DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills previews tonight’s game between the Red Wings and St. Louis Blues (7:30 PM EST on Bally Sports Detroit Plus/Bally Sports Midwest/97.1 FM):
“We got to get back to it,” [Lucas] Raymond said on Wednesday. “I think we had some good moments in some periods on the road trip. But overall, it was not good enough. We got to find ways to win games and stick with it, and I felt some of the games we had really good periods, then we fell off.”
Last week, Detroit was far from perfect on the road. The team went 0-3-1 and were outscored, 17-8. Overall, it was a tough stretch for a team that hardly had a moment to sit down, as the Red Wings played four games in less than a week.
“I think one of the most important things you have to do in the NHL is learn how to play when you’re tired, when you don’t have your legs and how to play smart,” Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said Wednesday. “I think that helps some of our young players, certainly a guy like [Moritz] Seider and a guy like Raymond who are both smart players so they can help manage it.”
On Wednesday, the Red Wings look to reverse their fortunes and secure two points against the St. Louis Blues (10-6-2). The game marks the 287th meeting between these two teams and the first since Oct. 27, 2019. Puck drop from Little Caesars Arena is set for 7:30 p.m., with broadcast coverage on Bally Sports Detroit Plus and the Red Wings Radio Network.
Although the Blues enter Wednesday’s matchup in a second-place tie in the Western Conference’s Central Division, the team has recently struggled with consistency. On Monday, the Blues defeated the Vegas Golden Knights, 5-2. The game before, St. Louis fell to the Dallas Stars, 4-1, a follow-up to a 4-1 win over the San Jose Sharks. Prior to that victory, the Blues fell, 3-2, to the Arizona Coyotes.
Under coach Craig Berube, the Blues rank fourth in the Western Conference, averaging 3.3 goals per game. On offense, St. Louis center Jordan Kyrou leads the team with 18 points, on eight goals and 10 assists. Winger Brandon Saad has seven goals over the last 10 games. In goal, Jordan Binnington has been a steady presence for the Blues, and holds a 7-5-0 record across 14 games with a .914 save percentage.
The Blues have won two consecutive meetings against the Red Wings and five of the last six matchups.
