Penguins vs. Blues: Struggling Squads Square-Off
The Pittsburgh Penguins head to St. Louis to take on the Blues.
The Pittsburgh Penguins are looking to snap a four game losing streak as they travel for a battle against the St. Louis Blues. Both of these teams are recent Stanley Cup winners who are in the midst of retooling and reevaluating the state of their organizations. The Pens need a win to keep pace in the Eastern Conference wild card race, and the Blues are happy to play spoiler. Here's what to watch for in this weekend matinee matchup.
1. Sidney Crosby Performing While Team Isn't
The Penguins are struggling to play defense and preserve the lead, but their top line's ability to score remains uninhibited. Sidney Crosby is leading the charge offensively, with six assists and seven points in his last five games. Combine that with the seven points Rickard Rakell has in the past five games, and it's clear the first line is the lone bright spot on the troubled Penguins roster.
Crosby needs to bring more. While he's pitching in assists, it would be excellent to see the captain light the lamp himself against the Blues. A strong team performance is just what this team needs, and it starts and ends with their leader, Sid the Kid.
2. Blues Passing of the Torch
The Blues unloaded two of their most valuable pieces during their 2019 Stanley Cup run this season, as they traded Vladimir Tarasenko and Ryan O'Reilly within the past few weeks. While losing those two players is a huge blow, the Blues are still rife with young, offensive players. Two specific ones to keep an eye on are Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou.
Kyrou leads the Blues in scoring this season, with 25 goals and 54 points. Right behind him is Thomas, with 13 goals and 48 points on the year. The Penguins may no longer have to worry about Tarasenko or O'Reilly, but they will still have their hands full with the playmakers left in St. Louis.
3. Penguins Have Blueprint to Victory
While the Penguins winning feels like a foreign concept, the Pens have all they need to pick up the win in St. Louis. These two teams met previously in December, and the Penguins were relentless in a 6-2 victory.
The roster looks slightly different now, most notably with forward Kasperi Kapanen being waived prior to this game. Kapanen scored three goals in the Pens' win over the Blues in December.
Despite this, it was the impressive play of the second line that drove their victory. The Pens must follow this exact plan again if they want to pick up two points in St. Louis. Sidney Crosby is likely to matchup against Brayden Schenn, who can be an imposing defender. That will leave Evgeni Malkin and the second line with a much more favorable on-ice matchup. Hopefully the Penguins can take advantage and hand the Blues a second loss this season.
The Penguins and Blues face-off at 3:30 p.m. at Enterprise Center.
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