TEAM SNAPSHOTS
BLUES The Blues snapped a four-game losing skid on Thursday with a 4-1 win against the Sharks on home ice. Brandon Saad scored twice for St. Louis, with Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou rounding out the scoring. Rookie defenseman Scott Perunovich registered his first NHL point with an assist on Thomas' goal. Ville Husso had a solid performance in net, making 26 saves in his first start since Oct. 25.
It's been a news-filled week regarding the roster. Torey Krug re-entered the lineup after being in COVID-19 protocol, Perunovich skated in his NHL debut and Oskar Sundqvist made his long-awaited return following ACL surgery last season.
With 20 points in 16 games, the Blues head into Saturday's game sitting in third place in the Central Division behind Winnipeg and Minnesota.
STARS After two straight wins, the Stars fell 7-2 to the Wild on Thursday in Minnesota. The loss put them at 6-7-2 this season and sixth in the Central Division. Forwards Jamie Benn and Jacob Peterson scored for Dallas. Goaltender Anton Khudobin made 19 saves on 26 shots.
The Stars are 3-5-2 in their last 10, but are 3-2-1 at home this season. While it's been an up-and-down season for the team, a bright spot has been their power play, which ranks third in the NHL at 26.8 percent (1. EDM, 2. STL). Dallas is also a strong faceoff team, winning 53.8 percent of their draws this season, good for sixth in the League.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
The Blues and Stars are facing off in regular-season action for the first time since Feb. 29, 2020. St. Louis has points in five straight games against the Stars (4-0-1), including consecutive wins. They are 3-1-0 in their last four games at American Airlines Center.
David Perron (31 points in 39 games) and Vladimir Tarasenko (24 points in 28 games) are the Blues' team leaders in career points vs. Dallas, with Tarasenko currently on a five-game point streak (four goals, two assists) at American Airlines Center.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
BLUES Jordan Kyrou's tally vs. the Sharks extended his point streak to a career-high six games (six goals, two assists). The 23-year-old forward leads the Blues in both goals (eight) and points (18) through 16 games this season.
STARS Defenseman Miro Heiskanen leads all Stars skaters with 13 points (three goals, 10 assists) this season while playing more than 20 minutes a night for the team.
BLUE NOTES
Justin Faulk dressed in his 700th career game Thursday, becoming the 33rd active U.S.-born player to reach that mark ... Captain Ryan O'Reilly collected his 200th point as a Blue on Thursday, the 46th player in team history to hit that milestone ... Robert Thomas has eight points (one goal, seven assists) in his last five games ... Ivan Barbashev is one shy of 100 career points
The sense of relief for the St. Louis Blues, when they returned to the win column Thursday, was palpable.
Now, the question is whether the Blues can carry that momentum into Saturday's road clash with the Dallas Stars.
The Blues snapped a four-game losing skid with a 4-1 win over the San Jose Sharks to end a disappointing homestand. It was a much-needed result after a 3-2 loss to the cellar-dwelling Arizona Coyotes two nights earlier.
"I think it's a bit of a wakeup call," said forward Brandon Saad, who scored twice in the Sharks' victory. "Sometimes you just look at the result, but I think for us, it's something we just want to focus on how we can play every night. Regardless of how the result ends, it's something that we had to be better as a team and it's something we talked about -- getting better every night playing a full 60 minutes, that kind of thing. It definitely felt good getting a win."
In the victory, leading scorer Jordan Kyrou extended his goal-scoring streak to three games. He is riding a six-game point streak, in which he has collected six goals and two assists.
While the general belief may be the Blues found the emotional investment to rebound from the disappointing loss to Arizona, coach Craig Berube said a different approach was more valuable.
"Businesslike. Practice the next day was businesslike," Berube said. "I don't know if I really talk in terms of business to the players like that, but if we can become a businesslike team night in, night out, in practice and all that, that goes a long way. And you know you're going to be prepared to play the right way if you get that mindset."
The Stars return home after a humbling 7-2 road loss to the Minnesota Wild on Thursday, which ended a two-game winning burst. It is another setback for a squad that has struggled to put forward a lengthy winning streak.
"We never really got to our game," defenseman Ryan Suter said. "They played well, but the first couple of goals we gave them, turned pucks over, fly-bys. We were never really able to get the momentum back. Shame on us for not playing better."
Since reaching the 2020 Stanley Cup Final, the Stars have looked out of sync. En route to missing the playoffs last season, they only twice strung together more than two consecutive victories, and have yet to do that this season.
"I think we've had enough kumbayas," said forward Tyler Seguin, referring to his club's recent team meetings that haven't led to more consistency. "We've got to figure something out. Maybe this is the one you try to stop the page on."
The loss has the makings of a fire-starter moment, but even in their recent victories, the Stars have not been in top form, and they know it.
"We're just inconsistent, throughout games, game to game," Suter said. "If we can figure that out where it's just simple, basic hockey until you get that confidence and momentum that winning teams have. When you're winning, everyone's feeling good, everyone's chipping in. We haven't found that yet. Luckily, it's early, but we've got to find it soon."
