Red Wings Welcome a Road-Weary Blues Club to the Joe
Arvidsson's hot hand meets a St. Louis team still searching for its first steady stretch away from home, with Gibson expected in goal.
Written before the game
Detroit has been building better chances than St. Louis lately, and that edge comes home Saturday. Over their last ten games, the Red Wings averaged 3.56 expected goals for (how many goals their chances were worth) per night, against 3.07 for the Blues. Both clubs won 5 of those ten games, so the results look alike, but Detroit's attack has been the busier one, also outpacing St. Louis in shot attempts.
The Blues' problem is the road. St. Louis is 2-4-0 away from home compared with 4-2-1 in its own barn, and arrives on a one-game win streak at 6-6-1, holding the West's third wild-card spot.
Detroit sits at 6-4-3 with 15 points, winners of two straight and 5-2-3 over its last ten, good for the East's sixth wild-card position. John Gibson is expected in goal for the Red Wings.
The Blues allow fewer chances than Detroit, so this may come down to whether Detroit's extra pressure can break through at home.
