Last time these two teams faced off was on December 16th, and for Ottawa it ended in a special way. Recent call-up Cody Ceci, who is now with the club full time, scored his first NHL goal in overtime to give the Senators a 3-2 victory. Robin Lehner received the victory that night, and will be back in net tonight, as Craig Anderson played in a 2-1 loss to the Penguins last night. Jaroslav Halak will start in goal for the Blues.
Chris Stewart scored both Blues goals that game, but has not scored in his last 11 games. Speaking of droughts, Bobby Ryan has been cold lately, and the Senators could really use some scoring from him. He has been known as a Blues killer, with 26 points in 19 games against St Louis in his career. On the other end of the spectrum, Stephane Da Costa has been showing some finishing ability, scoring 3 goals in his last 3 games. For the Blues, captain David Backes has 5 points in his past five games, and Vladimir Tarasenko has 3 goals in his last 5 games.
The Blues enter the night with a record of 37-12-5, sitting third in the Western Conference. Ottawa is currently 3 points out of an Eastern Conference wild card spot, now 24-21-11. They will have to get hot if they want to avoid hitting the golf course early this year.
Lineups
