BLUES The St. Louis Blues (23-23-4) will look to tighten the Western Conference Wild Card race when they host the Vancouver Canucks on Monday night.
With the playoffs just a few months away, the race for the postseason is heating up. The Wild Card standings in the Western Conference are neck-and-neck, so earning two points on Monday is crucial. Vancouver currently sits just outside the top two Wild Card positions with 52 points in 48 games played, and the Blues are one spot behind with 50 points in 50 games.
The Blues will look to regain some ground following a 2-0 loss to the Dallas Stars on Saturday night. Despite having the edge in shots 33-19, hits 38-21 and faceoffs 32-26, the Blues were unable to capitalize.
Following the loss, Head Coach Jim Montgomery discussed the team’s mentality and execution.
“You can’t just have two decent periods,” Montgomery said. “You’ve got to have three. We’ve got to start on time, or you’ve got to finish the game the right way… We’ve just got to continue to build and understand the importance of game management and understand the importance of every shift.”
The Blues will finish their three-game homestand on Monday against the Canucks before embarking on a two-game Central Division road trip.
CANUCKS The Vancouver Canucks (21-17-10) will begin their three-game road trip in St. Louis, coming off a 2-1 victory over the Washington Capitals on Saturday night.
The Canucks ended the Capitals’ six-game win streak, with both goals coming from defenseman Quinn Hughes. The Canucks captain is tied with Columbus Blue Jackets blueliner Zach Werenski for second-most points by a defenseman this season and leads all defensemen in the assist column.
On Dec. 10, the Canucks and Blues met in the first of three matchups on the season, with the Blues earning the 4-3 overtime victory in Vancouver. Since then, the Canucks have posted a 7-9-5 record.
Over their last six games, the Canucks have gone 2-4-0 and have been outscored 23-11 by their opponents. The third period has been a struggle for the Canucks, as they’ve been held scoreless in the final frame in five of those six matchups.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
BLUES Captain Brayden Schenn has earned four points (two goals, two assists) in his last five games. Schenn is fifth on the team in points with 29 (11 goals, 18 assists). In 990 career games, he has posted 664 points (271 goals, 393 assists).
Following the loss on Saturday, the captain was vocal in expressing frustration with the team’s slow starts.
“I think it just becomes individually having yourself ready to play,” Schenn said. “It’s especially this time of year, points are crucial, playing at home. At the end of the day, no excuse not to be ready to play, especially against good hockey teams, and that’s the lesson we have to learn. You have to have yourself ready to play and when that happens the team goes.”
CANUCKS In his first season as captain, Hughes has been leading the way on and off the ice for the Canucks. Coming off his first Norris Trophy last year as the NHL’s best defenseman, Hughes has followed it up with another impressive campaign. He is currently on a five-game point streak (five goals, two assists) and has 54 points (14 goals, 40 assists) in 44 games overall this season.
BLUE NOTES
- The Blues have won three straight games against Vancouver. The Blues have also earned points in nine of their last 10 games against the Canucks (8-1-1).
- Ryan Suter is expected to appear in his 1,495th career game, which will move him into a tie for 23rd all-time among all skaters and seventh all-time among all defensemen in NHL history.
- Robert Thomas is two goals away from reaching 100 in his career.
