St. Louis Blues: Five Home Games To Mark On Calendars for the 2016-17 Season

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May 15, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues goalie Brian Elliott (1) is congratulated by teammates after defeating the San Jose Sharks in game one of the Western Conference Final of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scottrade Center. The Blues won the game 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Billy Hurst-USA TODAY Sports /

The St. Louis Blues released their 2016-17 regular season schedule on tuesday, featuring road and home contests against all other 29 NHL teams in nearly a six-month span.

St. Louis will enter their 50th anniversary season with a similar workload to years past. That includes 82 games total and 28 matchups against Central Division opponents.

On average, the Blues will play about 14 games per month. Ken Hitchcock’s team will be challenged with games on back-to-back nights 12 times throughout the season and faces its largest monthly action in March with 15 games.

While each regular season game presents the same opportunity to gain to points and climb up the standings, a few matchups may appeal to fans’ interest more than others. Of the Blues 41 home games, five currently stand out based on renewed rivalries and recent trends.

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Feb 6, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; Minnesota Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk (40) blocks the shot of St. Louis Blues center Paul Stastny (26) during the second period at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /

1. Thursday, October 13, 2016 vs. Minnesota Wild

The home opener will be a great test for the Blues to make statement, especially because the team begins their season in Chicago the night before. This marks the earliest into a season St. Louis has played Minnesota since the NHL last expanded in 2000.

Having won three of their last four home openers, the Blues have recorded 17 goals in their last five games to open a season. A victory would help St. Louis build confidence following a regular season campaign in which the team finished 24-13-4 at Scottrade Center.

Another hidden story behind the home opener will be Mike Yeo’s first taste as St. Louis’s assistant coach against the team he last coached in February. After recording a 173-132-44 record over five seasons with the Wild, it will be interesting to see how Yeo’s experience with Minnesota’s players pays off in the first of five games against his former team during the 2016-17 season.

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Mar 22, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; St. Louis Blues goalie Jake Allen (34) makes a save on Detroit Red Wings left wing Justin Abdelkader (8) in the third period at Joe Louis Arena. Detroit won 2-1 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Thursday, October 27, 2016 vs. Detroit Red Wings

Before the Blues-Blackhawks rivalry evolved into one of hockey’s largest encounters, the Red Wings were the team St. Louis strived to beat. The Red Wings recently tied the Blues’ franchise record of 25 straight playoff appearances, during a span in which they won 98 regular season games against the Blues.

But the Blues-Red Wings rivalry lost much of it lust as a byproduct of the Winnipeg Jets relocating to the Western Conference in 2013. This realignment moved the Red Wings to the Eastern Conference prior to the 2013-14 season, meaning the Blues only play their former highly-touted foe at Scottrade Center once a year.

However, the annual Blues-Red Wings matchup continue to lure large crowds, as Scottrade Center has averaged 18,357 fans in contests against Detroit over the last three seasons. Both squads can still battle for bragging rights twice a season, but St. Louis’s second game against the Eastern Conference will serve as a strong reminder of the tradition once held between these two teams.

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Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Thursday, November 17, 2016 vs. San Jose Sharks

A rematch of last season’s Western Conference Finals will allow the Blues to seek redemption against a Sharks team that proved to be their Achilles heel last season.

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The teams were similarly constructed during the playoffs with mid-season goalie platoon systems and two former 40-goal scorers, Joe Pavelski and Vladimir Tarasenko, in the final vote for the NHL 17 cover.

Both franchises also made their deepest playoff runs of the 21st century last season. The balance between the Blues and Sharks is further shown as the teams are just separated by four points in head-to-head matchups since 2013.

Despite shared experiences, hockey fans can expect plenty of spontaneous results if the Blues-Sharks series reaches the level of last year. Between the playoffs and regular season, the two foes compiled twice as five-goal efforts than one-goal games against one another.

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Apr 25, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues right wing Troy Brouwer (36) scores the game-winning goal against the Chicago Blackhawks during the third period in game seven of the first round of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scottrade Center. The St. Louis Blues defeat the Chicago Blackhawks 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Monday, January 2, 2017 vs. Chicago Blackhawks

Seventeen teams had the opportunity to play in an outdoor regular season hockey game before the St. Louis Blues, but the wait will be well worth it when the Blues host the ninth Winter Classic at Busch Stadium against the Chicago Blackhawks.

The game will also be monumental for the legacy of Busch Stadium. The mecca for many St. Louis fans has held various non-baseball related events from professional soccer games to rock concerts. With the venue able to hold nearly 47,000 fans at its peak, the Blues could play the game in front of a crowd more than twice the capacity of Scottrade Center.

Chicago has experience in outdoor NHL games with a pair of appearances of Winter Classic and NHL Stadium Series showcases since 2009. Hosting the Winter Classic is a huge step for the Blues to reassure their rivalry with the Blackhawks, who they defeated in the conference quarterfinals in seven games last season.

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Mar 24, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; St. Louis Blues right wing Vladimir Tarasenko (91) handles the puck as Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Paul Martin (L) defends during the first period at the CONSOL Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

5. Saturday, February 4, 2017 vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

Less than two weeks removed from their fourth Stanley Cup title, the Pittsburgh Penguins will be the thirteenth Eastern Conference team to make a road trip to St. Louis during the 2016-17 campaign. But perhaps what’s even more special is that Pittsburgh will be one of four teams, including the Blues, honoring their 50th year in the National Hockey League.

By the time the Blues and Penguins meet, the team outlooks could be completely different on both sides. It will be challenging for the Penguins to free cap space to the extent where Evgeni Malkin or Marc Andre Fluery could be traded, while Blues have important decisions to make on unrestricted free agent veterans David Backes and Troy Brouwer.

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The Blues have noticed positive results against Pittsburgh recently with points five of their last six games against the Penguins. In fact, Sidney Crosby had not scored a goal against the Blues until his eleventh season, while Malkin and Phil Kessel have been limited to no more than a point per game against St. Louis.

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