BLUES The St. Louis Blues continued their recent struggles on Saturday, falling 4-2 to the Colorado Avalanche in their second of a three-game road trip before the All-Star break. Down 3-0 halfway through the game, the Blues stayed resilient and took control in the third period – though came up just short of a full comeback.
“It’s frustrating,” said Jordan Binnington. “These are games at a critical time in our season and we want to win. We know we need the points, so we just gotta keep finding a way and fighting every night. Because we’re not going to go quietly… Just gotta keep it one day at a time, one game at a time, one period at a time.”
Binnington made 27 saves in the 200th game of his NHL career – becoming the sixth goaltender in franchise history to suit up in 200 games with the club.
Torey Krug continued his solid play since returning from a lower-body injury, logging an assist on Saturday for his third point in three games back in the lineup. Dating back to Dec. 16, Krug has eight points over his last seven games played.
Hoping to go into All-Star break on a win, the Blues will be fighting hard with a Winnipeg Jets team also looking to end a losing streak.
They’ll face the Jets with a record of 23-24-3, worth 49 points and sixth place in the Central Division.
JETS The Winnipeg Jets have been facing adversity recently as they were shut out by the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday for their third straight loss entering Monday’s matchup.
Prior to the recent skid – which also includes losses to Buffalo and Nashville – the Jets went on an 8-1-0 run from Dec. 29 to Jan. 15. In that span, Winnipeg led the NHL in points and were Top-5 in both goals scored and goals allowed.
Connor Hellebuyck continues to be a reliable backstop, going 7-1-0 with a .920 save percentage during this stretch and earning his third trip to All-Star Weekend as a result. Hellebuyck will join defenseman Josh Morrissey, who will appear in his first All-Star game amidst his breakout season on the blue line.
Monday will also be the Jets’ final game before the break, splitting up a five-game homestand that resumes against Chicago and Seattle in late February. The Jets have been one of the stronger home-ice teams in the NHL this season – their 17 wins only trail Boston, Toronto and Tampa Bay at the top of the League standings.
The Jets will host the Blues with a season record of 31-19-1, worth 63 points and second place in the Central Division.
HEAD-TO-HEAD This will be the third out of four matchups that the Blues will have against the Jets this season. The Blues are 4-3-1 In their last eight trips to Winnipeg, which include a dramatic shootout win last year.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
BLUES Brayden Schenn, who scored his 13th goal of the season on Saturday in Colorado. Schenn has three goals and an assist over his last five games, sharing the team lead in goals in that span.
JETS Kyle Connor, leading the Jets with 57 points this season. Looking to follow up his 93 points from last year, Connor put up 15 points and his second hat trick of the season during a nine-game point streak from Dec. 27 to Jan. 13.
BLUE NOTES
Jordan Binnington ranks No. 2 in starts among NHL goaltenders this season with 38, while Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck leads with 39… Binnington’s next win will give him sole possession of No. 4 in franchise history, currently tied with Grant Fuhr at 108… Seven of the Blues’ nine games in February will take place at Enterprise Center…Since the start of 2023, the Blues are 9-for-37 (24.3 percent) on the power play, which ranks No. 5 in the NHL, while their nine power-play goals share No. 9.
