Who's Hot Who's Not: Blues vs Predators

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Who's Hot Who's Not is a statistical breakdown of the best and worst players on the Blues roster when facing their upcoming opponent. This gives the reader an insight into the future by studying trends of the past. Who's Hot Who's Not gives you an idea of who to keep your eye on during the game. It does so by calculating a stat called the Hot Rating. A players hot rating, or HR, is calculated using an algorithm that takes into account a players +/-, points, and games played against each opponent. This article can give you a little more excitement knowing the hottest player is entering the zone with a minute left. It can sink your stomach when the coldest player is taking a wrister from the point instead of passing it. Most of all, it can give you something to read to better educate yourself and give you something to talk about for the upcoming game. More on who's hot and who's not after the jump.

Who's Hot:

Derek Roy
HR: 174
Games: 12 Points: 10 Plus/Minus: +11
Roy finds himself at the top of the hot list for two games in a row. He didn't warrant his spot last time against the Oilers, registering no stats in the game. Roy has 10 points in his 12 games against the Predators. He is better at dishing than scoring, as only 3 of the 10 points are goals. This season against Nashville, Roy is shooting 16.7%. 3 (1 goal 2 assists) of his 10 points have come in the 4 games he has played this season against Nashville

Vladimir Tarasenko
HR: 137
Games: 8 Points: 8 Plus/Minus: +3
Vladdy Terror was rejuvenated two nights ago. Since returning from the Olympic break, Tarasenko hasn't had the same fire as he had prior to his trip to Sochi. That all changed against Edmonton. Tarasenko was on the bottom end of playing minutes with only 13:24 on the ice. He made the most of those minutes, scoring 1 goal and notching an assist. The goal was his 20th of the season, and with the assist he now stands at 42 points. It all seemed to click for Vladdy when his linemate, Vladamir Sobotka, returned from injury. Tarasenko has played well historically against Nashville as well. Of his 8 points, 3 have been goals, all of which were scored at even strength. He is also shooting at 17.6% during his career when facing Nashville.

Jaden Schwartz
HR: 100
Games: 8 Points: 4 Plus/Minus: +4
The second star of the Edmonton game was arguably the most important player. While Vladimir Sobotka took home the first star for his heroic comeback game, Schwartz scored 2 goals, and was inches away from a hat trick. Schwartz has been coming on strong as of late, as he scored his 20th and 21st goal of the season against Edmonton. He also hit the milestone of 50 points this season. There is no better time for Schwartz to come into his own than when the Blues are fighting for the presidents trophy and a eyeing a run to the Stanley Cup Finals. Historically, Schwartz has been effective against Nashville as well. He has 2 goals and 2 assists in his 8 career games against them. This season against Nashville, he has 2 goals and 1 assist and is shooting 22.2%.

Who's Not:

Kevin Shattenkirk
HR: -5
Games: 17 Points: 6 Plus/Minus: -7
Shattenkirk is the only player on the Blues to register a negative hot rating against the Predators. Against Edmonton he did register an assist on the T.J. Oshie power play goal. Ironically, after delivering an assist against the Oilers, Shattenkirk now faces a team where all his points have been assists. He has taken 32 career shots against Nashville, and not a single one has slipped in for a goal. This season, he has 2 assists in 4 games against the Predators and has taken 8 shots.

Ryan Reaves
HR: 0
Games: 14 Points: 0 Plus/Minus: 0
To say Reaves has been ineffective against Nashville is an understatement. He has yet to score in his career against Nashville, and sits even with a 0 for his plus minus ratio. Against Edmonton, Reaves was doing what he does best: laying the hits. He registered a team leading 6 hits against the Oilers in his 7:50 ice time. He was able to produce 1 more hit than captain David Backes in under half the amount of ice time. Nashville also likes to swing the lumber. Expect Reaves to be the drum major of the hit parade, but don't hold your breath for a goal.

Magnus Paajarvi
HR: 0
Games: 13 Points: 2 Plus/Minus: -2
Paajarvi has begun paying rent for his spot on the not list. He has been playing fine hockey as of late, but his lack of experience again comes back to bite him from a statistical standpoint. Against Edmonton, Paajarvi registered an assist on the final goal of the game which put the Blues up 6-2. His fourth line has begun to really come on strong as of late. With Sobotka coming back into the lineup, we will see if Paajarvi is able to maintain his ice time. His recent performances prove he is deserving, as he has scored 7 points since January, not bad for a fourth liner. Historically, he has 2 goals on 24 shots against Nashville, for an anemic 8.3 shooting percentage. This season, however, he has taken only 2 shots against the Predators; one of which found the net.

Goaltending:

Ryan Miller
HR: 96
Games: 7 Wins: 4 Save%: .914 GAA: 2.34
Miller's time in St. Louis has been good thus far. He racked up another win against Edmonton. The 2 goals allowed were deceiving, as one of them should have never happened. The play should have been stopped as a Blues player was face down motionless in a pool of blood for over 8 seconds. That was followed by an Oiler pushing Miller out of the way as the puck was shot. Miller let the ref hear about it on what appeared to be multiple occasions afterwards. He even had to be shewed to the locker room at the intermission while still chewing on the posterior of the ref. Against Nashville, Miller has historically played well. His win percentage isn't very high, winning only 4 out of 7, but his save percentage tells the tale. In his previous meeting with Nashville as a member of the Blues, Miller touted a .954 save percentage with 1 GAA. Those are numbers he would like to repeat.

Brian Elliott
HR: 122
Games: 7 Wins: 5 Save%: .929 GAA: 1.81
Elliott has had a very strong career against Nashville. His numbers overall pale just barely to Miller's last game against Nashville. It has already been announced that Miller will start between the pipes. Should anything go wrong, there are few men more historically stout than Brian Elliott against the Nashville Predators.

All player photos are via the St. Louis Blues Official site