BLUES The St. Louis Blues got out to a slow start in their Florida road trip on Tuesday, falling 6-1 in a tough matchup with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Justin Faulk scored with less than five minutes left in regulation to prevent the shutout, but a 3-0 first period by the Lightning proved too tall a task to come back from.
Nick Paul and Steven Stamkos led the Bolts with three points each, while Nikita Kucherov tallied two goals to further his lead on the NHL’s point leaderboard. Kevin Hayes and Jake Neighbours assisted on Faulk’s goal, his first of the season.
“Probably too much defensive zone time, and good (Tampa Bay) players are going to make good plays,” said Brayden Schenn after the game. “It’s not that we weren’t ready, I just feel like we just didn’t tilt the ice enough in the first period to calm things down – before you know it, it’s 3-0.”
A bright spot in the Blues’ recent up-and-down stretch has been Hayes’ play in recent games. Off to a slow start with just two points in his first eight games as a Blue, Hayes’ assist on Faulk’s goal puts him at 11 points in his last 15 games and five in his last four games.
The Blues will need to find their consistency with another test in their Florida trip, traveling south to Sunrise, FL to face the defending Eastern Conference champions. After facing Florida, they’ll return home for a three-game homestand against all Central Division teams.
The Blues visit the Panthers with a record of 15-15-1, worth 31 points and sixth in the division.
PANTHERS The Florida Panthers shocked the hockey world last season, coming back from a 3-1 deficit in the first round of last year’s playoffs to beat the top-seeded Boston Bruins fresh off the best regular season in NHL history. Matthew Tkachuk and the Panthers stormed all the way to the Stanley Cup Final, where they fell to Vegas in five games.
The Panthers are squarely back in the playoff hunt this season, driven by a 7-1-0 stretch in early November. They then had a 5-1-1 run before a current slide where they have lost three of their last four.
Florida’s most recent contest was a 3-1 loss in Calgary on Monday night, ending Florida’s five-game road trip. A 1-1 tie held through the entire second period before the Flames scored two shorthanded goals in the third to take the win.
Sam Reinhart, who put them on the board, leads the Panthers with 18 goals, 21 assists and 39 points in 31 games this season. The 28-year-old forward is on pace to exceed his 67 points from last year, with his career-high of 82 well within reach.
After facing the Blues, the Panthers host a Stanley Cup Final rematch with Vegas on Saturday before visiting their in-state rivals after the Holiday break.
The Panthers host the Blues with a record of 18-11-2, worth 38 points and third in the Atlantic Division.
HEAD TO HEAD The Blues went 2-0-0 against the Panthers last season, winning in overtime in their last trip to Sunrise on an electric third-period comeback effort and Jordan Kyrou’s game winner. Overall, they’re 7-1-1 in their last nine visits to South Florida (since Feb. 8, 2011).
PLAYERS TO WATCH
BLUES Justin Faulk, who fired in his first goal of the year on Tuesday at Tampa Bay. Faulk has 15 points on the season, including three in the last three games.
PANTHERS Matthew Tkachuk, who led the Panthers with 24 points in 20 playoff games en route to the Stanley Cup Final last season. Tkachuk has 22 points this season, including an assist in each of his last two games.
BLUE NOTES
- Despite sharing the fewest times shorthanded in th NHL this season, the Blues share the League lead with eight shorthanded goals. Overall the Blues road penalty kill ranks 5th in the NHL at 85.7%
- Six Blues prospects are currently slated for their countries rosters for the upcoming 2024 World Junior Championship: Dalibor Dvorsky (SVK), Jimmy Snuggerud (USA), Juraj Pekarcik (SVK), Otto Stenberg (SWE), Aleksanteri Kaskimaki (FIN), and Jakub Stancl (CZE)
- With 14 across 12 different games, the Blues are 9-3-0 this season when Justin Faulk records an assist
