The defending Stanley Cup Champions will Start the season at home against the Washington Capitals on Wednesday night.
This matchup pits the 2017-18 champions against the latest champs. This was an unlikely run to the top for the Blues. They went using all the Stanley Cup hoisted over their heads on the peak of the hill from dead last in the league.
On January 3rd, the Blues were sitting in the league before going on a run for the ages. Even the Blues would win 11 straight matches from January 23rd to February 19th, giving some expectation in St. Louis they can achieve the playoffs. The win streak was a franchise record. They compiled a record of 12-1-1, which was a franchise record for the Blues.
From the conclusion of the season, the Blues had accumulated a list of 30-10-5 with 65 points as January 3rd. St. Louis was the first club since the 1996-97 Senators to hit the playoffs after sitting last after New Years Day. The best was yet to emerge, as the Blues won the Stanley Cup over the Boston Bruins in Game 7. How did this happen for the Blues?
The commencement of their monster conduct can be licensed to a change of goaltenders. A man the Blues felt comfy with enough to allow Brian Elliott walk, jake Allen was benched for rookie Jordan Binnington. This was the move of this year, as Binnington was the first rookie goaltender since Al Rollins with the Maple Leafs in 1950-51 to complete with a GAA of 1.89 or lesser. The run was actually upped by Binnington, although we must give credit to the group, for example, coaching staff.
The Capitals flamed out from the playoffs against the Carolina Hurricanes. The Hurricanes were also brewing a historic run but could not reach exactly what the Blues did. Although it would be foolish to discard them at 2019-2020, the core of washington isnt getting any younger. The team that won the Cup a couple of decades ago is still intact for the most part. With Alexander Ovechkin, the Caps are likely to be a hazardous threat. Head below for our complimentary Capitals vs. Blues pick to open the season Wednesday.
The Capitals will move in their first few matches of the regular season. Evgeny Kuznetsov is going to serving a three-game suspension as a consequence of failing a drug test. Fortunately its merely a three-game ban and it wont have consequences. The NHL was in a spot where they had to do some thing. There was video of him so there wasnt anything he could do to escape it.
The Capitals are still packed with gift offensively. Ovechkin, Backstrom, and Wilson give the Capitals a formidable punch on the upper line up front. Chandler Stephenson benefits the most from the Kuznetsov suspension. He has had a huge camp and is being rewarded for it having a place on the third line. Stephenson is a speedster and hes put on a lineup with a lot of speed. This line needs to be a sleeper to the Caps tonight.
Ovechkin, Oshie, Ellers, and Backstrom all are suiting up on Wednesday so despite no Kuznetsov, the Capitals ought to be fine . Ovechkin won his Rocket Richard Trophy as the goal getter season. He is getting old, but still notched 51 targets. Binnington will be in net for the Blues, though, hence the Caps face a tall order between the pipes. Having said that, this is his first full season as a starting goaltender in the NHL. Can we see that a sophomore slump of sorts after what he did a year ago?
Binnington ultimately finished the year with a 1.89 GAA and .927 save percentage in the regular season. That number jumped somewhat into a 2.46 GAA and also 0.914 save percentage at the playoffs. With a tiny sample size in his profession, I believe were still at a point where he has not found his equilibrium yet, although binnington was phenomenal. The way I see it, it is greater than a 2.00 GAA, and therefore dont be surprised to visit Binnington flirting with something around a 2.40 GAA by the conclusion of the season. That could be a fantastic season for him.
Holtby goes into. Hell look for one last big payday following this past year. His numbers dont indicate a team will be prepared to pay him money. Holtby completed with a 2.82 GAA and also 0.911 save percentage. He had been cold and hot . It had been previously his career averages of 2.47 and 0.918.
Along with Holtby, Backstrom is looking for a new contract next offseason. Expect both of these appearing to establish something straight from their gates night. The home is intended to celebrate for the Blues. But they have an opponent coming into St. Louis looking to demonstrate their time as a elite group isnt done. The oddsmakers arent currently giving the visitors much esteem.
This should be a great matchup and it turned out to be a move from the NHL to put them on the coming night. Anticipate the Blues to become just a bit too excited. Call it a hangover or anything you need, however I guess business and Ovechkin will put a damper on the celebration Wednesday night. In what ought to be a closer match than the odds suggest, the Caps would be the value that is greater here.
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