Leafs @ Blues - Feb. 2nd, 9:00pm - TSN4, Fan 590

[CarltonTheBear]

@

23-16-9, 55 points | 24-21-5, 53 points

Projected Lines

Hyman-Matthews-Nylander JVR-Kadri-Marner Komarov-Bozak-Brown Martin-Gauthier-Soshnikov Gardiner-Carrick Marincin-Zaitsev Hunwick-Polak Andersen ​

Steen-Stastny-Perron Schwartz-Lehtera-Tarasenko Fabbri-Berglund-Reaves Upshall-Barbashev-Yakupov Edmundson-Pietrangelo Gunnarsson-Shattenkirk Bouwmeester-Parayko Allen​

Scratches

Josh Leivo Frank Corrado Morgan Rielly ​

Dmitrij Jaskin Robert Bortuzzo ​

Game Notes

TOR
?Andersen (21-10-8, 2.61 GAA, .919 Sv%) will likely start for the Leafs
?Babcock juggled the top-9 forward lines at practice on Wednesday, swapping Kadri and Bozak while putting Nylander back up with Matthews. It's not confirmed if they'll stay like that for the game or revert back to the standard setup
?Rielly continued to practice with the team Wednesday, although this time he skated with Corrado instead of in the top-6. He's very much in a day-to-day situation at this moment

STL
?Jake Allen (17-13-3, 2.87 GAA, .895 Sv%) will likely start for the Blues
?Allen has struggled mightily this season, and has been a primary cause for their struggles. Last year St. Louis had the highest all-situations Sv% in the league. This season they are dead last.
?The Blues relieved Ken Hitchcock of his duties on Wednesday and promoted head coach-in-waiting Mike Yeo
?St. Louis currently still sits in a playoff spot but they had 4 teams within a point of them for the final wild card spot in the West EDIT: A Calgary win last night actually bumped the Blues out of that final wildcard spot

Injuries

?Nathan Horton - Back - Out indefinitely ?Joffrey Lupul - ?\_(ツ)_/? - Out indefinitely ?Stephane Robidas - Old - Out indefinitely ?Ben Smith - Hand - Injured Reserve ?Morgan Rielly - Ankle - Day to day​

?Kyle Brodziak - Foot - Injured Reserve​

Stream Options

https://www.reddit.com/r/NHLstreams
​

 

[Coco-puffs]

Game starts at 9pm Eastern Time.  Technically you are correct that it starts at 8pm... St. Louis local time

 

[Kin]

8pm local is kind of a weird start time, isn't it?

 

[herman]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/blues-gm-says-team-has-become-collection-of-independent-contractors/article33873548/?cmpid=rss1

St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong made a fascinating point about why his team is flailing away in the NHL?s Central Division this season. According to Armstrong, the Blues have lost all sense of team identity and have morphed into a collection of ?independent contractors.?

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Game starts at 9pm Eastern Time.  Technically you are correct that it starts at 8pm... St. Louis local time

Weird, the broadcast schedule from the beginning of the season says 8pm. Thanks, I'll change it.

 

[Kin]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/blues-gm-says-team-has-become-collection-of-independent-contractors/article33873548/?cmpid=rss1

St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong made a fascinating point about why his team is flailing away in the NHL?s Central Division this season. According to Armstrong, the Blues have lost all sense of team identity and have morphed into a collection of ?independent contractors.?

That sort of sounds like something any person could say about any losing team. Without real examples of what guys are doing differently it just reads like a way for an executive to shift blame onto players.

 

[Arn]

The bounceback from the Leafs worst game vs the bounceback game of the Blues new coach. Which will prevail?

 

[CarltonTheBear]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/blues-gm-says-team-has-become-collection-of-independent-contractors/article33873548/?cmpid=rss1

St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong made a fascinating point about why his team is flailing away in the NHL?s Central Division this season. According to Armstrong, the Blues have lost all sense of team identity and have morphed into a collection of ?independent contractors.?

Buzz words are fun. But this team has a top-10 powerplay, a top-10 shooting percentage at even-strength, continues to allow a very limited amount of shots against (3rd best SA60, 1st in CA60), has the 5th best CF% in the league, and are scoring more goals per game than they were last year when they finished 3rd overall in the league in points. This SHOULD be a very, very good team. Their goaltending has just imploded. That's all.

 

[bustaheims]

This SHOULD be a very, very good team. Their goaltending has just imploded. That's all.

Which falls on management for not bringing in an adequate backup goalie for their young, not super experienced starter. A calming, veteran presence who can step in and stabilize things when necessary could have gone a long way for this team.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

For some added perspective, a list of the worst team single season save %s since 2007 via @DimFilipovic:

The Blues this season are only a TAD higher than the Leafs worst year on that list (the Toskala/Joseph/Gerber season).

 

[herman]

Yeah, I know St. Louis is good, but hamstrung by a PDO drop due to save percentage. Hitchcock did not deserve to be fired, and the team does not deserve to be thrown under the bus by Armstrong in public like that.

Why are they not doing a Shattenkirk for Fleury thing?

 

[ZBBM]

Yeah, I know St. Louis is good, but hamstrung by a PDO drop due to save percentage. Hitchcock did not deserve to be fired, and the team does not deserve to be thrown under the bus by Armstrong in public like that.

Why are they not doing a Shattenkirk for Fleury thing?

Because they're trading him to us for McB, Sparks, and Bibeau duh. Why buy a sandwich when you can get a smorgasbord?

 

[herman]

Because they're trading him to us for McB, Sparks, and Bibeau duh. Why buy a sandwich when you can get a smorgasbord?

Because Shat for Flower makes a better metaphor/headline.

 

[Zee]

Is it confirmed Rielly is out again?

 

[ZBBM]

Because they're trading him to us for McB, Sparks, and Bibeau duh. Why buy a sandwich when you can get a smorgasbord?

Because Shat for Flower makes a better metaphor/headline.

Did I make a metaphor?

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Why are they not doing a Shattenkirk for Fleury thing?

And then lose Allen in the expansion draft? He's having a godawful year sure but I wouldn't give up on him like that.

 

[herman]

Why are they not doing a Shattenkirk for Fleury thing?

And then lose Allen in the expansion draft? He's having a godawful year sure but I wouldn't give up on him like that.

Hmm, good point. I completely forgot about that aspect for them.
I'd toy with getting Fleury anyway, and then letting Vegas take him; auto-protection for the team you built (other than Shattenkirk, who was walking anyway, or can be resigned as UFA post rental), but there's probably more to the valuation for both teams that I don't know enough to get into.

Friedman:

6. Final note on St. Louis: A few executives were surprised the Blues did not ?invent? an injury to Jake Allen rather than say he needed time off in the last couple of weeks to repair his confidence. I?m not in the business of ripping people for honesty. But a couple guys admitted they would have lied: ?Harder to rebuild his confidence when you?re telling everyone he has to sit out because he?s lost it.?

No available stop gaps, and you don't want to ruin him further (even though he'll probably bounce back next season)...

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Is it confirmed Rielly is out again?

He's a game time decision. Sounds like Ben Smith might be making his long-awaited return as well.

 

[Deebo]

Is it confirmed Rielly is out again?

He's a game time decision. Sounds like Ben Smith might be making his long-awaited return as well.

Gauthier back to the AHL per Johnston.

 

[herman]

https://twitter.com/JeffVeillette/status/809808408027271168
www.twitter.com/JeffVeillette/status/809808408027271168

So surprised that St. Louis hasn't just forfeited outright upon hearing this news.