Stars at Blues preview: Keep the point streak rolling

The Blues are finally getting healthier. Justin Faulk and Tyler Bozak are back off of the Covid-19 protocol list, and both contributed to the Blues’ 4-1 win over the Dallas Stars on Tuesday night. Tonight, Dallas is in St. Louis, and while the Blues’ aren’t 100% yet, they’re on the cusp of some good news:

With Brayden Schenn, Robert Thomas, James Neal, Jordan Kyrou, and Klim Kostin still out for the foreseeable future, Perron’s return will be more than welcome. The AHL call-ups are more than pulling their own weight until the regulars come back. Tuesday night, it was time for the regulars to start pulling their weight, and they did.

Colton Parayko’s opening goal came with assists from Vladimir Tarasenko and Pavel Buchnevich. Faulk scored unassisted to break the 1-1 tie, and Ryan O’Reilly’s third period goal was also assisted by two Russians, Tarasenko and Ivan Barbashev. Tarasenko capped off his three point night with a goal with helpers from Barbashev and Buchnevich.

The regulars were too much for Dallas to handle. Tonight, they might have to deal with the regulars and Jordan Binnington. Binnington has been activated from the Covid-19 protocol list and has been practicing with the team, and could be ready to go. If not, the Blues should feel confident with Charlie Lindgren in net. He’s 4-0-0 since he’s been called up, and has - of course - been unintentionally contributing to the Blues’ latest goalie controversy.

The Blues sit tied with the Nashville Predators for second place in the Central Division with 37 points, just three behind first place Minnesota. The Wild are off tonight, and the Preds play the Blackhawks - what is a tight race in the Central is about to get closer as the season’s midpoint creeps up. Considering what the Blues have gone through, their position in the standings is impressive stuff.