Who's Hot, Who's Not: Blues vs Oilers

For this edition of Who's Hot Who's Not, I'm changing things up a little bit. Previously, the Hot and Not lists were compiled only based on +/- numbers over a players career. Now I will be taking more stats into consideration. Each player will now receive a Hot Rating or HR. This number will be calculated mathematically using an algorithm taking into account the players +/- rating, points scored, points per game, and games played.

The Blues are coming off an overtime loss to the Dallas Stars. Dallas came out with a fiery passion in their first game back since Rich Peverely dropped dead in the arena. It felt like a game the Blues would win, but they let it slip through their fingers. Thursday, the Blues are back at it against the Edmonton Oilers at Scottrade.

Who's Hot:

Derek Roy
HR: 15
Games: 12 Points: 12 Plus/Minus: +6
Derek Roy is the hottest player on the club against Edmonton. He is averaging 1 point per game in his contests with the Oilers. He was held almost silent against the Stars, registering only 1 takeaway. During his 6 career games against Edmonton he has 4 goals and 8 assists. An even more telling stat is his shooting percent, which is 18.2%. The only teams he shoots better against are the Hurricanes, and ironically, the Stars. Of his 4 goals, 2 have come on the power play, and 1 has been a game winner.

Kevin Shattenkirk
HR: 13
Games: 13 Points: 7 Plus/Minus: +11
Shattenkirk has been an offensive weapon against the Oilers in his 13 career games. He has netted 3 goals and 4 assists in those games. Two of his 3 goals have come with the man advantage. While he is not shooting as accurately as Roy, Shattenkirk's 10.7% is very healthy for a defenseman. Against Dallas, Shattenkirk was active as a shooter, registering 3 shots on goal, out of his 7 attempts. No one took more shots for the Blues than Shattenkirk, but Backes and Pietrangelo saw more shots on goal.

Brenden Morrow
HR: 12
Games: 43 Points: 36 Plus/Minus: +19
The sheer number of points makes Morrow's play against Edmonton stick out. He has 16 goals and 20 assists in his career against the Oilers. Of those 16 goals, 5 have come with the man advantage, 1 has come shorthanded, and 5 have been game winners. He is also shooting a stellar 20%, which is his 5th best overall. Against Dallas, Morrow was held silent on the scoring front, but he made noise on the boards. He registered 4 hits for the 2nd highest total on the team. His total was 2 behind team captain David Backes.

Who's Not:

Maxim Lapierre
HR: -0.9
Games: 21 Points: 3 Plus/Minus: -5
Lapierre has faced Edmonton more than a handful of times, but has never made a dent. In over 20 games he has only 1 goal and 2 assists. His shooting percent against Edmonton is an anemic 3.4%. Against Dallas, Lapierre got on the board with an assist. He has been a piece of the upstart 4th line which has been dangerous as of late for the Blues. The real hero of that scoring play was Magnus Paajarvi, who made a stellar play in keeping the puck and putting it off the goalies pads.

Magnus Paajarvi
HR: 0
Games: 2 Points: 1 Plus/Minus: -1
Paajarvi is again a victim on his lack of experience. His play as of late has been coming on strong. He has registered just over 21 minutes of ice time against Edmonton, and in that time, has only 1 assist. He has attempted 2 shots, neither of which have resulted in a score. Against Dallas, Paajarvi again made a stellar play with his assist on the first goal of the game. Historically, Paajarvi isn't too hot against his old team, but expect that to change as he is currently streaking.

Steve Ott
HR: 3
Games: 29 Points: 11 Plus/Minus: -1
Ott has been a polarizing figure since his arrival in St. Louis. Some fans refuse to accept him, feeling he was an afterthought in the Miller trade. Others seem to like his physicality, as he has joined David Backes at the forefront of the hit parade. In his career against Edmonton, Ott has scored 5 goals and 6 assists. For a player who is not known as a powerful scoring threat, those are modest numbers. His physical play has landed him in the box more than a few times against the Oilers, as he has 48 penalty minutes. Since arriving in St. Louis, Ott has fared well on the faceoff. Against Dallas he won 60% of his draws, and recorded 3 hits.

Goaltending:

Ryan Miller
HR: 13
Games: 6 Wins: 6 Save%: .943 GAA: 1.67
Miller is perfect in his career against Edmonton. He has only allowed 10 goals on 175 shots. 3 of those goals game on the power play. In his career, Miller has never shut out the Oilers.

Brian Elliott
HR: 5
Games: 9 Wins: 6 Save%: .896 GAA: 2.57
Elliott had a stellar last game in goal, but saw no action against Dallas. Against Edmonton, he has been up and down. He has shut out the Oilers once, but has also given up 22 goals in his other 8 games against them. He is especially weak when facing the power play, as he has allowed 7 of his 22 goals on the man disadvantage.

All player images are via St. Louis Blues official site