Blues at Bruins
The last time David Backes was on the ice with the St. Louis Blues, he was leading the line for a congratulatory handshake following a loss to the San Jose Sharks in last season's Western Conference finals. Backes figures to be shaking plenty of hands, albeit on a less somber note, when he and the Boston Bruins host the Blues on Tuesday night.
Backes spent 10 seasons with St. Louis, serving as team captain for the past five seasons before signing a five-year contract to join Boston. "I'm just hoping I shoot at the right goalie," Backes told reporters of facing his former teammates. "It's an opportunity to play against a lot of good friends. I know probably everybody on that roster except one guy in a very close-knit way." The Blues rebounded from a three-game skid with a perfect homestand, outscoring their opponents 10-4 in the three wins. St. Louis is facing a tough back-to-back at Boston and Washington, particularly given its woeful 2-5-1 record on the road.
TV: 7 p.m. ET; NBC Sports Network, Sportsnet, FSN Midwest (St. Louis), NESN (Boston)
ABOUT THE BLUES (10-6-3): Forward Alexander Steen (upper body) will miss his third straight game and has not skated since Thursday, but the team said he is not dealing with a concussion. "He's better and better but we opted not to skate him today. We're not going to take him on the road trip and if he feels better he can join us," said coach Ken Hitchcock, who insisted he is "not worried" about the injury. Forward David Perron has scored in consecutive games and has a four-game point streak.
ABOUT THE BRUINS (11-7-0): Boston has won four of five overall and has posted three straight lopsided victories at home -- a huge sign for a team that went a meager 17-18-6 at TD Garden last season. Leading goal scorer scorer David Pastrnak is expected to miss his third straight game, but undrafted free agent Tim Schaller has scored twice in the past four contests. “He’s a good player," Bruins coach Claude Julien told reporters. "He plays hard, he grinds it out and he’s not afraid to go to the front of the net."
OVERTIME
1. Blues G Jake Allen, who has won three straight starts, is 2-1-0 with an 0.86 goals-against average versus Boston.
2. Bruins G Tuukka Rask has permitted five goals during his current 5-1-0 run.
3. Blues F Vladimir Tarasenko, who netted his team-best seventh goal Saturday, has scored three times in five games against Boston.