The St. Louis Blues are set to face off against the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center tonight at 7:00 PM EST. Here's a look at the projected lineups and what to expect from both teams.

St. Louis Blues

The Blues (4-8-2) are coming off a rough 6-1 loss to the Washington Capitals. Coach Jim Montgomery didn't hold back his disappointment, calling the performance "unacceptable". In response to the team's struggles, particularly a porous defense that has allowed a league-worst 4.14 goals per game, Montgomery is making some changes to the lineup.

Here's the projected lineup for the Blues:

• Forwards:
  • Pavel Buchnevich - Robert Thomas - Jimmy Snuggerud
  • Brayden Schenn - Pius Suter - Jordan Kyrou
  • Dylan Holloway - Dalibor Dvorsky - Oskar Sundqvist
  • Alexey Toropchenko - Nick Bjugstad - Nathan Walker
• Defense: Philip Broberg - Colton Parayko

Notably, Jordan Kyrou will be a healthy scratch, with Alexandre Texier drawing back into the lineup. Oskar Sundqvist is out with an undisclosed injury, leading to Mathieu Joseph's return. Jake Neighbours is also out with a leg injury. Joel Hofer is expected to start in goal after relieving Jordan Binnington in the previous game. Binnington has a 3.25 goals against average and a .859 save percentage.

Buffalo Sabres

The Sabres (5-4-4) are also looking to bounce back after a 2-1 overtime loss to the Utah Mammoth. Buffalo has been dealing with their own injury issues. Jason Zucker and Jiri Kulich are sidelined with illnesses, while Zach Benson is out with a lower-body injury and Josh Norris is recovering from an upper-body injury. Justin Danforth is also out with a lower-body injury. Tyson Kozak is expected to return after missing five games with a lower-body injury.

Here's the projected lineup for the Sabres:

• Forwards: Not explicitly stated, but key players include Alex Tuch, Tage Thompson, Jack Quinn, Josh Doan, and Ryan McLeod.
• Defense: Not explicitly stated, but likely to include Rasmus Dahlin, Bowen Byram, and Mattias Samuelsson.

Alex Lyon is likely to start in goal for the Sabres. He has a 2.84 goals against average and a .913 save percentage.

Keys to the Game

• Blues' Defense: St. Louis needs to tighten up defensively and provide better support for their goaltender.
• Sabres' Offense: Buffalo needs their young forwards to step up and contribute in the absence of key players.
• Special Teams: The Sabres have a strong penalty kill (90.9%), while the Blues struggle in that area (67.6%). St. Louis will need to improve their penalty kill and capitalize on their power play opportunities.

Prediction

The Sabres are favored to win this game, given the Blues' struggles and their strong home record. However, St. Louis will be looking to prove that they can bounce back from their recent slump.