Music: {allcanada} St. Louis (20-13-5) at Toronto (14-20-4)

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

{allcanada} St. Louis (20-13-5) at Toronto (14-20-4)

Game info: 7:00 pm EST Thu Jan 6, 2011
TV: TSN, FSMW

The St. Louis Blues are looking to re-establish their momentum, and their lone season meeting with the Toronto Maple Leafs is a good place to start.

The Blues look for their sixth win in seven games as they attempt to continue their dominance of the Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre on Thursday night.

St. Louis (20-13-5) had its five-game winning streak snapped with a 4-2 loss to Dallas on Sunday, giving up three unanswered goals in the third period.

"We had an opportunity to steal a game we probably didn't deserve," defenseman Barret Jackman (notes) said. "We just weren't able to do it."

The Blues may be in ideal position to rebound from the loss to the Stars, as the Maple Leafs (14-20-4) have dropped six of eight overall and seven of nine at home.

St. Louis is 8-0-2 in its last 10 meetings with Toronto, including a 4-0 victory at home Feb. 12 in the only matchup last season. The Blues have seven wins and one tie at Toronto since falling at Maple Leaf Gardens on Feb. 4, 1998, including a shootout victory in the latest visit to Air Canada Centre on Oct. 13, 2008.

Alex Steen (notes) continues to be a major offensive cog for the Blues, leading them with 13 goals. The center has nine goals and seven assists over the last 16 games while being held without a point in just three of them.

He's found the net in each of the last two contests, and scored a short-handed tally against the Leafs in February.

David Backes (notes) set up T.J. Oshie's (notes) short-handed goal in that contest, giving him one goal and two assists in the last three meetings with Toronto.

The right wing leads the Blues with 30 points, getting six in the last five games - including a goal against the Stars.

Backes, though, hasn't managed a point in four road games and has netted just two of his 10 goals away from St. Louis.

The Maple Leafs are in the cellar of the Northeast Division and looking to avoid their longest home losing streak since dropping their first six there of the 2009-10 season.

Their current skid at home reached four games Monday, falling 2-1 to Boston while failing to score on all 18 third-period shots against Tuukka Rask (notes).

Mikhail Grabovski (notes) has been a major offensive force for Toronto, scoring nine goals in 12 games after getting the lone tally against the Bruins. The center, who has found the net in each of the last three home games, is tied with Phil Kessel (notes) for the team lead with 14 goals, six shy of his career high set in 2008-09.

Kessel hasn't scored a goal in three games, but has three assists in that stretch. The right wing has three assists in four games against the Blues.

James Reimer (notes) may get a third consecutive start in net with Jean-Sebastien Giguere (notes) out with a groin injury. The rookie has been impressive in the last two games, making 31 saves Monday after a 32-save effort in a 5-1 win at Ottawa on Saturday to earn his first NHL victory.

Jonas Gustavsson (notes) has lost his last five home games with a 4.36 goals-against average.