Word is that you MIGHT remember this guy. Image via BridgetDS/Flickr

Road wins are really cool, y’know. The St. Louis Blues were able to snag a big two points in Ottawa on Tuesday in Brian Elliott’s return to the place he called home to begin his National Hockey League career, earning a win over the Ottawa Senators 3-1. There was an early scrap between two familiar opponents, and it was recapped here. Zenon Konopka is ready and willing to throw down at a moment’s notice, and he did just that with BJ Crombeen, though the fight was largely unspectacular and ended in a draw. With that fight, the Blues move up to 26 fighting majors collected on the NHL season, still good for a 10th place tie with the Buffalo Sabres and Minnesota Wild in that category. With the draw, the team’s record moves to 12-3-11. That is still quite impressive, I would say.

Welcome to the swamp! The Blues’ road train moves to Newark, NJ to face the New Jersey Devils. You may recall that a recent popular figure on Blues teams of the past signed with this squad in the offseason, and while I’ll mention him later, you can only imagine how fired up he will be to see his old squad. As a result of some tough veteran members of the team, some youngsters needing to play because of injuries and some other acquisitions through various sources, the Devils have themselves a fisticuffs-ready club, top to bottom. The Devils are tied for seventh in the NHL with the Anaheim Ducks, each team having 28 fights. The Devils’ fight record is quite alright at 11-8-9.

You may recognize the Devils’ leader in fighting majors this season, as he is our aforementioned “Old Friend” (and one of my personal favorites due to his sheer perseverance). Yes, I’m talking about the one and only Cam Janssen (6’0”, 215lbs, 0-1-5), who has collected six fights this season. Following CamSmash is the veteran duo of Eric Boulton (6’1”, 225lbs, 4-1-0) and David Clarkson (6’1”, 200lbs, 3-1-1), who have each fought five times. Ryan Carter (6’1”, 200lbs, 0-2-1, Day-To-Day with a hand injury) has fought three times, but is not expected to play tonight. Brad Mills (6’1”, 195lbs, 1-1-0, recently sent to Albany of the AHL) has fought twice this season. Mark Fraser (6’4”, 220lbs, 1-0-0 as a Devil and 1-0-1 overall, traded to Anaheim in December and currently in the AHL) fits a special category as he HAS fought twice this season, but only one of them was with New Jersey. Other Devils “solo fighters” include another guy in that Anaheim trade, Rod Pelley (5’11”, 200lbs, Win, traded to Anaheim in December), as well as team superstar Ilya Kovalchuk (6’3”, 230lbs, Win), Tim Sestito (5’11”, 200lbs, Draw, currently with AHL Albany), Alexander Urbom (6’4”, 215lbs, Draw, currently with AHL Albany) and Calder Trophy candidate Adam Henrique (6’0”, 195lbs, Loss).

I’m pretty sure if Janssen plays, he will be fighting someone. Expect the opponent to be the guy who basically took his job, Ryan Reaves, if anyone. It would be hard to imagine him fighting anyone else.

Two wins in a row over the Eastern Conference would be mighty fun, for sure.

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights

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The losing streak is over as the St. Louis Blues scored three goals in 1;29 in the second period to drop the Ottawa Senators. Now the New Jersey Devils come to town and complete the third back to back set of November.

Blues Lineup

Projected lineup based on speculative guess work. Will update as confirmations become available

Forward Lines

Andy McDonald – David Backes – Brad Boyes
Alex Steen – Patrik Berglund – Matt D’Agostini
Brad Winchester – Jay McClement – BJ Crombeen
*Vladimir Sobotka – TJ Hensick – Chris Porter

Defensive Pairings

Eric Brewer – Alex Pietrangelo
Carlo Colaiacovo – Erik Johnson
Nikita Nikitin – Tyson Strachan

Goaltender

Jaroslav Halak is starting.

Scratches

Cam Janssen

Injured (Out)

Roman Polak (Wrist – 7+ Weeks)
Barrett Jackman (Knee – Day to Day)
David Perron (Head – Day to Day)
TJ Oshie (Fracture Ankle – 8+ Weeks)

* UPDATE 1:48: Jeremy Rutherford and Lou Korac report that Sobotka will be on left wing with Hensick between him and POrter.

Blues Stats, News & Game Notes

The St. Louis Blues are in 2nd in the Central Division and 4th in the Western Conference with a record of 10-5-3 in 18 games for 23 points.

