Preview: Blues vs. Golden Knights

BLUES St. Louis Blues forward Jordan Kyrou spoke recently about wanting to simplify his game. Going into Thursday night in Ottawa, he had just three points in his last 10 games.

“I was just trying to play quicker without the puck and be more aggressive on the forecheck and on guys,” he said after Thursday’s game. “I feel like when I do that, the rest of my game kind of comes along.”

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If his last two games are proof, those changes are definitely working. Kyrou followed up three points against the Senators with a hat trick in Saturday’s 5-4 overtime win against the Minnesota Wild.

“Any time you have one good game,” Blues Head Coach Drew Bannister said Saturday, “you just want to build on that and get your momentum going. I thought (Kyrou) was good in Ottawa, and I thought he carried it on. He was much better even here (Saturday), the way he played and the way he finished, but I thought his overall game was real good.”

St. Louis also got goals from Jake Neighbours and Brandon Saad, with Saad scoring the game-winner. Neighbours and Kyrou each scored their 25th goals of the season, tying them for the team lead.

The Blues (37-29-3) have now won six of their last seven games, winning at the right time as they push for the playoffs. The Blues are still four points behind Vegas for the last Wild Card spot, but Bannister warned doubters to not bet against his team.

“We have (nine) guys that have won Stanley Cups in this room,” Bannister said. “They know how to win at the end of the year. I’m not surprised by the way we responded, the way we played here in the last five or six games…I wouldn’t bet (against) these guys. They just know how to win. There’s too much character in that dressing room.”

Monday night kicks off a week-long homestand at Enterprise Center. After Vegas, the Blues host Calgary (March 28), San Jose (March 30) and Edmonton (April 1).

GOLDEN KNIGHTS The Vegas Golden Knights made an all-in push at the Trade Deadline, adding Noah Hanifin, Tomas Hertl and Anthony Mantha for their title defense. Since the March 8 deadline, the Knights are 5-2-0, but they haven’t beaten a team currently in the playoffs.

However, on a four-game road trip through the Central Division, they should expect some stiffer competition. After St. Louis, Vegas also visits Nashville, Winnipeg and Minnesota – all teams either in a playoff spot or in the hunt for one.

Last time out, the Golden Knights beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-2 in Las Vegas. Vegas was down 1-0 after the opening 20 minutes, but the Knights roared back with four unanswered goals, three of which came from the line of Jack Eichel, Ivan Barbashev and Jonathan Marchessault.

While Vegas’ star power took care of business Saturday, Head Coach Bruce Cassidy said his team’s depth will be just as important on the upcoming road trip.

“I like that we can use four lines,” he said. “We’re not piecing together a last line and hoping that they get it done or managing them. Going on the road with four (games) in five and a half days, you have to. You can’t overplay all the time.”

The Golden Knights (38-25-7) are playing the first night of a back-to-back, moving to Nashville on Tuesday. They hold a four-point lead over the Blues for the final Wild Card spot.

HEAD TO HEAD This is the third and final meeting between St. Louis and Vegas this season. The two teams played on Dec. 4 and 6 with each team winning on the road. The Blues have an all-time record of 11-7-7 against the Golden Knights.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

BLUES Jordan Kyrou, who scored his fourth career hat trick Saturday, now has six points (four goals, two assists) in his last two games.

GOLDEN KNIGHTS Former Blues forward Ivan Barbashev scored his 15th goal of the season against Columbus. Barbashev played parts of seven seasons in St. Louis, scoring 178 points in 410 games.

BLUE NOTES

• The Blues are 12-4-1 against Pacific Division teams this season.
• The Blues have dropped three straight home games against Vegas, but are 6-5-1 against Vegas at Enterprise Center since the Golden Knights entered the NHL in 2017-18.
• With the Blues’ next win, Doug Armstrong will move ahead of Bobby Clarke for 10th on the NHL’s all-time wins list among General Managers with 807 wins.
• Jordan Kyrou and Pavel Buchnevich each have two hat tricks this season. The Blues are now one of just two teams with at least two players recording multiple hat tricks this season, joining the Edmonton Oilers (Zach Hyman, Evander Kane).
• Nick Leddy dressed in his 1,000th career NHL game on Saturday at Minnesota, becoming the 45th active player to reach the milestone. The team will celebrate that milestone before the opening face-off on Monday night.
• Pavel Buchnevich recorded three assists on Saturday at Minnesota, his eighth game this season – second in his last four games – with three or more points, which is the most on the Blues.