When the Pittsburgh Penguins and St. Louis Blues take the ice at Scottrade Center Saturday night the amount of attention given to the final score and individual performances is going to be higher than the average cross conference contest.
Not only do the two teams represent the upper echelon of their respective conference their top players will go head to head before joining forces on Team Canada as they push for Gold at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
Alex Pietrangelo and Jay Bouwmeester have become one of the most dominant pairing in the NHL since their union in April 2013. Under the guidance of Ken Hitchcock, a member of the Canadian coaching staff, and the watchful eye of Doug Armstrong, part of the management team, the slick skating puck movers are the leading candidates to eat the most minutes on the larger surface.
The man in the middle likely supporting them the most is NHL super star Sidney Crosby. The hero of the Gold Medal game in 2010 has continued his reign over the top player in the league title since he snapped the historic shot through Ryan Miller's legs. There's a good chance that one of his most consistent linemates will join him in Sochi. Chris Kunitz has been Crosby's wingman for several seasons and has built up an uncanny knack for working in sync with gifted center.
Knowing how Hitchcock and Pens head coach Dan Bylsma utilize their deadliest weapons they're destined to see a lot of each other.
The Candian contingent won't be the only analyzing personnel.
Bylsma has been named the head coach of Team USA and will get to see many potential members of his squad. Blues captain David Backes is a lock to represent his country again and could be used in a shutdown type role. Again, knowing deployment strategies, Backes will go head to head with Crosby. Backes' ability to contain the best player in the world in front of his eventual boss will go a long way in solidifying his role with the US club.
Fellow forward TJ Oshie and defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk currently reside on the bubble. Oshie's chemistry and history stands to work in his favor in a very similar way to Kunitz and Crosby. Shattenkirk came in to the season a favorite, but the play of rookie Seth Jones and re-emegernce of Erik Johnson clutters the right handed defenseman depth chart. This stands to be a make or break opportunity for the Boston University alum to earn a spot on Team USA.
The potential benefits coming out of this matchup for the US Olympics go beyond their own roster. Bylsma will get a first hand look at many players that will represent countries he'll have to go through. Leading goal scorer Alex Steen will be a fixture for Sweden and Patrik Berglund likely joins him. Shutdown types like Vladimir Sobotka and Roman Polak will play for the Czechs. Starting netminder Jaroslav Halak will be the go to guy in goal for Slovakia.
Olympic subplots be what they may, there is more to the matchup than that.
As Penguins forward, and St. Louis native, Joe Vitale told 101 ESPN Radio Friday, they see the game as a measuring stick. Both teams will be judged by how far they go in the playoffs, not their regular season record. From that perspective they could face each other again this summer. The Blues will need to contain the high end skill Pittsburgh possesses and the Pens will need their physical game and tenacity to match that brought by the top teams in the west like St. Louis.
No matter the reason for following the game, it's sure to be a good one.
Injury and Lineup News
The Blues will be without defenseman Jordan Leopold. He is day to day with a hand injury that could prove to be more serious. Hitchcock said more will be known on the severity next week. Ian Cole slides in to the lineup in Leopold's place seamlessly.
Forward Chris Porter will be inserted back in to the fourth line for the Blues. The coaching staff is looking for an extra bit of speed in the bottom six to keep up with what the Pens bring.
Both Mangus Paajarvi and Brenden Morrow remain out of the lineup with upper body injuries.
Pittsburgh is still dealing with the loss of winger James Neal. The one time 40 goal scorer was injured early in the first game of the season and hasn't played since. That said, he has returned to practice.
Defenseman Paul Martin is out.
The third wheel on the Crosby line, Pascal Dupuis, is probable after leaving the game early on Wednesday. Forward Beau Bennett makes his return after missing 11 games.
Blues Projected Lines & Pairings
Steen - Backes - Oshie
Roy - Sobotka - Stewart
Schwartz - Berglund - Tarasenko
Porter - Lapierre - Reaves
Bouwmeester - Pietrangelo
Jackman - Shattenkirk
Cole - Polak
Jaroslav Halak will start in goal.
Pens Projected Lines & Pairings
Kunitz - Crosby - Dupuis
Jokinen - Malkin - Bennett
Glass - Sutter - D'Agostini
Adams - Vitale - Megna
Orpik - Engelland
Niskanen - Letang
Maatta - Bortuzzo
Marc-Andre Fluery gets the start.
Quick Hits
-- Last time the two teams met was on January 24th, 2012. The Pens won 3-2 in the shootout. Brian Elliott made the start and stopped 37 of 29 shots faced. Patrik Berglund scored both Blues goals.
-- Matt D'Agostini returns to St. Louis for the first time as a member of another team. The speedy winger spent parts of four seasons with the Blues collecting 31 goals and 66 points in 153 games. He had a career year in 2010-11 where he scored 21 goals and registered 46 points in 82 games.
-- Yes, the third line center for the Pens is a member of the famous Sutter family. Brandon is the son of Brent. One of the few who didn't play for the Blues at some point. He came to the Pens in the blockbuster deal that sent Jordan Staal to the Carolina Hurricanes.
-- Both teams love to hold on the the puck and not let go. The Blues are 5th (54.2%) in Corsi For % at 5 on 5 close and the Pens are 6th (54.0%)
-- The loss of Martin is a big one for Pittsburgh as he is on the ice for 43% of even strength time. That means Kris Letang and Brooks Orpik, 40% and 38% respectively, will need to pick up some of the slack as will less favorable options like Matt Niskanen. There is an opportunity here for the Blues to exploit. Teams have had success against them by forcing their defense to play without the puck. Chipping the puck past them and forcing them to work to get it back will create all kinds of havoc.
-- In general when the Pens lose it's because they beat themselves. Three of their five losses have featured an 5 on 5 close save % below 90%. They've only given up more attempted shots and created in two of the three in the same split. Possession isn't as strong of an indicator for the Pens compared to the play of the goalie in tight situations. The Blues' 5 on 5 close shooting % is a healthy 8.7% and their save % is 4th best (94.3%).
Assuming the score is close and the game is predominately played at even strength the Blues are in good shape. Then again, the same thing could have been (and was) said before the lopsided loss to San Jose.
Pick the Goal Scorer
Get your guesses in now for the contest. Just add a comment with your pick for who will score the Blues' first goal. Win prizes and such later in the season.
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