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Player to watch vs. Canucks: Colton Parayko
USA TODAY Sports

My St. Louis Blues player to watch against the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday is defenseman Colton Parayko.

The Blues' top d-man really asserted himself once again in helping the Blues overcome a two-goal deficit against the Flames on Tuesday in their 4-3 win.

Parayko had two assists, was a plus-2 with four shot attempts (two on goal), four hits and four blocked shots in a game-high 25:17 time on ice.

In two games against Vancouver this season, Parayko has played 25:21 and 24:15 this season, and the 25:21 came on the second of a back-to-back earlier this season on Oct. 27 a day after playing in Calgary; he scored in the most recent game, a 2-1 win at home on Jan. 4.

With the Canucks (32-11-4) leading the NHL with 68 points and waiting for the Blues (23-20-2), Vancouver will want to go hot and heavy from the opening puck drop with their bevy of skilled players, including Elias Pettersson, Quinn Hughes, J.T, Miller, Brock Boeser, etc., and Parayko and partner Nick Leddy will get a bulk share of minutes again to try and contain the speedy Canucks.

And if the Blues are to get out of Rogers Arena with a win, Parayko will need to be the catalyst for that group of defensemen. 

* Links from last night's win at Calgary:

Blues player of the game vs. Flames: Brandon Saad 

Three keys in Blues' 4-3 win against Flames

Three-period takeaways from Blues' 4-3 win against Flames

This article first appeared on St. Louis Blues on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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