BLUES The St. Louis Blues kept their offense rolling on Tuesday night, getting out on top early en route to a 6-2 win over the Florida Panthers – completing the season sweep over last year’s Presidents’ Trophy winners.
Brayden Schenn kickstarted the winning effort, tipping in a fortuitous goal in the first period and burying another 35 seconds into the second. Schenn’s first goal was the Blues’ first first-period goal since the Jan. 16 win over Ottawa.
“We’re just playing for one another right now,” said Schenn. “(We’re) playing hard, just worrying about one game at a time – that’s all you can really focus on.”
Ivan Barbashev also had a big night, leading the Blues with his first three-point game of the season. The Blues are now 7-3-0 in games where Barbashev scores a goal this season.
The Blues continue their four-game homestand with a nationally-televised matchup against New Jersey, who are amidst a string of tight and dramatic games.
They’ll host the Devils with a record of 25-25-3, worth 53 points and sixth place in the Central Division.
DEVILS The New Jersey Devils capped off a run of dramatic finishes with a near-buzzer beater on Tuesday in Columbus. Michael McLeod found Ryan Graves at the net for the game-winning goal with just 1.4 seconds left in regulation, beating the Blue Jackets 3-2.
“We obviously want to win it in regulation and we don’t want it to be close,” said Graves. “But at the end of the day, you need to find ways to win. These teams are hard to beat this time of year – there are no easy games.”
Going back to Jan. 16, seven of the Devils’ last 10 games have been decided in overtime or a shootout – their 7-1-2 record (16 points) in that stretch shares No. 2 in the NHL.
Jack Hughes, leading the Devils with 67 points this season, has missed the last three games designated week-to-week with an upper-body injury. Though he returned to practice recently, it remains to be seen when he will make his return to game action.
Dougie Hamilton, already at a career-high 52 points this season and ranking No. 4 among all NHL defensemen, has three points in the three games without Hughes.
The Devils visit the Blues with a record of 35-13-5, worth 75 points and second place in the Metropolitan Division.
HEAD-TO-HEAD The Blues delivered an impressive victory in New Jersey earlier this season, winning 5-3 on Jan. 5 behind big nights from Pavel Buchnevich and Robert Thomas. The Blues are 13-2-1 in their last 16 matchups with New Jersey, including a 12-game win streak from Jan. 28, 2014 to Feb. 18, 2020.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
BLUES Pavel Buchnevich, who leads the Blues with four assists in the two games after the All-Star break. Buchnevich notched three assists in the win over New Jersey earlier this year, currently at 27 on the season.
DEVILS Jesper Bratt, No. 2 on the Devils with 53 points this season. Bratt finished with a goal in the dramatic win over Columbus and now trails his career high by only five goals with 21 this season.
BLUE NOTES
Thursday’s game marks Cardinal Ritter Night at Enterprise Center with activities planned by Cardinal Ritter College Prep student interns Rahnie Riggins and Dijon Askew to fundraise scholarships for their school… Jordan Binnington‘s next start will be No. 200 in his NHL career… The Blues have 23 goals from their defensemen this season, with a record of 11-4-2 in games where one scores… The Blues are 8-12-1 against Eastern Conference opponents this year.
