The St. Louis Blues (38-28-7) and Nashville Predators (27-36-8) will meet for the third time in 10 days and final time this season as the teams clash at Bridgestone Arena on Thursday night.
The Blues hold the advantage in this season’s series, winning all three matchups thus far while outscoring the Predators 15-6. However tensions have been building between the teams, who have combined for 105 hits and 112 penalty minutes in their last two meetings.
Despite the extracurriculars, the Blues will need to stay focused on getting two points in the Music City as they remain in a tight playoff race.
St. Louis currently sits in the second Wild Card spot with 83 points in 73 games. They are just two points behind Minnesota in the first WC spot and a few points up on Vancouver and Calgary below them, but all three opponents have games in hand.
LAST GAME
BLUES The Blues extended their win streak to seven games with a commanding 6-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday at Enterprise Center.
Forward Robert Thomas and defenseman Philip Broberg each had four-point performances with one goal and three assists apiece. Dylan Holloway (one goal, one assist) and Cam Fowler (two assists) also had multi-point nights, while Jordan Binnington made 24 saves in net.
Tuesday’s win concluded a perfect 4-0 homestand for the Blues, who now head back on the road for a two-game trip to Nashville and Colorado.
PREDATORS The Predators are coming off a 3-1 win against the Hurricanes on Tuesday, sweeping their two-game season series with Carolina.
Despite getting outshot 35-16 in the game, Nashville triumphed thanks to two goals from forward Luke Evangelista and a 34-save performance from goaltender Juuse Saros.
The Predators are 5-4-1 in their last 10 games with a strong record at home this season (18-14-3). They currently rank seventh in the Central Division with 62 points.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
BLUES Robert Thomas has back-to-back games with three or more points and eight points overall (two goals, six assists) in his last three outings. The forward has been held off the scoresheet only three times in 17 games since the break, totaling 23 points in that span. His 28 points since Feb. 2 shares first in the NHL with Nathan MacKinnon, while his 21 assists lead the League in that span.
PREDATORS While having a down year by his standards, Steven Stamkos is still an offensive threat anytime he’s on the ice. Stamkos ranks second on the Predators in goals (23) and third in points (45) this season, his first in Nashville after 16 years with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Overall the forward has collected 1,182 points (578 goals, 604 assists) in 1,153 career games.
BLUE NOTES
- Forward Radek Faksa is expected to dress in his 700th career game.
- The Blues’ seven-game win streak is their longest of the season and longest active win streak in the NHL.
- St. Louis is 13-2-2 since the break. Their 13 wins and 28 points since Feb. 22 are each the most in the NHL.
- Defensemen Justin Faulk and Cam Fowler each have 13 points since Feb. 22, which shares fourth among all defensemen in the NHL in that stretch.