- Goals Per Game: 2.61 (21st)
- Goals Against Per Game: 2.61 (10th)
- Power Play: 14.85% (23rd)
- Penalty Kill: 82.2% (15th)

Team Leaders:

Goals – Matt D’Agostini – 6
Points – Andy McDonald – 14
Shots on Goal – Alex Steen – 61
Hits – David Backes – 46
Blocks – Erik Johnson – 35
Takeaways – TJ Oshie – 11 (Andy McDonald is highest non injured with 10)
Plus/Minus – David Perron – Plus-7 (Eric Brewer is highest non injured with a Plus-6)

- In 5 career games Halak owns a 1-3-1 record with a 2.55 GAA and .923 save percentage against the Devils.

- There was some questioning of Nathan Oystrick’s trip back to Peoria. As assumed, it appears to be a contractual concern. According to JR over at the Post, once Oystrick hits 10 NHL games this season, he is subject to waivers. Blues are trying to delay that update as long as possible.

- JR also reported that Jackman skated before practice once again. No news on Perron other than he still isn’t feeling well.

- Colaiacovo is hot since returning to the lineup. Posting two goals and four points in his three games back.

- The Backes line is on fire as well. With a combined total of 9 goals and 21 points in 5 games. That’s a 1.4 point/game pace for each player over that stretch.

- Brad Winchester looking like a man possessed since he came back. Since returning from injury the Wisconsin Badger has 1 goal and numerous chances. Have to love his big hit on Filp Kuba behind the net. When he wants to play in the dirty areas, defensemen have a hard time stopping him. The only problem is that pace lasts 3-5 games and fades for 4-5 more.

- Investor Search News: Per Andy Strickland of TrueHockey.com and Hockeybuzz.com, the St. Louis Blues have signed non-disclosure agreements with two potential investors. The investors would be taking a majority share and replacing TowerBrook Capital Partners. This is good news for Blues fans around the Bluenote nation. Dave Checketts did say at the Halak press conference that there were three interested investors and there was a timetable to get everything figured out by the end of the 2010 calendar year.

Opponent Insight

The New Jersey Devils are in 4th in the Northeast Division and 14th in the Eastern Conference with a record of 5-12-2 in 19 games for 12 points.

- Goals Per Game: 1.79 (30th)
- Goals Against Per Game: 3.21  (24th)
- Power Play: 10.7% (29th)
- Penalty Kill: 81.2% (19th)

Team Leaders:

Goals – Jason Arnott – 6
Points – Patrick Elias – 11
Shots on Goal – Alexei Kovalev – 60
Hits – Colin White – 43
Blocks – Andy Greene – 49
Takeaways – Travis Zajac – 14
Plus/Minus – Alexander Vasyunov – Plus-3

Per The Daily Faceoff, here are the Devils Lines and Pairings

Ilya Kovalchuk – Dainius Zubrus – Alexander Vasyunov
Patrik Elias – Jason Arnott – Mattias Tedenby
Brian Rolston – Travis Zajac – David Clarkson
Rod Pelley – Adam Mair – Stephen Gionta

Colin White – Matthew Corrente
Andy Greene – Anton Volchenkov
Olivier Magnan – Henrik Tallinder

*** UPDATED 1:28 PM: Per Fire and Ice, Mike McKenna is starting. Not Hedberg.

- Local boy netminder Mike McKenna has been recalled by the Devil’s following an injury to Marty Brodeur (elbow). It’s a surreal experience for Mike. [Fire and Ice]

- The Devils mourn (as all hockey fans do) the loss of Pat Burns. [Fire and Ice]

- Follow Fire and Ice author Tom Guilitti on Twitter for Devil’s news and info.

- Devils vs Blues Pregame [SB Nation New York]

- Ilya Kovalchuk is still a very dangerous offensive threat. However, isn’t the $100 million man the biggest flop and disappointment of the season to date. In 19 games the Russian sniper has just four goals and ten points.

Linkage

- Fantasy News, Notes and FYIs for the game. [HockeyIndependent.com]

- Matt D’Agostini is fitting in well in St. Louis. [Blues Official Website]

- Latest on Jackman and strong organizations don’t overreact. [TrueHockey.com]

- Ottawa singing the Blues [Travis Yost - Hockeybuzz.com]

HF Boards St. Louis Blues Forum GDT

STLToday.com Blues Talk Forum GDT

What to Watch For

Vladimir Sobotka’s Play – Why? I find him entertaining to watch. He is a pest in all three zones, defensively responsible and can make a skilled play to create offense. In short doses, he has been really effective. When he is on the ice, follow him for a shift. See all the small things he does to make plays in his own end and in the offensive. However,  he still needs to cut down his tendency to take bad minor penalties.

