GDT #40: Blues @ Kraken | 9:00 pm CT | BSMW, 101 ESPN
Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2022 11:42 am
TEAM SNAPSHOTS
BLUES It was a night to remember on Monday as the St. Louis Blues raised legendary defenseman Chris Pronger's No. 44 to the rafters at Enterprise Center. As they've done an NHL-leading 14 times now this season, the Blues came from behind to win 5-3 over the division-rival Nashville Predators.
Down 2-0 in the first period, the Blues scored four unanswered goals to take control of the game. Ivan Barbashev had a career night, recording his first four-point game.
Brayden Schenn also tallied four points on Monday in his first game back from COVID protocols. The line of Schenn, Barbashev and Ryan O'Reilly totaled 11 of the Blues' 15 points in the win.
"The whole team did a really good job," said Barbashev. "We just played hard, we played smart. We tried not to give them a lot of chances, which there were a couple from our mistakes, but overall, I think it was a really good game for our line and really good team effort."
The win over Nashville capped off a five-game homestand for the Blues, who went 4-1-0 in the season-long stint at Enterprise Center. Friday's game in Seattle will mark the start of a three-game road trip, finishing with weekend matchups against Vancouver and Calgary.
Pavel Buchnevich is expected to make his return to the lineup on Friday after clearing COVID protocols and skated with the team this week.
The Blues enter Friday's game with 51 points and a record of 23-11-5 as they battle with Colorado and Nashville for the Central Division lead.
KRAKEN The Seattle Kraken snapped a nine-game losing streak - which included a 2-1 loss to the Blues - in front of their fans on Monday, defeating the Chicago Blackhawks in a shootout.
It was Seattle's first shootout victory as a franchise and was sealed by Ryan Donato and Joonas Donskoi getting pucks past Marc-Andre Fleury. Their only other shootout was on Dec. 1 in Detroit, a 4-3 loss to the Red Wings. Donato and former Blue Vince Dunn also tallied regulation goals in the win.
Monday marked the Kraken's seventh home win of the season and first since Dec. 3 when they defeated the Oilers 4-3.
The fans at Climate Pledge Arena are more than ready for their new team to build some steam at home. The Kraken will face San Jose on Thursday before hosting the Blues, with the latter marking their fourth game of a six-game homestand.
As the League's 32nd franchise builds out and develops its roster, Seattle currently sits last place in the Pacific Division with 26 points and a record of 11-23-4 ahead of Thursday's game against the Sharks.
HEAD-TO-HEAD In the first and only matchup between the Blues and Kraken, St. Louis scored two goals in the third period to overcome an early Kraken lead and win at Enterprise Center. Just eight days will have passed between matchups, with the final game of the season series coming April 6 in St. Louis.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
BLUES Barbashev now has career high totals for goals (15), assists (19) and points (34) in a season. The 26-year-old forward has seven points in his last five games, including an assist on Buchnevich's game-winning goal in the Jan. 13 win over Seattle.
KRAKEN Jordan Eberle became the Kraken's first-ever All-Star selection last week and currently leads the team with 24 points. Davy Jones, the Kraken's newest roster addition, also provided support in the team's win over Chicago and is worth keeping a close eye on this season.
BLUE NOTES
Marco Scandella is set to play his 100th game as a Blue on Friday... Jordan Kyrou is averaging 1.15 points per game this season. The last Blue to average more was Pavol Demitra (1.19) during the 2002-03 season.
The Seattle Kraken might want to get Davy Jones a locker. And fast.
The expansion Kraken, who were coming off a nine-game losing streak, have won twice in a row since unveiling young Davy, their team dog, before a slump-busting, 3-2 overtime victory against the visiting Chicago Blackhawks on Monday.
The Kraken won again Thursday, defeating the visiting San Jose Sharks 3-2 as defenseman Carson Soucy scored twice and Philipp Grubauer made 23 saves.
Seattle will go for a season-best three in a row when it plays host to the St. Louis Blues on Friday night.
"Every team needs a puppy, I think," Kraken forward Joonas Donskoi said after scoring the shootout winner Monday. It should be noted that Donskoi has yet to score an actual goal this season, but he is 2-for-2 in shootouts.
Davy, a 4-month-old Husky mix, has been a hit with the players and coach Dave Hakstol, according to team officials. He came to the Kraken via Dog Gone Seattle, a foster-based rescue organization, and will be trained as a therapy dog.
He is off to a good start, as Grubauer was seen on the floor in the locker room in his leg pads playing with the puppy before Monday's game.
Grubauer, the team's biggest free agent signing, has struggled this season. The victory Monday was his first since Dec. 3. However, he has made 48 saves over the past two games and has stopped 17 of 19 of the shots he has faced on the opponent's power-play during that stretch. He had to make some key stops after the Sharks got two man-advantage situations in the final eight minutes Thursday.
A Kraken turnover deep in their own end gift-wrapped a San Jose goal in the game's opening minute, but Seattle found a way to bounce back.
Seattle's Calle Jarnkrok added his 100th career NHL goal.
"It's hard to say when you come out slow after a win last game, but I think we just looked at ourselves and said that's unacceptable as a team," Soucy said of allowing the quick opening tally.
Added Hakstol: "I give our guys a lot of credit to be able to step up in the second and third period and find a way to get it done when we weren't at our best."
The Blues have been idle since a 5-3 victory against the visiting Nashville Predators on Monday. Ivan Barbashev and Brayden Schenn each had two goals and two assists as St. Louis earned its league-leading 14th come-from-behind victory this season.
Schenn, who was playing his first game since returning from the COVID-19 protocol, and linemates Barbashev and Ryan O'Reilly combined for 11 points.
"The whole team did a really good job," Barbashev said. "We just played hard, we played smart. We tried to not give them a lot of chances, where there were a couple from our mistakes, but overall, I think it was a really good game for our line and a really good team effort.
The Blues went 4-1-0 on their just-completed homestand, including a 2-1 victory against the Kraken on Jan. 13. St. Louis trailed 1-0 after two periods in that game, but Pavel Buchnevich netted the winner on a power play at 5:30 of the third.
Buchnevich has since been in the virus protocol but is expected to return for Friday's game.
