Predators At Blues Morning Open Thread: Hockey's Back

The Blues've been gone so long that Maxim Lapierre is no longer with us.

Moment of silence.

The Blues' break came right before the end of a season-long seven game homestand. So far the Blues have snagged 11 of a possible 12 points, bringing their total in January to 15 of a possible 18. It would be nice to end the homestand with two more points before heading to Carolina on Friday night, but that won't be easy.

The Nashville Predators will be without their starting goaltender Pekka Rinne for probably two to four more weeks. It doesn't seem to be stopping them, with Carter Hutton playing very well. The Preds snagged two more points on the Blues with a 4-3 overtime win against the Colorado Avalanche. They're now up by five in the Central. As we've seen recently, even stretches of excellent play and amassing as many points as possible isn't helping the Blues catch up. A win tonight would help. It'd also add some padding to the Blues' lead over the surprising Winnipeg Jets.

This is your morning open thread. Check back later for some Memorabilia Memories, your preview, and your GDT. Head to On the Forecheck to check out what they have to say about tonight's matchup, and whatever you do, if you go to the game tonight, do NOT forget to buy a paper.

And please, tip your vendor.