St. Louis, MO --It's the end of a three-game road trip for the Devils and they're hoping to finish it off on a high note. The game against the Blues will be the toughest test, the opponent on this current trip with the best record, St. Louis sitting at 26-13-5.
Hot Streaks
Several players are riding their hot hands heading into the game against St. Louis. Michael McLeod has four points in his last five games played (3g-1a), including the second two-goal game of his career on Tuesday night against Montreal. Jesper Boqvist takes a run of three goals and two assists from his last five games into tonight's matchup, which Nico Hischier has scored in two consecutive games.
Quick Stint
Before joining the New Jersey Devils this season, goaltender Jon Gillies played one game this season with the Blues. He played one game with the Blues, making 36 saves in a 3-2 overtime loss to Anaheim.
Since joining the Devils, Gillies has appeared in 10 games, including starting Tuesday night's victory against Montreal. He has a 2-6-1 record this season.
Different Kind of Challenge
The team has been lifted up on the heels of their road victory against Montreal, but this time it will be a different type of challenge when they take on the Blues. The St. Louis squad has a roster filled with pretty robust players, who are heavy in size and skill.
"We're facing a bigger, stronger group," head coach Lindy Ruff said after the morning skate. "Physically they're a big team, strong team. They've got some defensemen that have a lot of size to them, we're going to have to be quick inside the offensive zone to have great opportunities. Our puck battles are something that's going to be really imp]ortant because they're a heavy team on the puck."
Keeping It the Same
Mason Geertsen will play in a second consecutive game tonight, sticking on a line with Michael McLeod and Nathan Bastian. Geertsen is a player that has really impressed Lindy Ruff and the coaching staff when it comes to his dedication to continually get better and evolve into a better player.
"He's getting better and better," Ruff said, "You watch his skating, you watch the skating he had on the 2-on-1 (in Montreal), he pulled away from the Montreal players, and every day he practices, he uses it as an opportunity try to progress his career, to get better, to be a batter skater, not just be the physical force. He wants to be a player that can be played, that can be counted on. And if you look at his play away from the puck, it's as good as any player on our team."
Hate to Lose
The captain Nico Hischier was visibly upset with his team's performance in the Ottawa game, challenging his team to be better, which appeared to be the case against Montreal. For Hischier, it's not simply about being the captain of a team that was on a seven-game losing streak before Montreal, it was the fact that he is the ultimate competitor and it weighed on him as an athlete.
"I'm a super competitive guy, I just hate losing and to keep losing, and that's what frustrates me the most [...] Every athlete should hate that . Like, if not you shouldn't be an athlete if you don't hate losing. That's the main thing for me. I just don't like losing."
