Blues GameDay Preview: Looking for First Home Win Against Blue Jackets

The St. Louis Blues had their home opener spoiled by the San Jose Sharks, falling 3-2 in overtime for their second straight loss. They will look to bounce back against the Columbus Blue Jackets and earn their first home win of the season in front of their fans.

Blues Storylines

Colton Parayko made franchise history Thursday against the Sharks, playing in his 804th game with the Blues to pass Barret Jackman (803) for the most games played by a defenseman in franchise history. He now ranks second in overall games played for St. Louis, trailing Bernie Federko, who holds the franchise record with 927 games.

The 32-year-old defenseman has spent his entire NHL career in St. Louis since making his debut in 2015. Parayko was also a key part of the Blues’ 2019 Stanley Cup championship team and continues to play an important role on the blue line.

The Blues could be dealing with another injury after Dillon Dube took a hard hit into the boards from Sharks forward Will Smith. Dube is listed as day-to-day and did not participate in Friday morning’s practice, leaving his availability for the matchup against the Blue Jackets uncertain.

Dube’s status is worth monitoring as the Blues begin to deal with a growing list of injuries. If he is unable to play, St. Louis could need another forward to step into the lineup and help fill the void. With the season still in its early stages, the Blues will hope Dube’s absence is short-lived.

Connor McMichael, Mason McTavish and Jonatan Berggren have given the Blues a much-needed offensive spark early in the season. McMichael and McTavish have already shown they can produce together, with McTavish scoring in the season opener against the Dallas Stars and the pair connecting for goals against the Chicago Blackhawks and the Sharks. Berggren adds another offensive option to the mix, making this a line worth watching against Columbus.

Meanwhile, the Blues’ top line of Dylan Holloway, Robert Thomas and Jimmy Snuggerud has struggled to find its rhythm. Although Snuggerud recorded two points in the season opener against Dallas, the trio has yet to establish consistent production through the team’s first few games. The Blues need their top line to start generating more offense and take some pressure off the rest of the forward group.

If McMichael, McTavish and Berggren can keep producing while the top line finds its game, St. Louis will have a better chance of getting back in the win column.

The Blues’ penalty kill has been a bright spot early in the season, successfully killing 13 of 14 penalties. However, their power play has struggled, converting just one of 10 opportunities. St. Louis will look to maintain its strong penalty killing while finding a way to generate more offense with the man advantage against Columbus.

Team Stats

St. Louis Blues:
Season Record: 1-2-1

Columbus Blue Jackets
Season Record: 2-1-0

Projected Lineup

(Subject to change before puck drop)

St. Louis Blues

Dylan Holloway — Robert Thomas — Jimmy Snuggerud
Connor McMichael — Mason McTavish — Jonatan Berggren
Jake Neighbours — Dalibor Dvorsky — Pavel Buchnevich
Ross Johnston — Pius Suter — Zach Dean

Philip Broberg — Adam Jiricek
Justin Barron — Colton Parayko
Cam Fowler — Brandon Carlo

Joel Hofer
Jordan Binnington

Scratched: Theo Lindstein

Injured: Logan Mailloux, Tyler Tucker, Alexey Tropchenko, Dillon Dube

Columbus Blue Jackets

Matthew Knies — Adam Fantilli — Kent Johnson
Valeri Nichushkin — Sean Monahan — Dmitri Voronkov
Cole Sillinger — Charlie Coyle — Mathieu Oliver
Ryan Lomberg — Danton Heinen — Conor Garland

Zach Werenski — Damon Severson
Carson Soucy  — Denton Mateychuk
Emil Andrae — Erik Gudbranson

Cam Talbot
Jet Greaves 

Scratched: Luca Del Bel Belluz, Jake Christiansen

Injured: Isac Lundestrom, Ivan Provorov, Dante Fabbro

Next Up for the Blues

The Blues hit the road once again for a long trip to Ottawa to play the Senators on Oct. 13.