Expect to see Jayden Struble replace Arber Xhekaj tonight

In the first six playoff games, Xhekaj and Struble played. Then, when Noah Dobson returned, it was Arber Xhekaj who was benched in Game 7 in Tampa Bay.

Against the Sabres, Jayden Struble sat out seven times in favor of #72. And now, we're heading in the opposite direction.

Does this mean that St. Louis doesn't want to shake things up during a series, but has a preference between Xhekaj and Struble depending on the opponent? We'll see if that's true in the coming days.

Struble, who isn't exactly a lightweight, is less physical than Xhekaj and is better suited to defend against the “fancy” style of play from the Canes or the Lightning… but not against the Sabres' style of play. That's my take on it.

Note that Struble played in all three of his team's games against the Hurricanes this season. Xhekaj, on the other hand, played on January 1, but not in the March 24 matchup.

Five days later, he played… but on offense. So clearly, St. Louis prefers to have Struble (who played more minutes than Xhekaj in every game against Carolina) in uniform against the Raleigh team.

Details to follow…