Road-Weary Blues Head Into Utah's Barn
Snuggerud and the Blues carry a fresh win west, where a banged-up Mammoth side tries to snap a two-game skid and hold a wild-card spot.
Written before the game
Two teams that give up nearly as much as they create meet in Salt Lake City, and the one that tightens up first probably takes the points.
Utah has been the busier team over its last 10 games, generating more chances than St. Louis, but it has also given almost all of them back. The Mammoth's chances have been worth 3.8 expected goals a night (expected goals measure how many goals a team's chances were worth), against 3.7 allowed. The Blues sit at a nearly identical break-even. Neither club has found a way to tilt games, which fits two teams carrying the same minus two goal difference.
The Blues have had trouble keeping the puck away from their own net, averaging 61.6 shot attempts against per game while managing 56 of their own. That's a worry for a team that is 3-6-1 on the road.
Utah is short-handed, with Dylan Guenther, Logan Cooley, Nick Schmaltz, John Marino and Nate Schmidt all out, though Kailer Yamamoto is back. Jimmy Snuggerud, the Blues' leading goal scorer, scored the winner last time out.
The standings stakes are real. Utah (21 points) holds the West's second wild card on a two-game losing streak; St. Louis (18 points) sits 11th and can close the gap with a win.
