Blues At Canucks Morning Open Thread: Welcome Back, NHL.

It's cruel, isn't it? We've been waiting more than two weeks for the Blues to start playing again, and the first game that they have back is in Vancouver. This 9:30 Central start time means a late night for us after many Olympic mornings of waking up too damn early.

The Blues are currently atop the Central Division with 84 points. The Canucks, however - well, let's just say that they haven't lived up to expectations. Despite pretty good goaltending from Eddie Lack and gold medal winning backup Roberto Luongo, they're still in the middle of the Pacific Division, 24 points behind the Anaheim Ducks yet somehow just a point behind Dallas for the last wild card slot.

Tonight's Competition:

Vancouver Canucks

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Of course, the Blues have their own issues to worry about - especially Olympic fatigue to their best players. Some of the guys just got home Sunday; they only had a couple of days rest before hopping on a flight to Vancouver, and jet lag is a pain to get rid of. Some Vancouver players are going to have the exact same issue though - and may be playing against a very unhappy David Backes, T.J. Oshie, and Kevin Shattenkirk. Focus that anger, boys.

Welcome back, everyone - keep your eye on the site for a CCR preview, your GDT, and a RBR recap, and while you're waiting head over to our good friends at Nucks Misconduct and say hello.