Bortuzzo’s suspension is bad news for an already thin St. Louis defense.
The wait is over! The St. Louis Blues open the regular season on Thursday night when they host the Winnipeg Jets (7:00p. Central, Fox Sports Midwest and 1120 KMOX radio).
There’s nervousness with the start of any new season, but the level this year is a bit higher than normal. The reason? Robert Bortuzzo is under suspension for the game.
Bortuzzo elbowed Washington Capitals defenseman Michal Kempny at 0:45 in the third period in a September 25th preseason game. Bortuzzo was then suspended for the remainder of the preseason, as well as for the first regular season game–both without pay.
Photo by Bill Smith/NHL via Getty Images for Sports Illustrated
It means that one of the Blues’ better defenseman is out for the home opener, and the question remains how the Blues will adjust to his loss. To add to the anxiety, as of Tuesday the Blues had not announced who will take Bortuzzo’s place on the D-Line. None of this is good news for an already-then Blues defense.
Yeah, it’s only one game. But it could be an eye-opening contest, providing insight into how the Blues will fare this year. But win or lose, I’ll be cheering on the Blue Note all season long –with the always-same goal in mind — St. Louis making the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
