Blues at Red Wings
THE STORY: The last time the St. Louis Blues visited Detroit, they scored 10 goals. But goaltender Jimmy Howard is healthy these days, so it is hard to imagine anything like that happening when the Red Wings host the Blues on Tuesday. St. Louis has won three straight over Detroit, including a pair of one-goal victories at home this season. The Red Wings have won nine straight at home and are 13-2-1 in the Motor City this season. Howard (NHL-leading 21 wins) played Monday so there is no guarantee he will play Tuesday. He has played on back-to-back nights four times this season, though, and is 3-1-0 in the second game. The Blues will likely counter with Brian Elliott (14-3-0), who leads the league with a 1.55 goals against average. Both teams won Monday; Detroit concluded a 2-2-0 road trip with a 4-1 victory at Nashville, while St. Louis defeated Dallas 5-3 for its sixth straight win at home.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, Versus, TSN2, FS Detroit
ABOUT THE BLUES (21-10-4): Center T.J. Oshie is expected to miss his second straight game with a wrist injury. Oshie has 11 goals and shares the team lead in scoring with Alexander Steen at 23 points. The Blues are 7-7-3 on the road, including 4-2-1 in their last seven. The Blues are 3-3-0 this season in the second of back-to-back games. St. Louis has the NHL’s worst power play (11.8 percent), but was 2 for 2 on Monday. The Blues are 14-3-4 under Ken Hitchcock.
ABOUT THE RED WINGS (22-12-1): Detroit sits third in the highly competitive Central Division, one point behind St. Louis and five shy of Chicago. Valtteri Filppula went seven games without a goal before scoring twice Monday. Johan Franzen had an assist Monday for his 250th career point. Detroit’s penalty-killing unit was 5 for 5 on Monday and has killed 16 of its last 17 shorthanded situations. The Red Wings are 4-3-0 this season in the second of back-to-back games.
OVERTIME:
1. The over is 16-5 in the last 21 meetings, including 4-0 in the last four games in Detroit.
2. In a scheduling quirk, St. Louis also plays at Detroit on Saturday.