Plus, debating options for the power play, including newly called-up Dalibor Dvorsky, what's wrong with Joel Hofer?

The St. Louis Blues are struggling this year, and Jim Montgomery did not mince words about the defense in his latest press conference.

The St. Louis Blues and Vancouver Canucks have much in common these days. Both teams are losing ground in the Western Conference standings during their October struggles, and both teams are depleted by injuries.

After a quick, three-game homestand, the Vancouver Canucks hit the road and will play three road games through the Central Division, beginning with a Thursday night matchup against the St. Louis Blues.

With a 5-2 loss to the Red Wings on Tuesday night, the Blues have now lost five straight games for the first time in more than 2 1/2 years.

The Vancouver Canucks will most likely be missing eight players when they take on the St. Louis Blues. The number of players missing is extra significant, as t

Alex DeBrincat (one goal, two assists) and Lucas Raymond (two assists) also registered multi-point efforts for Detroit (7-3-0; 14 points), which was coming off a 6-4 victory over St. Louis (3-6-1; 7 points) at Little Caesars Arena on Saturday night.

Check out some of the most intriguing questions and answers from this week's Blues chat amid the team's unexpected struggles.