QUICK HITS
BLUES The St. Louis Blues (40-28-7) further solidified their playoff odds and extended their winning streak to nine games with a 2-1 victory over the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday.
The Blues now have 87 points and sit ahead of the Calgary Flames (82) and Vancouver Canucks (81), albeit with more games played. The Minnesota Wild lost in a shootout on Monday night, putting them one point ahead of the Blues in the first Wild Card spot with the same number of games played.
It was an intense, high-energy matchup in Colorado between the division foes. Zack Bolduc got the Blues on the board early with his 16th goal of the season, third-most among all NHL rookies. Pavel Buchnevich, who returned after missing the previous four games with an illness, notched the game-winner in the third period.
“Our third periods have been excellent here for maybe this entire run, and our game management has been excellent,” said Head Coach Jim Montgomery. “We’ve gone into the last two third periods expecting to win, and that’s what’s happening. Because they believe. And when you believe, you can achieve.”
The Blues now set their sights on the Detroit Red Wings as they host the old rival at Enterprise Center on Tuesday to open a three-game homestand. A win for St. Louis would match the franchise record for home win streak at nine games and would achieve a 10-game overall win streak for the third time in franchise history.
RED WINGS The Detroit Red Wings (34-33-6) are desperate for points as they are one of a handful of teams in a congested Eastern Conference Wild Card race.
With the regular season winding down, there are five teams still in the fight for the last playoff spot in the East. The Red Wings, New York Islanders, Columbus Blue Jackets and New York Rangers are all within three points of the second Wild Card, which is currently occupied by the Montreal Canadiens.
Detroit is 4-6-0 in their last 10 games but are coming off a 2-1 win against the Boston Bruins on Saturday. Forwards Lucas Raymond and Marco Kasper scored for the Red Wings while Cam Talbot made 20 saves in net.
It’s been an up-and-down season in the Motor City. The team fired head coach Derek Lalonde on Dec. 26 and replaced him with veteran coach Todd McLellan. The team responded well, winning seven of the next eight games. Overall the Red Wings are 21-16-2 under McLellan, but are 6-11-1 since the break.
The Blues and Red Wings have met once prior this season, a 4-0 win for St. Louis on Dec. 26 at Little Caesars Arena. It was Detroit’s last game under Lalonde ahead of the coaching change.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
BLUES Robert Thomas assisted on both goals in the Blues’ win against the Avalanche, extending his point streak to five games (two goals, 10 assists) and giving him four games in a row with multiple assists. If he has another multi-assist game on Tuesday, he would be the first Blue in franchise history with five consecutively. His next assist will also be his 50th of the season, becoming the first Blue with back-to-back seasons of 50 or more assists since Doug Weight (2002-04).
RED WINGS Lucas Raymond has scored in two consecutive games, including the game-winning goal on Saturday against Boston. The fourth-year forward has already surpassed his previous career high with 73 points (26 goals, 47 assists) in 73 games this season. He leads the Red Wings in points and ranks third on the team in goals.
BLUE NOTES
- The Blues’ 12 wins in March matched the franchise record for wins in a single month (achieved three times previously).
- St. Louis has scored 39 goals during their nine-game win streak while only giving up 13. Their goal differential of +26 since Mar. 15 is the best in the NHL in that span.
- Jordan Binnington is 12-2-1 since Feb. 2 with a 2.26 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage. He holds the second-most wins in the NHL in that span (1. Andrei Vasilevskiy, 14).
- The Blues are 13-for-47 (27.7 percent) on the power play since returning from the break, which ranks seventh in the NHL.
