QUICK HITS
BLUES The St. Louis Blues (22-21-4) will shift their focus to Monday when they face the No. 1 team in the Pacific Division, the Vegas Golden Knights, to open a home-and-home set that closes out their season series.
On Saturday, the Blues visited the Utah Hockey Club for the first time in franchise history and suffered a disappointing 4-2 defeat.
Coming into the matchup against Utah, the Blues were on a two-game win streak with both victories coming against the Calgary Flames. The Blues dominated both games from the start, scoring four of their six total goals in the first period. Saturday’s opening frame told a different story, as the Blues hit a bump in the road offensively. Although defenseman Tyler Tucker was the first on the board, the Blues conceded three goals and were outshot 17-6 in the first period.
Jake Neighbours earned the Blues’ second goal on the power play. This marked the forward’s fifth power-play goal of the season.
Despite the loss, the Blues played a more physical game, posting 33 hits compared to Utah’s 13. Additionally, they outperformed Utah in the faceoff dot, winning 33 draws to Utah’s 22. Following the first period, the Blues had the edge over Utah in shots, 18-16.
After falling short of completing the comeback, Head Coach Jim Montgomery expressed frustration with his team’s lack of desperation.
“Just disappointed,” Montgomery said. “The ability for us as a group, and it’s a we thing, it’s myself included with the players and the rest of the coaching staff and not doing a good enough job of consistently being ready to play hard and the details needed to have success in this league at a consistent level.”
The Blues will finish their two-game road trip when they look to hand the Golden Knights their fourth consecutive loss.
GOLDEN KNIGHTS The Vegas Golden Knights (29-14-3) will be entering Monday’s matchup on a three-game losing streak, most recently falling 5-3 to the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday.
In the past six games, the Golden Knights have posted a 1-5-0 record, being outscored 15-13 by their opponents. Of the 15 goals they have surrendered, seven of them have been scored in the first period. Despite slower starts in their last six games, Vegas has found momentum in the second period, scoring seven of their 13 goals during that frame.
Despite their current rough patch, the Golden Knights had a dominant December, going 10-2-0 to help them climb to the top of the Western Conference. Their 61 points ranks second in the West, trailing only Winnipeg (65) and tied with the Edmonton Oilers for the top spot in the Pacific Division.
The last time the two teams met was during the first week of the season on Oct. 11. The Golden Knights took the 4-3 victory, giving the Blues their first loss of the season. Since then, Vegas has posted a 27-14-3 record.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
BLUES Forward Dylan Holloway is on a two-game assist streak, having recorded three primary assists in his past two games. In his last eight games, he has posted 10 points (two goals, eight assists). Holloway is second on the team in points with 35 (15 goals, 20 assists).
GOLDEN KNIGHTS Jack Eichel has been dominating the ice for the Golden Knights this season. The assistant captain leads the team with 56 points (11 goals, 45 assists) in 46 games. In 584 career games, Eichel has earned 570 points (222 goals, 348 assists).
BLUE NOTES
- Jake Neighbours is on a two-game point streak (one-goal, one assist). His five power-play goals share first on the team with fellow forward Jordan Kyrou.
- Defenseman Tyler Tucker has four points (two goals, two assists) in his last five games.
- Captain Brayden Schenn has six points (two goals, four assists) in his last five games.
