GameBlog 9-30-10: Blues vs. Blackhawks

As always, I welcome you to follow me on Twitter – @618_STLBlues and @BlueNoteZone for in game St. Louis Blues news and analysis.

-

The defending Stanley Cup champions, the Chicago Blackhawks, make their only trip down I-55 of the 2010-11 preseason.

Please, hold your applause till after the blog. That’s not how we roll down here…

Lineup

Per Lou Korac, here is tonight’s lineup.

Forward Lines
David Perron-David Backes-Brad Boyes
Alex Steen-Patrik Berglund-Nick Drazenovic
T.J. Oshie-Jay McClement-B.J. Crombeen
Cam Janssen-Matt D’Agostini-Brad Winchester

Defensive Pairings
Barret Jackman-Erik Johnson
Eric Brewer-Roman Polak
Nikita Nikitin-Ian Cole

Between the Pipes
Jaroslav Halak (starter)
Ty Conklin

News & BlueNotes

- Both McDonald and Colaiacovo are out with hip flexor injuries. McDonald did skate today.

- Sobotka is not going to be ready by the October 9th opener.

- Pietrangelo and Strachan get the night off.

Who to watch for?

Nikitin/Cole Pairing - Two of the four bubble buddies on defense suit up on the same pairing. With Strachan and Pietrangelo both sitting out, are the Blues trying to evaluate each spot separately? As to say, are Cole and Nikitin fighting for a different spot than Pietrangelo and Strachan? Call it a hunch that Cole out performs Nikitin.

D’Agostini in the Middle - A curious move indeed. Is it a chance to see if D’Ags can fill in for Sobotka? Could be a very lopsided mismatch against the Hawks superior centermen.

Halak, Part 2! - On Halak’s first start he allowed three goals on 18 shots. Will he fare better against the Hawks?

The game is on where?

The Blues official website will be streaming the game. The stream will start at 6:50 pm Central and is for St. Louis area access only.