BLUES The Blues came out on top in a grueling, physical battle against the division-rival Predators on Monday night. Playing his second overtime game in as many nights, Brayden Schenn was determined to not let Sunday’s loss to Colorado repeat itself when he followed Jordan Kyrou‘s shot to beat the Predators.
With two close games against division rivals bringing their competitive edge out, the Blues look to keep it up on Thursday in Edmonton. Thursday’s game will mark the beginning of the Blues’ third back-to-back set in December alone, concluding with the Oilers’ provincial rivals in Calgary on Friday.
One of the key drivers behind the Blues’ last two games was its penalty kill, going 7-for-7 combined against the Avalanche and Predators. Brandon Saad has seen a big increase in penalty-kill minutes, which includes a shorthanded goal vs. Colorado.
“In this League, you’ve gotta check and you gotta have a good penalty kill,” said Craig Berube after the win over Nashville. “Our (defense) was soild tonight – they were physical, heavy, battling at the net, broke pucks out really well – they did a good job.”
The Blues look to keep their defensive execution trending upwards as they head to Edmonton, now at 13-15-1 for 27 points and sixth place in the Central Division.
OILERS The Edmonton Oilers got their own look at the Predators on Tuesday, winning 6-3 thanks to five points from Leon Draisaitl, four points from Connor McDavid and a hat trick from Zach Hyman.
Looking to make a push up the standings ladder, the Oilers have gone 7-3-0 over their last ten games as they prepare to host the Blues. In a Pacific Division that has been more competitive than expected this year, the Oilers are just a point shy of Seattle and Los Angeles for the runner-up spot as of Wednesday afternoon.
The Oilers continue to be led by two of the most dangerous scorers in all of hockey, with Draisaitl joining McDavid on Tuesday as the only players in the NHL above 50 points this season.
McDavid, at 59 points through 30 games played, is currently on pace for 161 on the season – the most by any player in over 25 years.
The Blues will see Klim Kostin for the first time since trading the 2017 first-round pick this October. Kostin has stepped up to Edmonton’s NHL roster recently due to Evander Kane’s absence for a wrist injury.
Edmonton will host the Blues with a record of 17-13-0, worth 34 points and fourth place in the Pacific Division.
HEAD-TO-HEAD Thursday will mark the third and final matchup between the Blues and Oilers this year, with the season series at an even 1-1. Jordan Binnington shut out the Oilers in the last trip to Edmonton and will be looking to repeat that performance (fresh from a shutout vs. Nashville) if he starts.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
BLUES Brayden Schenn, who made a heads-up play to recover from a broken stick before burying the game winner vs. Nashville. Schenn has a pair of assists vs. Edmonton this season, one in each matchup.
OILERS Connor McDavid, the current NHL leader in goals, assists and points this season. McDavid has 17 points in 20 career matchups with the Blues, currently the only team in the League against which he is under a point-per-game pace.
BLUE NOTES
Jordan Binnington recorded his 100th career NHL win on Monday vs. Nashville and earned his 12th career shutout in the process. Binnington is currently No. 6 in franchise history in both categories and is four wins shy of Brian Elliott for No. 5… The last time the Blues were tied 0-0 after regulation prior to Monday was on Feb. 7, 2019 at Tampa Bay, where Brayden Schenn also scored the overtime winner… The Blues are 8-4-2 in their last 14 games against the Oilers… The Blues have not allowed a power-play goal to the Oilers in five of their last six games in Edmonton, going 13-for-14 (92.9 percent) on the penalty kill over those six games.