Keys to the Game

- Once More, With Feeling: While it’s great to get the monkey off their back, the Blues can’t take New Jersey for grant it. They are looking for a breakout game and the Blues have had far more defensive lapses recently than they should have. Don’t let the Devil’s bounce back start on home ice.

- Helping Halak: Most woudl say five of the seven goals against Halak in his last start went behind him due to the lack of effort in front of him. New Jersey has too many big bodies and experience to let them crash the defensive box like Colorado and Detroit. Clearing lose pucks, cutting down on traffic and curbing absentminded odd man rushes and breakaways are vital.

- House of Payne: The Ottawa coaching staff wanted to take the crowd out of the game. They did till the first Blues goal was put on the board. Getting the fans involved early will be an important confidence and energy boost to a team that played last night.

No, Mr. Clarkson, do not try this. You’d like not to die. Image via The Hockey Writers

The Blues took command of the game in the second period of their 5-2 win over the Ottawa Senators, and in so doing they kept the Sens from challenging any of the Blues’ top fighters.  No fighting majors were issued during the game, so the Blues hold steady at 20 fights on the season, now good for fourth all by themselves in the NHL.  The fight record remains at 9-6-5, which – if you ask me – is pretty damn sweet, actually.

There was so much promise leading into this season for the New Jersey Devils – many of which surrounded the dude they traded for during the ’09-’10 season (Ilya Kovalchuk) and the titanic contract he signed in the offseason.  Now, they may just as well be the worst team in the Eastern Conference and – given the dominance of the Western Conference as of late – that is not a good sign.  One good aspect of the Devils is their pugilism – they’ve fought 14 times this season, tied for 12th in the NHL with the Colorado Avalanche, New York Islanders and Toronto Maple Leafs.  Their record is a paltry 2-5-7 in those fights, but something tells me a lot of those fights were forced.

The Devils’ top fighter thus far has been none other than David Clarkson (6’1”, 200lbs, 2-1-1) with four.  Yes, he has the Devils’ only two fight wins thus far.  He’s followed by three fights from the fist of Rod Pelley (5’11”, 195lbs, 0-1-2) and two from Adam Mair (6’1”, 208lbs, 0-1-1).  Rounding out the list are Kovalchuk (6’3”, 230lbs, Draw, yes I’m shocked too), Mark Fraser (6’3”, 220lbs, Draw, on IR with broken hand), Pierre-Luc Letorneau-Leblond (6’2”, 215lbs, Draw, already owns an epic bout with Cam Janssen, currently in Albany), Matthew Corrente (6’0”, 205lbs, Loss) and Brad Mills (6’0”, 195lbs, Loss, currently in Albany).

Clarkson could stand to get into a scrap with someone like Janssen, a fellow middleweight that takes the fight to the opponent rather than the other way around.  With the apparent re-emergence of Brad Winchester, though, it could be the Cathedral who makes a move to add to his fight total.  We’ll see, but I tell you . . . the Devils have been STRUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGLLING lately, and a fight wouldn’t be all that bad for that team.  Expect something to happen, but hopefully it’s nothing nuclear.

Two in a row?  Don’t mind if they do.  DO THIS, boys!

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights

Boulton won’t sing, but he takes no Boll. Image via, of all places, the Wall Street Journal (A very minor prize to the one who gets one of the references in this caption)

There were no fights in Thursday’s 3-0 Blues win over the Nashville Predators, but there was an incident involving quite possibly my least-favorite NHL player in the history of ever – yes, Jordin Tootoo was at it again, this time blasting Carlo “Splodeybones” Colaiacovo with a hit that should get him suspended (which obviously means I do not agree with Jeff or, for that matter, Darren Dreger, on this – to a degree) for at least a couple games.  Seriously, Tootoo brings close to no value offensively and very little value defensively, save for cheap moments like this.  Nearest and dearest to my heart . . . he doesn’t fight when challenged, especially after he does any of his stupid stunts (Hey, Tyson Strachan tried).  WHY IS HE STILL IN THE NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE?!  Get him out, now.  The Blues remain at 9 fights on the season, and while that was good for sole possession of 4th in the NHL on Thursday morning, things change fast early in the season.  That total of 9 fights is now tied for SIXTH with several NHL clubs, but with a fight record of 5-2-2, everyone’s looking at the Blue Note for inspiration at this point.

