St. Louis defenseman Barret Jackman is on injured reserve with a sprained ankle, so Alex Pietrangelo will play his first game of the season tonight. That will create a matchup of top 2008 draft picks, as Pietrangelo, who went No. 4 overall last year, faces Drew Doughty, the No. 2 pick.
Pietrangelo had one assist in eight games last season before he returned to his junior team. Pietrangelo could play as many as six games before the Blues decide whether to return him to junior for one more season. Here’s what Andy Murray said today about his rookie defenseman.
ANDY MURRAY: “He has a strong self-belief system. I don’t use the word `confidence,’ so he has a strong self-belief system. … Last year he was kind of `Bambi.’ He wasn’t physically capable of playing. This year he spent the whole summer here training and he has become more powerful in his game. He’s a smart player.’’
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