Blues at Predators
Battered by injury throughout the first month of the season, the St. Louis Blues are expected to receive quite the reinforcement for Saturday's road game versus the Central Division-rival Nashville Predators. Defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk was activated from injured reserve on Friday after missing 10 games with a groin injury.
Shattenkirk's return is a welcome sign for the Blues, who are playing without the injured Paul Stastny (foot), Jaden Schwartz (ankle) and Patrik Berglund (shoulder). Alex Steen is quite healthy, however, and the 31-year-old tallied twice in St. Louis' 6-5 comeback victory over Chicago on Wednesday to match Vladimir Tarasenko with a team-high seven goals this season. Nashville returns home after posting a 2-1-1 mark on its road trip, highlighted by a 3-2 triumph over Minnesota on Thursday. Mike Fisher scored versus the Wild and had two goals and an assist in Nashville's 5-4 shootout loss to St. Louis on Jan. 29.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, FSN Midwest (St. Louis), FSN Tennessee (Nashville)
ABOUT THE BLUES (9-3-1): St. Louis was quite busy on Friday as it signed veteran forward Martin Havlat to a one-year, two-way deal. The 34-year-old had been with the Blues on a professional tryout and believes he has more in the tank after mustering just five goals and nine assists in 40 games with New Jersey last season. St. Louis was not done as it released veteran forward Dainius Zubrus from his professional tryout and reassigned Ty Rattie to Chicago of the American Hockey League.
ABOUT THE PREDATORS (8-2-2): Filip Forsberg collected four goals and as many assists to lift Nashville to three wins in its five-game season series with St. Louis in 2014-15. Barret Jackman has been on the other side of the rivalry throughout his career as the veteran defenseman spent 13 campaigns with St. Louis. "I've already gotten text messages from a bunch of them saying they're looking forward to it and we'll say hi, but I'll try and run them through the boards and play them tough," Jackman said on the team's website.
OVERTIME
1. Nashville G Pekka Rinne, who is expected to start on Saturday, is 4-0-1 with a 1.57 goals-against average at home this season.
2. Blues G Jake Allen has been confirmed to start and won his lone career decision versus the Predators.
3. St. Louis has yielded five power-play opportunities in each of its last three contests.