TEAM SNAPSHOTS
BLUES After one of the best defensive performances of the season – allowing just 16 shots on goal from the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday – the St. Louis Blues followed it up with another strong defensive effort by limiting Ottawa to just 20 shots on goal in Tuesday’s 5-2 win. Those two games are now the lowest and second-lowest games for shots against this season.
Third lowest? The Dec. 11 win over the Montreal Canadiens, where the Blues saw 23 shots on goal en route to a 4-1 win at Enterprise Center. The Blues would certainly hope to continue this run of strong defensive play in their rematch with the Canadiens on Thursday.
Tuesday’s 5-2 victory in Ottawa was highlighted by an elite performance from the foward line of Pavel Buchnevich, Vladimir Tarasenko and Robert Thomas. The trio kept the puck moving all night, making sensational passes and finishing scoring chances to come away with three points each.
“The Thomas line was excellent tonight,” said Blues Head Coach Craig Berube. “Puck possession was excellent, they were strong on it. They competed on the puck, they kept it and hung onto it – it’s not always open space, they had to compete for it.”
Thursday’s game in Montreal will be the Blues’ second of three straight against Atlantic Division opponents, following it up with a matchup in Toronto on Saturday. While the Senators and Canadiens rank low in the NHL standings, the Blues know as well as anyone that there are no easy nights in the League and will need to bring their A-game.
Taking the train into Montreal with a record of 28-14-5, the Blues’ 61 points sit third in the Central Division as of Wednesday afternoon. The team has now surpassed last season’s win total – in nine fewer games – with GM Doug Armstrong also earning his 500th win with the Blues on Tuesday.
CANADIENS The Montreal Canadiens enter Thursday’s matchup on a 10-game losing streak – eight in a row in regulation – and will be trying to avoid a winless eight-game homestand when they host the Blues.
This season has been a struggle for the Habs, whose multitude of injuries and COVID-19 absences have strongly hindered their ability to build consistency and win hockey games.
Their most recent game was a 5-3 loss to Buffalo, driven by a hat trick from Sabres forward Jeff Skinner. Montreal had goals from Jeff Petry, Joel Arima and former Blue Mike Hoffman.
It was their third game under new head coach Martin St. Louis, who was hired to replace Dominique Ducharme last week and is still looking for his first career win behind the bench. The Montreal native and Hockey Hall of Famer won the Stanley Cup, Hart Trophy as League MVP and Art Ross Trophy as the scoring leader during the 2003-04 season for the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The franchise certainly hopes that St. Louis can be a culture setter and begin to turn things around. They enter Thursday’s game with a record of 8-33-7, good for 23 points and eighth place in the Atlantic Division.
HEAD-TO-HEAD The Blues defeated Montreal 4-1 at Enterprise Center on Dec. 11 in their only matchup this season during Charlie Lindgren’s stellar stretch between the pipes. Thursday’s game in Montreal will wrap up the season series.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
BLUES Vladimir Tarasenko, who led the way in Ottawa with two goals and an assist. In his last five games, Tarasenko has four goals and two assists, now leading the team with 44 points on the season.
CANADIENS Nick Suzuki has been a bright spot for the Canadiens this season. The 22-year-old forward leads the team with 28 points and was selected as the team’s representative at All-Star Weekend earlier this month.
BLUE NOTES
The Blues are 7-3-0 in their last 10 games against Montreal… Brayden Schenn leads the team with 16 points since Jan. 1 – Schenn had 10 points from the beginning of the season through Dec. 31… The Blues have the best road power play in the League, converting on 29.3 percent of the opportunities… Ville Husso‘s 11 wins this season have more than doubled his career total (nine in 2020-21).