The Atlanta Thrashers are a solid young up-and-coming team and, thanks to some salary cap problems with the Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks (I STILL hate saying that), were the beneficiary of a few more young players – one who should have been a Conn Smythe Trophy winner in this reporter’s opinion and all whom fought last season.  The Thrashers fought 40 times last season, good for 19th in the NHL, and they amassed a more-than-modest 16-13-11 record in these fights.  This year has been a different story, as they’ve only fought twice this season.  Both fights were judged draws, and one of the fights involved a current Thrasher that is a familiar foe to the Blue Note.  The last time the Blues and Thrashers fought was in a game on November 30, 2008 in Atlanta (which some might remember as the game Keith Tkachuk picked up his 500th career goal), and the fight involved BJ Crombeen and Eric Boulton – both of whom happen to still play for their respective teams.  The problem?  The game was not televised, so there is no video evidence of the fight happening.  Can we blame this on Gary Bettman?  I’ll go ahead and do that.

Leading the Thrashers in fights last season was Boulton (6’1”, 225lbs, 4-3-6) with 13 and Chris Thorburn (6’3”, 230lbs, 2-4-3) with nine.  That would be 22 out of the team’s 40 fights from just two players, so it is quite clear who the enforcers are.  Other Thrashers fighters from ’09-’10 include Jim Slater (6’0”, 200lbs, 2-2-0) and Boris Valabik (6’7”, 245lbs, 1-1-2, assigned to the AHL’s Chicago Wolves) each with four, young up-and-comer Zach Bogosian (6’3”, 215lbs, 3-0-0) with three and über-young superstar Evander Kane (6’2”, 195lbs, 1-1-0) and Colby Armstrong (6’2”, 195lbs, 0-2-0, signed with Toronto) each with two.  Single-fight players were not-their-problem-anymore Ilya Kovalchuk (6’3”, 230lbs, Win, obviously with the Devils now – via trade), Ron Hainsey (6’3”, 210lbs, Win) and Evgeny Artyukhin (6’5”, 254lbs, Win, Free Agent, also 1-0-0 with Anaheim).  Added from the Blackhawks were eight fights from Ben Eager (6’2”, 235lbs, 3-3-2), two from Andrew Ladd (6’3”, 205lbs, 2-0-0) and one from my Conn Smythe Trophy choice from the 2010 Cup Finals, Dustin Byfuglien (6’5”, 265lbs, 1-0-0).

This year, the Thrashers’ two fights were contested by Thorburn – who worked a draw with Anaheim beast-tank George Parros – and familiar foe Eager – who went even with San Jose’s Frazer McLaren.

I could certainly see Crombeen going at it with Boulton or Thorburn.  He gives a few pounds to each but loses no reach advantage with either.  And is “Cam Watch” in full effect?  Cam Janssen was removed from Injured Reserve on Thursday but did not play.  This would not seem to be the type of game he would play in as he does not match up fight-wise with anyone.  And, really, who would you remove from the lineup right now, other than Brad Winchester?  (Then again, I would like that.)

Keeping the home winning streak alive is a must.  Get it done!

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights

I still question Ilya’s statement that “this wasn’t about money”. The Devils are on the tail end of their Cup contending window and LA is on the rise in the better of the two conferences. If this was about long term winning and the notoriety that comes with it, he would be in LA.

Back to the Blues.

David Perron signed a two year, $4.3 million contract today. Great deal fit the Blues. I have info up here and on www.hockeyindependent.com.

Blues 2007 1st Round pick Ian Cole u
Is now on Twitter. @machEEN28

Week Three – Question Two of Blues Q&A is ready to go.

Q. Is now the time to make David Backes the Captain of the Blues?

Yes or No?

Vote on Twitter @ twitter.com/musigma45 and twitter.com/bluenotezone. Just reply or RT.

Vote on Facebook – Just search for “The Bluenote Zone” and/or “Hockey Independent – Blues”. Just post a comment on the status update.

You can also vote by posting comments here on BluenoteZone.com.

I’ll give more insight Sunday when I post the results on www.hockeyindependent.com. For now I’ll just say “Yes”.

Something that shocked a few Blues fans is that John Davidson, Blues president let it known today that the Blues were aggressively active at trying to acquire Kovalchuk but stating that the Thrashers were asking for one or two pieces that he didn’t feel comfortable in moving for a rental player. The fact that the Blues were not allowed to negotiate at all with Ilya’s agent, it made it harder to send key pieces to Atlanta knowing that Kovalchuk could be gone on July 1st.

