This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
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I really thought this year would be the year for the St. Louis Blues. They own one of the best goal differentials in the league, Kevin Shattenkirk and Alex Pietrangelo may be the best 1-2 punch on defense (sorry, Calgary fans), the STL line has set the league on fire and they've got excellent veteran depth with David Backes, Alex Steen and Paul Stastny. In the past three years they've been unfortunately matched up against some tough competition in the playoffs, being ousted by the Kings twice and the Blackhawks once.
After an emphatic defeat of the Kings on Tuesday, thanks to a four-goal outburst in the third period, it looked like Chicago may be the only opponent who could derail the Blues' chances. Then Thursday night happened. After building a 3-0 lead in the first period, the Blues collapsed, once again overpowered by the Kings' will and eventually losing 6-4, no thanks to Anze Kopitar's brilliant five-point performance.
Granted, the Blues did start Martin Brodeur, one of the weaker starting goalies in the league and clearly a shell of his former Hall of Famer self, but such complete breakdowns have now undeniably become a part of the Blues' identity. Case in point, despite having home ice advantage AND a 2-0 series lead in the past two playoffs, the Blues managed to lose four straight games and make early exits in the quarterfinals. For a team that plays such an aggressive and physical style under a taskmaster like Ken Hitchcock, why the Blues continue to fall flat remains quite a mystery.
In Thursday night's defeat, the Kings again showed why they shouldn't be taken at a discount despite having trouble scoring all season and sitting six points behind the Blues and 11 points behind the Pacific Division-leading Ducks. For whatever reason, the Blues just don't have the ability to close out games.
When Marian Gaborik scored his second of the night on the power play thanks to a Maxim Lapierre penalty, Hitchcock looked incredulous on the bench, his arms folded and neck scrunched, as if he was bracing for a hit that he knew was coming. Jori Lehtera gave the Blues the lead again less than a minute later off a backhand, which drew a scowl from Darryl Sutter, but whatever Sutter said during the intermission clearly worked because Jeff Carter scored the go-ahead goal 20 seconds into the third period off a brilliant two-on-one pass from Kopitar with Brodeur sliding across the crease, who barely flinched when Carter wristed it. That was it for the Blues, who surrendered another two goals and had their five-game winning streak snapped.
Not much has changed over the past few years. There will be a few teams that have an outside shot at claiming the Stanley Cup, but it's clear that when the going gets tough, the Kings and Blackhawks remain the toast of the Western Conference.
Looking towards tonight's action:
- The Devils have just won two of their past ten games and face an uphill battle against the Lightning. A win may save Peter DeBoer's job just a little longer, but given the internal strife in New Jersey he may not last long either way.
- Dave Cameron is 2-1-1 in four games behind the bench, but like the Devils, face a really strong opponent in Anaheim. The Ducks are ending a five-game road trip but haven't lost to the Sens since the 2005-06 season. Curtis Lazar will not be available as he joins Team Canada for an exhibition game against Russia, which will undoubtedly be the most talked about game on Friday north of the border.
- The Islanders and Red Wings will have an interesting battle as the two second-place teams in the Metro and Atlantic Divisions, respectively, chase their division leaders. The Wings are slumping while the Islanders get Travis Hamonic and Johnny Boychuk back, which will make scoring that much tougher. The Wings have scored just four goals in their past four games.
- Can you believe the Bruins have fewer points than the Panthers? While Winnipeg struggles to stay in playoff contention with their top four defensemen injured (Byfuglien's been playing forward for most of the year), Boston is coming off a 3-2 win against the Wild. The Bruins don't have as much depth as in previous years, but David Krejci has returned after a month-long absence. Personally, I'm hoping for a Milan Lucic and Dustin Byfuglien to have an epic throwdown.
- Calgary is quickly falling out of the playoff race with a six-game losing streak, though it didn't stop the team from extending Bob Hartley. The Stars are coming off a 2-0 win against Vancouver in their road trip and have a lot of momentum coming in with Kari Lehtonen catching fire. The Stars' playoff chances remain slim, but a win will push them past the 30-point mark and three points of Minnesota.
Projected Goalie Starters (all times Eastern)
For updates on the projected goalies later in the day, check our Projected Goalies Grid
Tampa Bay Lightning (Andrei Vasilevskiy) at New Jersey Devils (Cory Schneider), 7:00 PM
Anaheim Ducks (Ilya Bryzgalov) at Ottawa Senators (Craig Anderson*), 7:30 PM
New York Islanders (Jaroslav Halak) at Detroit Red Wings (Jimmy Howard*), 7:30 PM
Boston Bruins (Tuukka Rask) at Winnipeg Jets (Ondrej Pavelec), 8:00 PM
Dallas Stars (Kari Lehtonen*) at Calgary Flames (Jonas Hiller), 9:00 PM
Injury News For Teams Playing Friday
Tampa Bay Lightning
Ben Bishop, G (lower body) – doubtful to play this weekend.
