GDT #27: Blues vs G. Knights | 7:00 pm CT | FSMW, 101 ESPN
Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2021 7:35 am
Season series presented by Bommarito Automotive: Blues lead 1-0
The St. Louis Blues and Vegas Golden Knights will meet on back-to-back nights beginning Friday night at Enterprise Center.
The teams haven't met since Jan. 26 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
In that game, Golden Knights forward Max Pacioretty had a hat trick, but David Perron scored two goals, Jordan Kyrou and Jaden Schwartz each scored, and Jordan Binnington made 42 saves in a 5-4 shootout victory for St. Louis.
The Golden Knights were without their coaching staff after one of their coaches tested positive for COVID-19 in that matchup. The next game between the clubs was postponed after defenseman Alex Pietrangelo entered the League's COVID protocols.
Friday's game would have been Pietrangelo's first back in St. Louis, but the Golden Knights announced Wednesday that he would be out for "the foreseeable future" because of an upper-body injury. Pietrangelo has returned to Vegas for further evaluation after blocking a shot on Saturday against San Jose.
The Golden Knights are in first place in the West Division with a 16-6-1 record (33 points) in 23 games this season. The Blues are just one point behind Vegas at 14-8-4 (32 points) in 26 games.
Vegas will have some question marks in goal Friday: Marc-Andre Fleury was added to the COVID protocol list Thursday, and Robin Lehner is on a conditioning stint in the AHL after dealing with an upper-body injury. Goalie Logan Thompson was recalled from Vegas' AHL affiliate and is 6-1-0 with a 1.72 goals-against average and a .946 save percentage this season. He was named the AHL Goaltender of the Month in February.
BLUE NOTES
Marco Scandella is set to play in his 600th career game Friday, while Sammy Blais could be making his 100th career appearance. Kyle Clifford played in his 700th game Monday… The Blues have points in six straight games after going 4-0-2 on their recent six-game road trip… The Blues have not lost to the Golden Knights in regulation (6-0-4)… St. Louis has recorded a power-play goal in five straight games (7-for-15). Since March 1, the Blues' power play ranks third overall in the League… Brayden Schenn has points in six straight games (three goals, four assists)… David Perron has the longest active point streak in the League at seven games (four goals, five assists).
BOTTOM LINE: Vegas visits the St. Louis Blues after Dylan Coghlan scored three goals in the Golden Knights' 4-3 loss to the Wild.
The Blues are 14-8-4 against division opponents. St. Louis ranks ninth in the league averaging 5.5 assists per game, led by David Perron with 0.7.
The Golden Knights are 16-6-1 in division games. Vegas ranks ninth in the Nhl recording 8.6 points per game, averaging 3.2 goals and 5.5 assists.
In their last meeting on Jan. 26, St. Louis won 5-4. Perron scored a team-high two goals for the Blues in the victory.
TOP PERFORMERS: Mike Hoffman leads the Blues with a plus-13 in 25 games this season. Ryan O'Reilly has nine assists over the last 10 games for St. Louis.
Mark Stone has 28 total points while scoring six goals and totaling 22 assists for the Golden Knights. Alex Tuch has 9 points over the last 10 games for Vegas.
LAST 10 GAMES: Blues: 5-3-2, averaging 3.1 goals, 5.6 assists, 2.8 penalties and 6.1 penalty minutes while giving up 3.2 goals per game with an .892 save percentage.
Golden Knights: 6-4-0, averaging 3.2 goals, 5.2 assists, 2.9 penalties and 6.6 penalty minutes while giving up 2.2 goals per game with a .927 save percentage.
INJURIES: Blues: Carl Gunnarsson: out for season (lower body), Jaden Schwartz: day to day (upper body), Oskar Sundqvist: day to day (undisclosed), Robert Thomas: out (thumb).
Golden Knights: Robin Lehner: day to day (upper body), Alex Pietrangelo: out (undisclosed).