But now, looking at up coming free agents, who could be left for the Blues to look at either at the trade deadline, or the off-season? I’ll list my top five ‘wants’ for the Blues this offseason.

Ilya Kovalchuk tops my list of "wants" this year for the Blues.

1. Ilya Kovalchuk – This is obvious on if the Devils and Kovalchuk cannot work out a deal, which is unlikely looking at New Jerseys cap room. They would have to move a lot of salary, meaning Brian Rolston and Dainius Zubrus would have to go. With Rolston having a NTC, its unlikely that event occurs. With what Kovalchuk could be asking, there is a fine line of  signing him to an acceptable deal, or overpaying. If Ilya continues to ask for league maximum ($11.3 million),  I would have to say pass. I understand he is a superstar and that he is going to command big money, but he isn’t the best player in this league and he shouldn’t be paid more than three million dollars more than the best players either. For a contract for Ilya, inking him to a deal that is upwards of eight or more years would be likely as he’ll want some comfort in not having to worry about a shorter contract. I would go no higher than $9.5 million in a year for Kovalchuk. Locking up that much money in one player could be a strain on other players, but when you have a franchise talent such as Ilya, its worth every penny.

2. Rene Bourque – Rene is an interesting option to go after because he brings one thing the Blues need desperately, goal scoring.  He’s not going to wow you like Kovalchuk and put up 40 goals a year, but you can expect a good 20 out of him for a rather cheap price. Bourque could land a deal with some cash, but I wouldn’t expect to see him sign for anymore than $3.5 million a year and even that would be more than doubling his current contract. If the Blues could hammer out a deal at the deadline to get Bourque in a Blues jersey, I don’t think signing  him to a contract extension would be to hard, and it would be a smart idea as well. You could save money on a cheap deal with Rene and still have money available to push for a top end goaltender or more scoring as well.

3. Pekka Rinne – This is going to be a fun situation to follow in Nashville to begin with, and depending on who gets a new deal, Pekka Rinne, Nashville’s star goaltender could become available. Rinne is a soon to be unrestricted free agent and could command a good chunk of change and he’d be worth it. Rinne is a big boy, 6’5″, 207lbs and takes up a lot of the net. He’s got super fast reflexes and has the ability to make the sprawling save if need be. He’s been in the Predators organization since the 2005-2006 season and has turned out to be a nice diamond in the rough, after being selected in the 8th round of the 2004 NHL entry draft.

Rinne would be a huge addition to the Blues goaltending pool.

He’s got a very strong record in his NHL career with Nashville, carrying a 50-26-10 record. Getting a point in 60 of 87 games is an incredible number for a second year goalie. His .912 save-percentage and a 2.52 goals-against-average will make Rinne a highly sought after goaltender this coming off-season and with the Blues inability to truly bring up a goalie in their system, Rinne ranks high on my list of wants this year, and deservedly so, he’s a great young goalie.

4. Jaroslav Halak/Carey Price – Needless to say, one of these goalies are likely on the move. The two young netminders are both battling for a starting position and there are reason’s that either could be moved. They both want to start. This has to be the biggest, and one of the main reason’s they make my list. Carey Price is Montreal’s pride and joy. They expected great things out of him, especially after Bob Gainey dealt veteran goalie Christobal Huet at the trade deadline a few season’s ago and giving Price the full time job and Halak  the back up job. But now it proves to be that Halak has been the better goalie of the two this year. So which one gets moved?

My guess would be Halak is the goalie moved because of how high the Habs have been on Price ever since drafting him fifth overall in 2005. He’s been the “franchise’s goalie” for a long time now and though they got a steal in Halak (9th round, 271st overall in 2003) its’ likely that they go the Price route which makes Halak expendable. But that is just my opinion. To me, it doesn’t matter, Jaroslav Halak OR Carey Price would be a great addition to the Blues goaltending pool.

Alex Frolov ranks 5th on my list this year.

5. Alexander Frolov – This speedy Russian has loads of skill. He’s played 510 National Hockey League games, and has recorded 362 points (161 goals, 201 assists) Fact is, Frolov has finishing ability and likes shooting the puck. He’s ranked as the third line left wing on the Kings depth chart, and is rumored to want to test free agency.

