Predators at Blues
THE STORY: The St. Louis Blues added experience to their forward core in what was a busy offseason. Whether those additions make the team better remains to be seen, but the Blues are cautiously optimistic their playoff drought will come to an end as they host the Nashville Predators on Saturday in their season opener. St. Louis has qualified for the postseason just once in the last six seasons, and finished out of the Stanley Cup picture by a full 10 points in 2010-11. The arrival of Jamie Langenbrunner and Jason Arnott should help augment a roster full of young players, even though the duo's best days are clearly behind them. Nashville comes into the night fresh off an impressive 3-2 win over Columbus in its series curtain-raiser Friday night. Pekka Rinne stopped 32 shots while Ryan Suter had a goal and an assist.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, FSTN, FSMW
ABOUT THE PREDATORS (1-0-0): Nashville boasted one of the league's top home records last season (24-9-8), but was somewhat underwhelming on the road (20-18-3). Friday's win was a step in the right direction, as the Predators executed the perfect game plan for a road contest - take the crowd out of the game by seizing the lead, then hold on for dear life. Nashville was blanked in its last two trips to St. Louis last season.
ABOUT THE BLUES: For all the attention the new guys are receiving, it's a player who arrived midway through last season that will be the focal point of a retooled offense. Chris Stewart came to St. Louis in a stunning trade with the Colorado Avalanche and made an immediate impact, scoring 15 goals in just 26 games with the club. He'll join forces with David Backes (31 goals) to provide a potent 1-2 punch up front.
OVERTIME:
1. St. Louis was one of only three teams to register 10 or more shutouts last season. Jaroslav Halak led the way with seven, and will be counted upon to be just as stingy this year.
2. Nashville won just two of six meetings with the Blues last season, and were shut out three times along the way.
PREDICTION: Blues 3, Predators 2 (SO). This should be a tightly-contested game, with what will be an electric St. Louis crowd ultimately making the difference.