After a 1-2-1 home stand, the St. Louis Blues are hitting the road for the next five games. Each game will be against an Eastern Conference opponent. Their first stop on this road trip takes the Blues north of the border and will pit them against a team also struggling to find their footing in the new season, the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Blues vs. Maple Leafs Preview
The Blues and Maple Leafs are meeting for the first time this season. Last season, the Blues swept the season series with the Leafs, outscoring them 9-3. Furthermore, the Blues lead the all-time series, 106-96-25-2.
Time: 7:00 P.M. Eastern Time
TV: FanDuel Sports Midwest (Blues), Sportsnet (Maple Leafs)
Blues’ Recent Game
The Blues are 6-9-4 on the season with 16 points. They are on a two-game losing streak after losing both games over the weekend. Their most recent loss was to the Vegas Golden Knights, by a score of 4-1. The Blues were held to just 23 shots, at one point going 18:36 without a shot on goal. The team appeared discouraged as they fell further behind, something alternate captain Justin Faulk confirmed after the game.
“The life on the bench and within the group, to be honest there wasn’t a ton, and it kind of got drained after that (third goal). Ultimately, kind of played the game on autopilot, it seemed.”
Projected Lineup (Subject to Change)
Pavel Buchnevich – Robert Thomas – Jimmy Snuggerud
Dylan Holloway – Brayden Schenn – Jordan Kyrou
Pius Suter – Dalibor Dvorksy – Nick Bjugstad
Alexey Toropchenko – Oskar Sundqvist – Nathan Walker
Philip Broberg – Colton Parayko
Cam Fowler – Justin Faulk
Tyler Tucker – Matthew Kessel
Jordan Binnington
Team Leaders
Thomas leads the Blues with 12 points, although Snuggerud and Kyrou are right behind him with 11. Speaking of Kyrou, he is now tied with the injured Jake Neighbours for the team lead in goals with six. Thomas leads the Blues in assists with nine. When it comes to penalty minutes, Tucker continues to lead the team with 28 penalty minutes. Thomas, again on this list, leads with a plus-1 rating.
Robert Thomas, Jordan Kyrou, Justin Faulk and Jordan Binnington (The Hockey Writers)
In goal, Binnington continues to lead in wins, goals-against average (GAA), and save percentage (SV%). In 13 games, Binnington has four wins, a 3.34 GAA, and a .869 SV%.
Related: Blues’ Standouts of the Week: Binnington, Snuggerud, and Skinner
Maple Leafs’ Recent Game
The Maple Leafs are 8-9-2 on the season with 18 points. Their last game was on Saturday night, in which they lost to the Chicago Blackhawks, 3-2. The Leafs took a 2-1 lead into the third period. However, the Blackhawks rallied to win the game, with Colton Dach scoring a late goal that ultimately proved to be the game-winner. The loss extended the team’s losing streak to five games.
Projected Lineup (Subject to Change)
Nicholas Robertson – John Tavares – William Nylander
Matthew Knies – Max Domi – Easton Cowan
Matias Maccelli – Jacob Quillan – Bobby McMann
Dakota Joshua – Steven Lorentz – Calle Jarnkork
Morgan Reilly – Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Simon Benoit – Jake McCabe
Dakota Mermis – Troy Stetcher
Joseph Woll
Team Leaders
Nylander is the team leader in points with 26. Furthermore, he also leads the team in assists with 18. The team leader in goals is Tavares, who has scored 11. Benoit leads the team in penalty minutes with 17. Lastly, the Leafs’ leader in plus/minus is the injured Auston Matthews, who is a plus-9 on the season in 17 games.
In goal, Anthony Stolarz leads in wins with six. Woll, meanwhile, leads in the remaining major categories, although it is worth mentioning he has only played in one game. He has a 3.07 GAA and .906 SV%.
Blues’ Storyline
We are approaching December, and the point where we may have to accept that this struggling season so far is what the whole season will look like. However, there is still time to turn things around.
After a rough homestand, it may do the team some good to get away from the everyday routines of a home game. Road trips present opportunities for team bonding, as well as fewer distractions that allow for a greater focus on hockey. If the Blues are going to get back on track, now is the time.
To get back on track, the Blues need to put pucks to the net. They were unable to get shots on goal on Saturday. As a result, they need to prioritize getting pucks to the net and see if they can generate a scoring chance. They may get a dirty goal that comes from a player in front of the net scoring on a rebound. Perhaps a well-placed screen helps a shot from the point find its way through. The team has scored three goals or more in four of its last five games. They are capable of scoring goals. They need to create the chances.
Maple Leafs’ Storyline
Head coach Craig Berube is facing his former team for the third time and is still seeking his first win against them. Berube and the Maple Leafs are also seeking their first win since losing Matthews to an upper-body injury on Nov. 11.
Craig Berube, Head Coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
To overcome the loss of Matthews, the Maple Leafs need other players to step up their game. The sample size is small, only two games, but we have seen the offense step up without Matthews (three goals on Nov. 13), and we have seen them struggle to score (two goals on Nov. 15).
Related: NHL Rumors: Berube Hot Seat, Canucks Stuck, Thompson Trade, Kampf Market
The Maple Leafs are not short on talent, even without Matthews. Three players have recorded over 20 points this season. In fact, Matthews had not even reached 15 points at the time of his injury.
The team is under .500, and they are without their best player. Some may write them off, but this is an opportunity for other players to step up and lead the way.
