Gameday Preview- St. Louis Blues vs Vancouver Canucks 10-26-2011- UPDATED

St. Louis Blues
(4-4-0)

VS

Vancouver Canucks
(4-4-1)

At

Rogers Arena

Game Time- 09:00 pm (CST)

TV Coverage FSMW and SNET-VAN

Radio Coverage- KMOX 1120 am  and 1040 am

DUE TO THE WORLD SERIES GAME 6 BEING CANCELLED DUE TO RAIN, THE BLUES GAME WILL NOW BE BROADCASTED ON KMOX INSTEAD OF FRESH 102.5

Team Recap- Last week if you happen to read my game previews you would have noted that something was amiss with the team. It was not hard to find the things that were driving Blues fans all over the nation bonkers. With sluggish play, shotty goaltending, and a lack of offensive production you could have likend it to a nails on a chalk board, unappealing to the masses. Then came the game against Carolina, followed  by an impressive road win in Philadelphia. The Blues come in to tonights action with a 4-4-0 record, riding a 2 game winning streak. The Blues front office and coaching staff have mad it abundantly clear: If you do not perform you will be replaced in the line up. Blues goalie Brian Elliot has gotten the tap on the shin pads for the last two starts. Elliot has been nothing short of a breath of fresh air into a team that was on many accounts sputtering along like a car running out of gas. Making quality, timely saves Brian has helped put the team back on a winning path and it looks as though Davis Payne will ride this ” Spicy Chicken” as some in the twitterverse have been clamoring until the first sign of trouble. At that point, it would seem likely that the transition back to Halak would occur. The team hopes to continue to add W’s in the win column and never look back.

Blues Keys For Success- As I have said in the past the game for the Blues needs to remain simple. Win your face offs, work hard for the puck and puck possession, get traffic in-front of the Canucks goal tender, and put quality shots on the net. The Blues will need to stay out of the penalty box tonight as Daniel and Henrik Sedin will be licking their chops to punch a few man advantage goals in on the Blues. Another big game from the Blues back stopper will help to keep confidence high on the bench. Elliot will most likely go once again in tonight’s game and he will have to remain sharp as Vancouver has many weapons with which to sneak goals in creating crooked numbers to go against you in a hurry. Keeping the “Canuckleheads” off the board early and pouncing on any opportunities to score goals are paramount for the boys tonight. A complete 60 minute effort is needed and expected for this match up.

Tonight’s Blues Lineup: (per Jeremy Rutherford & Lou Korac)

Forwards:
Sobotka-Backes-Stewart
D’Agostini-Berglund-Oshie
Steen-Arnott-Langenbrunner
Grachev-Nichol-Porter

Defense:
Huskins-Peitrangelo
Jackman-Shattenkirk
Colaiacovo-Polak

Goal:
Brian Elliott

Vancouver Team Recap-  It has been a trying season so far for the guys from Riot Cit….. I mean Vancouver. With high profile goal tender Roberto Luongo being less then stellar this season with a GAA of 3.45,  a SV% of .868, and a record of 2-3-1, its easy to see why the Canucks record is only 4-4-1. Leading the league last year in points the western conference champs from 2010-2011 have not found their stride. Shaky goal tending, sub-par defensive play, and the inability to outscore their opponents either puts a huge smile on your face if your from anywhere but BC or leaves you scratching your head wonder exactly what is going on. The fans in Vancouver expect a winning product on the ice and it will be interesting to see how things unfold if the well paid Luongo remains as leaky as a sieve. The Canucks made an early season trade this past week sending forwards Mikael Samuelsson and  Marco Sturm to the Florida Panthers for forward David Booth and Steve Reinprecht  and a third round draft pick in the 2013 NHL entry draft. A shake up was indicated by Vancouver GM Mike Gillis and will provide VC with a input of new blood to their system. It will remain to be seen wether this move pans out for either team. For more information on this trade follow this link.

Vancouver Keys For Success-  For Vancouver getting back to puck possession domination is key. Spending less time in the defensive zone and more time in the offensive zone is they way the Canucks win games. Skill, chemistry, and tenacity are things they use to their advantage when they are firing on all cylinders. Defensive support for Luongo is an absolute must. With little confidence in himsel,f should he get the start tonight, he will need his mates to help him out.  Look for the Canucks to attempt to keep the puck away from the Blues big forwards such as Chris Stewart, David Backes, and Jason Arnott. If Vancouver fails to control the flow of the game and allows St. Louis to get traffic in front of the net and snap off quality shots, it will be a very long night for either of the Canuck’s net minders.

Quick Blues News- Blues captain David Backes left the game against Philadelphia in the second period on a clean but massive hit by Chris Pronger. Backes felt a bit woozy and not quite right after the hit and was held out for the remainder of the game. David skated with the team in practice this week and says he is feeling fine. Backes is expected to start tonight on word from Andy Strickland and J P Rutherford.

Blues Left Winger David Perron has progressed to the next level per a press release on the Blues web site this week. David is slowing starting to get his body headed in the direction of game shape. It is still unclear when David will return but he is traveling with the team on this Western Canadian road trip to practice with the team. David remains confident that he will be back to playing hockey in the near future.

Blues winger BJ Crombeen (shoulder fracture) and Andy McDonald (concussion) both remain on the IR and have no time table for return.

Blues fans be sure to check out each week the one and only podcast to get you caught up on everything blues at www.stlbluesradio.com

Jeff Ponder from letsgoblues.com, Curt Price owner of Letsgoblues.com, and Jeff Quirin owner of Bluenotezone.com and editor for NHLHotstove.com bring lively, funny, fan based analysis of our boys in blue. Give em a listen!

Strap on your game faces, Grab a cold beverage and ready yourselves for a hopeful trouncing of a wounded Vancouver team. LET’S GO BLUES!