Jim Montgomery's line mixer is back — at least offensively — as the St. Louis Blues prepare to take on the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday at Little Caesars Arena (6 p.m. CT, FanDuel Sports Network, 101 ESPN).
The head coach has made changes to all four forward lines to energize his side. Montgomery hopes the changes will bring more balance as the team continues to build its game.
“I think our biggest challenge is creating our identity as an inspection team,” Montgomery said. “Our focus is going to be on being a really good defensive team, and that starts in the offensive zone.”
The Blues had a record of 1 win, 2 draws and 1 loss in four home games, but were defeated by their opponents 18 to 11. When they return to the road, 2-0 on the season, Montgomery hopes to instill a hard-working spirit throughout the lineup.
“I just don’t think there’s consistency in how each of our lines work,” Montgomery said. “So we're trying to have at least one or two workers on each line, and that's their calling card.”
The following projected lineups are based on Saturday morning's skate at Little Caesars Arena.