TEAM SNAPSHOTS
BLUES The St. Louis Blues fell in Ottawa in Sunday’s back-to-back finale as they continue to face adversity. Jake Neighbours exited the 7-2 loss to the Senators early with an upper-body injury, and Blues Head Coach Craig Berube said he was expected to be “out for a while”.
The Blues started off strong and played a competitive third period, but a 4-0 second propelled the Senators to their seventh win out of their last nine.
“We gotta focus on ourselves and the guys we have in this locker room,” said Colton Parayko on adapting to all of the roster and lineup changes. “(We need to) make sure we’re giving our best effort, we’re working for each other and working hard and I think that’s all we can control right now.”
With the roster facing a number of injuries, the Blues will look to step up and play to their competition when they visit the NHL’s No. 2 team, the Carolina Hurricanes.
They’ll visit the ‘Canes with a record of 26-27-3, worth 55 points and sixth in the Central Division.
HURRICANES The Carolina Hurricanes have been the best team in hockey over the last month. Since Jan. 12, the Hurricanes lead the NHL with 25 points thanks to a 12-1-1 record including marquee wins against division leaders Boston and Dallas.
Most recently, the ‘Canes hosted Washington at North Carolina State University’s Carter-Finley Stadium on Saturday for the 2023 NHL Stadium Series game, winning 4-1 at the outdoor battle.
Martin Necas led the way with three points as Carolina got out to a 4-0 lead in the first two periods, holding on for the win.
Saturday’s festive win was the second of a five-game homestand for the Hurricanes, their longest of the season as they aim for their three-game win streak to continue.
With the March 3 Trade Deadline fast approaching, Carolina could be a team to watch looking to bolster their roster for a Stanley Cup push.
The ‘Canes host the Blues with a record of 37-10-8, worth 82 points and first in the Metropolitan Division.
HEAD-TO-HEAD The Blues fell to the Hurricanes 6-4 at Enterprise Center earlier this year, driven by a hat trick from Carolina’s Jordan Martinook. Though they have lost three straight matchups, the Blues are 5-4-0 overall in their last nine against the ‘Canes.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
BLUES Colton Parayko, whose goal in Ottawa marked No. 50 for his career, becoming the seventh defenseman in Blues history to reach that mark. Parayko has four points in 12 career games against Carolina, including an assist earlier this season.
HURRICANES Brent Burns, who leads his new club with 30 assists this season. The 37-year-old defenseman has five points in his last five games and was acquired by the Hurricanes via trade after 11 seasons in San Jose.
BLUE NOTES
Brayden Schenn is expected to dress in his 400th game as a Blue on Tuesday. Schenn has 126 goals and 193 assists for 319 points since coming to St. Louis in 2017, leading the club in all three… The Blues have not allowed the Hurricanes a power-play goal in four of their last five matchups in Carolina, going 11-for-12 (91.7 percent) on the penalty kill over those five games… Blues defensemen have scored six power-play goals and seven game-winning goals, sharing No. 5 and 6 in the NHL, respectively.
