Classic Matchup – Blues @ Stars

The Blues head to Minnesota Dallas, to take on the North Stars in a key Western Conference matchup.

The Stars are sitting on a great record thus far (11-6-6), while the offense-starved Blues have been unable to get to a winning record at the quartermark of the season (8-9-4). Paul Kariya has gone 16 games without a goal, while David Backes is on a 14 game goal-less streak.

St.Louis has been getting consistently solid goaltending from Chris Mason and Ty Conklin – the Blues have simply been unable to get the goal support they need to win consistently. The Blues are actually unbeaten so far this season when they score three goals or more, and considering the anemic performances of Boyes, Kariya, Backes, Berglund and Oshie, it’s no surprise they’re nursing a losing record.

One of the most interesting story-lines surrounding this game is Steve Ott; the last time these two teams played, Ott was suspended for this knee-to-knee hit on B.J Crombeen.

Steve Ott knee-to-knee hit on Crombeen

The Stars went on to win this game, primarily because they allowed a pest like Ott to disrupt their game. The key for the Blues tonight is to focus on sustaining puck possession and applying offensive pressure consistently – not on the play of a single player.

The puck drops at 7PM – catch the game on Versus. The last time the Blues were on national TV, they dropped a huge, embarrassing loss to the Penguins. Hoping for a better outcome tonight.