Holloway-Faksa-Joseph is proving to be an intriguing line combination for the St. Louis Blues

The St. Louis Blues coaching staff will begin shaping its forward lines here in training camp very soon for opening night against the Seattle Kraken on Oct. 8, and a trio of summer acquisitions could form a strong controlling third line.

It's not often that three new players in the team play on the same line, but that's what pre-season is for, right?

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Blues head coach Drew Bannister had Dylan Holloway, Radek Faksa and Mathieu Joseph play on the same line in their 3-2 overtime win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday night.

Holloway stole the show with a two-goal performance in just his second game in the blue and gold. He scored his first goal in the third period when the team was down 2-0.

Joseph created pressure by heading hard into the net after passing the puck to Holloway for St. Louis' first goal of the game. Holloway deftly threw the puck into the net, which bounced away from the Blackhawks defenseman and into the net.

In overtime, the former Edmonton Oiler sealed the Blues' first win of the season with a precise wrist shot that beat the low glove of Petr Mrazek and fired into the bottom left corner of the net.

Related: Dylan Holloway saw greater opportunity with the St. Louis Blues

St. Louis didn't have much to offer in 40 minutes and it seemed like they were in danger of falling to 0-4 on the preseason. However, one line stood out. This line consisted of newcomers Holloway, Faksa and Mathieu Joseph.

Joseph and Holloway's playing styles complement each other. Both are lightning-fast north-south skaters who attack in straight lines and are puck dogs on the forecheck. There was a shift in the second period where the Blackhawks were unable to advance the puck beyond the faceoff circle as the two stubbornly pursued the puck and kept starting.

With the puck, they can match each other's speed to attack in transition, or in the attack zone with reversals to extend possession along the edge of the court.

The addition of the 1.90 meter tall, 100 kilogram center forward Radek Faksa in the middle gives the line a positionally reliable striker who can allow the two speedsters to act as a forward, allowing him to act as a high striker in the event that the The play comes back in the other direction.

All three are strong 200-foot players who can be used in defensive situations. Holloway needs more experience in this role, but Faksa and Joseph already have experience.

If the Blues reel is in the top six with any of the following:
Neighbors – Thomas – Kyrou
Saad/Bolduc – Buchnevich – Schenn

Then the team would actually be in a good position and potentially have a strong controlling third line of Holloway, Faksa and Joseph.

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