The St. Louis Blues kept things rolling on Thursday night at the Enterprise Center, defeating the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-2. The Blues got off to a slow start, trailing 2-0 in the second period before Pavel Buchnevich and Robert Bortuzzo each scored a goal in under 30 seconds to tie it up. High McGing and Niko Mikkola both tallied goals as well in securing the victory.
The Blues are now 4-0 in the preseason and will be taking on the Dallas Stars (1-2) at the Cable Dahmer Arena in Independence, MO tonight at 7:00 PM. This will mark the second and final neutral site game for the Blues.
St. Louis Blues Anticipated Lineup
Forwards
- Pavel Buchnevich – Robert Thomas – Vladimir Tarasenko
- Brandon Saad – Ivan Barbashev – Josh Leivo
- Will Bitten – Logan Brown – Zachary Bolduc
- Matthew Highmore – Nikita Alexandrov – Anthony Angello
Defense
- Nick Leddy – Colton Parayko
- Calle Rosen – Matt Kessel
- Tyler Tucker – Robert Bortuzzo
Related: 3 Takeaways From Blues’ 4-2 Win Over the Blue Jackets – 9/29/22
Goalies
- Joel Hofer – Vadim Zherenko
Dallas Stars Anticipated Lineup
Forwards
- Riley Damiani, Riley Tufte, Joel Kiviranta, Mason Marchment, Oskar Back, Jacob Peterson, Fredrik Olofsson, Marian Studenic, Mavrik Borque, Fredrik Karlstrom, Wyatt Johnston, Logan Stankoven
Defense
- Colin Miller, Alexander Petrovic, Will Butcher, Joel Hanley, Ryan Shea, Thomas Harley, Michael Karow
Goalies
- Jake Oettinger, Remi Poirier
Quick Look at the Stars
The Stars are off to a 1-2 start. It’s only the preseason, so wins and losses right now only count for so much and in the end, don’t matter. But what does matter is that they are still missing their best player in 23-year-old forward Jason Robertson. A restricted free agent (RFA), he and the Stars organization are in a stand-off in negotiating a contract extension for the young superstar (2021-22: 41 goals, 38 assists in 74 games). According to sources, there is nothing new to report in terms of the talks advancing. A bridge deal could be in the works, but seeing other young stars like Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou get paid this offseason, it seems like Robertson is willing to wait this out until he gets what he deems is fair.
Robertson aside, the Stars still have the much-maligned (in St. Louis, anyway) Jamie Benn to go along with Roope Hintz and veterans Tyler Seguin, and Joe Pavelski. Defensively, John Klingberg is no longer with the team – that unit is now headlined by Miro Heiskanen. Like Robertson, he’s a 23-year-old star at his position and a piece they will be building around moving forward.
Players to Watch
St. Louis Blues: Matt Kessel
With the severity of Scott Perunovich’s upper-body injury still unknown, and with Niko Mikkola in line to start on the third pairing alongside Robert Bortuzzo, for now, the Blues’ seventh defenseman spot is up for grabs. One name to watch is the right-handed Matt Kessel. Only 22 years old, he’s been impressive in camp and in the preseason for the Blues. With there being an open spot on the roster, he’ll battle veteran defenders Calle Rosen and Steven Santini for a position on the bench.
Dallas Stars: Logan Stankoven
Logan Stankoven, the Stars’ second-round pick in 2021, is an undersized forward (5-foot-7) that was the Western Hockey League (WHL) Player of the Year last season for the Kamloops Blazers scoring 104 points (45 goals, 59 assists) in just 59 regular season games. He followed that up by scoring 31 points (17 goals, 14 assists) in 17 playoff games. He has been impressive in camp and the preseason so far, putting himself potentially in the mix to get a nine-game trial once the regular season begins.
Where You Can Catch the Game
Dallas Stars @ St. Louis Blues – 7:00 PM
Similar to what the Blues did last season, they’ll be playing a game at the Cable Dahmer Arena in Independence, MO – home of the Kansas City Mavericks of the ECHL. Unfortunately, this game will not be on television or any streaming services. To catch the action live, you can still purchase tickets or listen to the broadcast team on 101 ESPN.