The St. Louis Blues are looking to try and keep their point streak alive tonight in the second game of their homestand against the Florida Panthers. After narrowly defeating the Stanley Cup runner-ups, the Edmonton Oilers, on Tuesday night, now take on the team that beat them in the final.
The Blues and Panthers have had some great battles over the last two seasons, with the Blues having the winning advantage of 4-1-2. The Panthers took the first game of this two-game season series this season, on December 20, with a 2-1 overtime win.
Let’s give this one a preview.
Need two, not one
This is a huge game for the Blues, as they still sit six points behind Calgary for the last playoff spot in the Western Conference. After securing three of the previous four possible points, they are gonna need the full two tonight, not just one.
This is going to be defenseman Ryan Suter’s 1,499th game of his career, which means that all eyes are on him for Saturday against the Chicago Blackhawks. His performance with newly-returned Nick Leddy in Tuesday’s matchup with Edmonton was adequate, but not fantastic. Their CorsiFor% of 44.8 was the highest amongst the three defensive lines. This means that Leddy and Suter kept the puck in the Blues hands, more than chasing after the Oilers.
One key thing to watch for is how the Blues open up the game. They are still failing to get any momentum going in the first period of the game, and are often giving up high-scoring chances or goals in the first period. If they can settle in early, they have a chance to win this hockey game.
The puck drop will be at 7:00 PM CT, and this will be the rubber match of the three-game homestand before the 4 Nations Faceoff on February 12.