Tyler Johnson, C (flu) – game-time decision; questionable.
Ondrej Palat, LW (lower body) – game-time decision; questionable.
New Jersey Devils
Damon Severson, D (ankle) – no return date set.
Adam Larsson, D (mumps) – assigned to AHL on conditioning stint.
Jacob Josefson, C (groin) – did not practice Thursday; questionable.
Dainius Zubrus, RW (leg) – no return date set.
Bryce Salvador, D (lower body) – no timetable for return.
Michael Cammalleri, LW (lower body) – no timetable for return.
Ryane Clowe, LW (concussion) – no timetable for return.
Anaheim Ducks
Sheldon Souray, D (wrist) – out for the season.
Francois Beauchemin, D (finger) – did not play Thursday; doubtful.
Corey Perry, RW (knee) – no return date set.
Kyle Palmieri, RW (shoulder) – out 1-2 weeks.
Stefan Noesen, RW (Achilles) – skating but no return date set.
Ottawa Senators
Marc Methot, D (back) – out indefinitely.
Patrick Wiercioch, D (undisclosed) – did not play Wednesday; questionable.
Zack Smith, C (wrist) – no timetable for return.
Chris Neil, RW (knee) – week-to-week; will not play.
New York Islanders
Matt Carkner, D (back) – out for the season.
Michael Grabner, RW (lower body) – no timetable for return.
Detroit Red Wings
Jonas Gustavsson, G (shoulder) – no return date set.
Stephen Weiss, C (shoulder) – aiming for Sunday return.
Boston Bruins
Simon Gagne, LW (personal) – no return date set.
Adam McQuaid, D (thumb) – no return date set.
Winnipeg Jets
Toby Enstrom, D (lower body) – out until January.
Zach Bogosian, D (lower body) – out until mid-January.
Jacob Trouba, D (wrist) – out until February.
Mark Stuart, D (lower body) – out until February.
Dallas Stars
Patrick Eaves, RW (ankle) – out 4-8 weeks.
Patrik Nemeth, D (arm) – out for the season.
Ryan Garbutt, RW (suspension) – will not play.
Valeri Nichushkin, LW (hip surgery) – no timetable for return.
Rich Peverley, C (chest) – no timetable for return.
Calgary Flames
Mikael Backlund, C (abdominal) – no timetable for return.
Sam Bennett, LW (shoulder) – will resume skating in January.
Ladislav Smid, D (upper body) – no return date set.
Karri Ramo, G (illness) – did not practice Thursday; questionable.
Hot
Mark Scheifele, C, Winnipeg – It's been a pretty productive week for the former seventh overall pick. Over the past three games Scheifele has two three-point games, including a two-goal effort against Buffalo on Tuesday that also included two penalty minutes and five shots on goal. He's playing a much bigger role in his second full season as a pro and taking some pressure off Bryan Little, who leads the team with 12 goals.
Alex Steen, C, St. Louis – With another assist Thursday night, Steen now has five points in his past four games and a whopping 20 shots on net. Nobody thought Steen would be able to repeat his nearly point-per-game pace last year, but 21 points in 30 games isn't a bad total either. The 30-year-old's offensive game has come alive over the past year or so, though he's always been a reliable player. He's the team leader in scoring among forwards not on the dangerous STL line.
Cold
Henrik Sedin, C, and Daniel Sedin, LW, Vancouver – The Canucks are mired in a five-game losing streak, the longest of their season, and it's no coincidence that the twins aren't producing. They're no longer point-per-game players and their MVP days are well past them, but Henrik has just two assists in his past five games while Daniel has just a goal and an assist. The Canucks are snake bit and the Sedins should snap out of it soon, but it's clear they're 60-point players now. Henrik has also been below average in the circle, which hurts their possession game.
Pavel Datsyuk, C, Detroit – The Magic Man doesn't have to score goals to impact games, but the Red Wings, also mired in a losing streak of their own, could use a little scoring right now. In Detroit's four straight losses Datsyuk has scored just one assist and the Wings have scored just four goals in their past four games. Still, it's quite amazing that the 36-year-old is still scoring at a point-per-game pace.
Recommended Pickup
Alex Galchenyuk, C, Montreal – Galchenyuk scored a hat trick in his first real audition on the Habs' first line, playing with Brendan Gallagher and Max Pacioretty. He's a short-term play if he really gets on a hot streak, but with his continued improvement in the faceoff dot he's worth a long-term stash in keeper leagues. Pacioretty left Thursday's game and did not return, so Galchenyuk's value dips a little, but if he can cement himself as a center rather than a left wing it gives the Habs considerable depth and a chance for him to face weaker defensive pairings.