This could give the Blues a good chance at snagging up this still fairly young Russian. Maybe it could convince some of our other young Russian prospects (Andronov and Lemtyugov) that if you play up to par, Russian or not, you can play for the St. Louis Blues.

So looking at my list, if you can score or can play goalie well, you could be a good addition to this Blues franchise.

Oh, and before you comment asking about why Patrick Marleau isn’t on my top five wish list, that is because I fully suspect him to have a new deal signed with the Sharks before he even hits free agency.

Location: Philips Arena Atlanta, Georgia
Game-time: 6:00 pm Central
TV: FS-MW
Radio: KMOX 1120 AM

Previews:

ESPN Preview
Blues Official Website Preview
Thrashers Official Website Preview

Food For Thought

The Blues are coming off a 2-1 Shootout loss to the Flyers Saturday night and are looking to pick up two points for the first time since October 28th. Minus two games in Sweden, the Blues have been mired in a funk full of inconsistent effort and mental break downs. Since the Carolina game, the Blues have picked up the pace. Taking points in the last two games and having solid performances in 3 of their last 4 losses. The only problem now is that the pucks aren’t going in the net, despite an elevated work ethic.

Atlanta is a team without its Captain. The Blues know this feeling. However, the Blues didn’t lose a 45 goal, 90+ point scoring, top 10 player in the league. Ilya Kovalchuk is out and will not play. They are also with out the services of  goalie Kari Lehtonen. Starting in goal is Ondrej Pavelec. Considered one of the better goalie prospects in the league, he has in general struggled at the NHL level. A career 3.32 GAA and .898 Save% in 31 Games Played shows how he has struggled. You cannot deny talent, but Pavelec is still only 22 and has time to build a solid career still.  Playing against Pavelec would be a a great opportunity for the Blues. His GAA’s in the last three games are 4.00, 4.10, and 7.53.  In those three games he has let in 13 goals on 95 shots. Poor play by the goalie or poor play of the defense? Either way this should be recipe for Blues success.

With both teams coming off a game last night, its possible we see Ty Conkin and Johan Hedberg. In case you are wondering Hedberg is 4-2-0 with one shutout against the Blues for his career. I love historical stats like that, but it may not hold too much water in this case. His last game versus the Blues was in 2006. The Blues are a vastly different team now compared to almost 4 years ago.

While Atlanta has been sliding, their power play is still dangerous. Currently the power play is clicking at a 25.5% rate for 3rd best in the NHL. The Blues did a good job versus the best power play in the league Saturday (Flyers), let’s hope that continues. With the Blues latest surge in penalty killing proficiency they have worked back to an 82% kill rate, good enough for 11th in the NHL. The last few games have had a very interesting dynamic of  high level power plays versus the Blues penalty kill. The Blues have held the Flames and Flyers to a combined 1-for-11 on the power play. Can the Blues take down another highly rated power play? If they do, it should mean at least a point based in the last few games.

Player News

Carlo Colaiacovo was basically a health scratch last night. Officially, I believe he was listed as out with the flu. However, earlier this week Andy Strickland of Hockeybuzz.com reported that Colaiacovo should play today.

Andy McDonald and Barret Jackman are with the team on this trip and are expected to play today. What does that mean for Alex Pietrangelo and Lars Eller? I would assume Eller is heading back to Peoria and Pietrangelo will be scratched. That would leave the Blues with 22 players on the active roster. That seems to be the “easiest” move to make.

I have not heard if Chris Mason or Ty Conklin will start.

I will try to get an update in once Rutherford or Strickland put out some info on who is expected to play tonight. There will be some roster moves no doubt. I just hope it includes Eller not heading back to Peoria. I believe if the Blues wanted to file the paperwork, they can keep Eller on the roster as a traditional call up. Right now he was recalled under emergency conditions for the injured Andy McDonald. Given that Peoria is off till the 11th and the Blues play again on the 10th, I can see Eller staying up and then being sent back after the game against Vancouver. The Blues play Vancouver at home so it would be a short trio for Lars.

Will Blues fans riot when Eller is sent back to Peoria? I say yes if he keeps playing well.

Who to Watch For?

Rich Peverley

Since the Thrashers claimed Peverley off waivers from the Nashville Predators, he has been a very solid player. He has 2o goals and 52 points in 53 career games for the Thrashers. Many fans of the Western Conference team do not likely remember him from the few games he played in Nashville, but you will remember him after tonight.

Prediction

Blues 5 (Perron, Backes, Boyes x2, Johnson)

Thrasher 3 (Peverley, Kane, Little)