therrien said.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2017/Feb/11/images/ads/current/christian_village_sda_031616.png)
OVERTIME
1. Pacioretty has scored four goals in nine games versus St. Louis.
2. The Blues have killed off all 15 short-handed situations in five
games this month.
3. Canadiens G Carey Price has allowed at least four goals in eight
of his last 17 starts.
PREDICTION: Canadiens 3, Blues 2
[© 2017 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2017 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |