Blues At Devils Morning Open Thread: Martin Havlat Debuts

It was a tale of two goaltenders last season between the Blues and Devils. With a home and home series between the two teams, Jake Allen got both of the wins, turning away 50 shots on net, and getting a 26 save shutout the last time the Blues were in Newark. Cory Schneider, who played well, got little goal support in game one and got pulled after three goals allowed in game two.

Schneider would probably like a chance to redeem himself this year, but he'll have to put up with a Blues team that has scored ten goals in their last two games, and who score 2.86 goals a game on average. The Devils are hot now, though - they stumbled out of the gate this season but have won eight of their last ten games. Their dramatic 4-3 overtime win on Sunday continues their streak of solid play.

Former Devil Martin Havlat will make his debut tonight, since Steve Ott did not travel with the team on this road trip. Ken Hitchcock had these glowing words of praise to say about Havlat:

"I thought he looked just like a normal hockey player so that's why we're going to put him in."

Someone tell Hitch to hold back a little. That kind of emotion's not professional coming from a coach.

This is your morning open thread. Check back for some Road Music with CCR, and your early game day thread. While you're waiting on puck drop head over to our friends at All About The Jersey (formerly In Lou We Trust) and see what they think about Havlat finding a home in St. Louis.