About the Blues - 10-23-10
A preview of the Blues.
When and where: 8 p.m., EDT, Scottrade Center.
TV: FSN Pittsburgh, FSN Midwest.
Record: 3-1-2, 8 points. The Blues are in sixth place in the Western Conference and fourth place in the Central Division.
Leading Scorer: T.J. Oshie (right), 7 points (1 goal, 6 assists).
Last Game: 4-2 home win against the Blackhawks, last night. David Perron had two goals for the Blues.
Last Game against the Penguins: 5-1 road loss, Oct. 20, 2009. Matt Cooke had a goal and an assist for the Penguins.
Blues Player We Would Bet Money On Scoring: Oshie. He has a five-game scoring streak.
Ex-Penguins on the Blues: Ty Conklin, G; Ville Siren, amateur scout.
Ex-Blues on the Penguins: Brent Johnson, G; Todd Reirden, assistant coach.
Useless Blues Trivia Vaguely Related to the Penguins: The first successful penalty shot for the Penguins and against the Blues in their respective histories was by former Penguins forward George Konik. He beat St. Louis goaltender Glenn Hall in a 9-4 home win for the Blues, Jan. 31, 1968.
Best Blues Video We Could Find: Oshie might be the most exciting player in the NHL you don't know anything about:
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Probable goaltenders: Neither team has officially named a starter as of yet, but most signs point towards Brent Johnson (4-0-0, 1.49 GAA, .950 SV%) for the Penguins and Ty Conklin (0-0-1, 1.85 GAA, .920 SV%) for the Blues.
Injuries: For the Penguins, defenseman Brooks Orpik (groin) is day to day. Defenseman Zbynek Michalek (shoulder) is out. Center Jordan Staal (foot), right winger Arron Asham ("upper body") and defenseman Alex Grant (wrist) are on injured reserve. For the Blues, right winger Cam Janssen (head) and defenseman Nikita Nikitin (wrist) are on injured reserve.
Potential lines and defensive pairings:
-The Penguins did not practice with a full crew yesterday. Their primary lines and defensive pairings against the Predators Thursday were:
Chris Kunitz - Sidney Crosby - Pascal Dupuis
Mike Comrie -Mark Letestu - Evgeni Malkin
Matt Cooke -Maxime Talbot - Tyler Kennedy
Eric Tangradi - Craig Adams - Mike Rupp
Paul Martin - Kris Letang
Alex Goligoski - Ben Lovejoy
Andrew Hutchinson - Deryk Engelland
-The Blues' lines and defensive pairings in last night's game against the Blackhawks were:
David Perron - David Backes - T.J. Oshie
Andy McDonald - Patrik Berglund - Brad Boyes
Alexander Steen - Jay McClement - Matt D'Agostini
Brad Winchester - Vladimir Sobotka - B.J. Crombeen
Eric Brewer - Roman Polak
Barrett Jackman - Alex Pietrangelo
Carlo Colaiacovo - Erik Johnson
Notes:
-Crosby, Goligoski and Letang were excused from practice (PG+).
-Orpik is expected to return to the line up tonight.
-Brent Johnson is breaking in some new all-black pads (PG+).
-Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury has 149 career wins.
-Dan Bylsma and Blues coach Davis Payne are BFFs.
-The Blues have to face the last two Stanley Cup champions on back-to-back nights.
(Photos: Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)