Blues GameDay Preview: Return Home for Rematch Versus Red Wings

The St. Louis Blues return to Enterprise Center looking to get back on track after a difficult road trip. St. Louis has dropped three straight games and will look to turn things around against a Detroit Red Wings team it already faced earlier this season. With some important defensive changes and a familiar opponent coming to town, the Blues have plenty to play for Tuesday night.

Last Game: 3-1 Loss to Predators

The Blues opened the scoring but couldn’t keep up with Nashville in a 3-1 loss on Saturday night. Jimmy Snuggerud gave St. Louis a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal in the first period, finishing a passing sequence from Robert Thomas and Philip Broberg.

The Predators answered with a power-play goal from Steven Stamkos before Ross Colton put Nashville ahead in the second period. St. Louis couldn’t find an equalizer, and Nick Perbix sealed the victory with an empty-net goal late in the third. Joel Hofer stopped 26 shots in the loss as the Blues finished their road trip with a 1-2-1 record and extended their losing streak to three games.

Projected Lineup vs. Red Wings (Subject to Change)

Dylan Holloway — Robert Thomas — Jimmy Snuggerud
Connor McMichael — Mason McTavish — Aleksanteri Kaskimäki
Jake Neighbours — Dalibor Dvorsky — Pavel Buchnevich
Alexey Toropchenko — Pius Suter — Ross Johnston

Philip Broberg — Brandon Carlo
Colton Parayko — Justin Barron
Cam Fowler — Logan Mailloux

Joel Hofer
Jordan Binnington

Projected combinations are subject to change.

Injured: Tyler Tucker, Dillon Dube 

Blues’ Team Leaders

Broberg leads the Blues with 13 points and is tied for the team lead in assists with nine alongside Dylan Holloway and Thomas. Snuggerud leads St. Louis with nine goals.

Storyline No. 1: Mailloux Returns as Blues Shuffle Defensive Corps

The Blues made several changes to their defensive group Monday, highlighted by the activation of Logan Mailloux from injured reserve. Mailloux has been sidelined since suffering a right-hand injury in the preseason and is expected to make his season debut Tuesday night. The Blues also assigned Adam Jiricek and Theo Lindstein to the Springfield Thunderbirds and recalled veteran defenseman Calle Rosen.

Mailloux’s return should provide a boost to a defensive group that has dealt with several injuries throughout the opening weeks of the season. It will be interesting to see how head coach Jim Montgomery works him into the lineup and what kind of impact he can make after missing the first portion of the season.

Storyline No. 2: Looking to End the Losing Streak

Three consecutive losses have put the Blues in need of a response. St. Louis finished its four-game road trip with just one win and has struggled to put together a string of good performances on both ends of the ice.

Returning to Enterprise Center provides an opportunity to reset. The Blues need more offensive production and more consistent defense if they want to avoid extending their losing streak to four games.

Storyline No. 3: Another Meeting With Detroit

The Blues and Red Wings are meeting for the second time this season after an entertaining first matchup on Oct. 31. St. Louis erased a 4-2 third-period deficit to earn a 5-4 victory, getting goals from Dalibor Dvorsky, Jimmy Snuggerud, Pavel Buchnevich, Justin Barron and Aleksanteri Kaskimäki.

Detroit will certainly be looking for a different result this time around. The Blues will need another strong offensive performance, but their priority should be avoiding the defensive mistakes that allowed the Red Wings to build a two-goal lead in the first meeting.

How to Watch

Puck drop: 7 p.m. Central
Location: Enterprise Center, St. Louis
TV/Streaming: Blue Note+
Radio: 101 ESPN

The Blues have an opportunity to put their recent struggles behind them with a strong performance on home ice. With Mailloux potentially making his return and Detroit looking to avenge its earlier loss, St. Louis will need a complete effort to get back in the win column.