GDT #61: Blues @ Flyers | 6:00 pm CT | BSMW, 101 ESPN

[theohall]

BLUES After losing all three games on their most recent road trip, the St. Louis Blues came back to Enterprise Center for one chance to get back in the win column. Their opponent: the Minnesota Wild, who were just a point back of the Blues, looking to make a playoff push of their own.

St. Louis responded with a 3-1 win, breaking its losing streak against a divisional rival. The Blues got goals from Alexey Toropchenko, Jake Neighbours and Torey Krug, while Jordan Binnington made 21 saves.

“We liked our last two games in Edmonton and Winnipeg," Neighbours said after the game. "We were playing good hockey and probably deserved a better fate in at least one of them. The goal coming into tonight was to continue that momentum and continue to play the right way. I thought we did that."

With the standings as close as they are, the Blues need to string together wins, so a home win is huge before another set of away games.

“Obviously we’re going on a road trip right now," Krug said, "and we’re a few points back, so whenever you’re at home, you try to clock as many as you can. Important (win) for our group confidence and psyche moving forward.”

They're trying to catch the Nashville Predators - who've won eight in a row - for the Western Conference's final Wild Card spot. The Blues have 22 games remaining, so each game becomes more important as they try to gain on Nashville's seven-point lead.

“For us right now and for a lot of teams in our position, every point’s important," Blues Head Coach Drew Bannister said. "It’s do-or-die hockey right now; it’s playoff hockey. These are meaningful games. For us (Saturday), it’s a step in the right direction."

Philadelphia is just the first stop of this five-game road trip. While there's a quick turnaround, the Blues (31-26-3) won't have to travel far. They're back at it against the New York Islanders Tuesday night on Long Island. From there, they visit the Devils, Rangers and Bruins before heading home.

FLYERS The Philadelphia Flyers are a young team that have had an up-and-down season. Their longest win streak is five games, which they've done twice. Once the first streak ended, they lost four of the next five games. Once the second ended, they lost the next five. Philadelphia is 5-4-1 in its last 10 games, never losing or winning more than two in a row.

The Flyers are going to want to build some more consistency down the stretch as they make a push for the postseason. They've spent the last five games without All-Star Travis Konecny, forcing coach John Tortorella to look to his younger players. In Konecny's absense, 22-year-old forward Tyson Foerster has been Philly's go-to guy. He's had seven points in his last five games, including two goals against the Senators.

Foerster's been known for his defensive game, but his teammates have appreciated the scoring outburst.

"He’s been good all year defensively, and now he’s starting to score some goals here, which are crucial for our team. Great guy and really happy for him, but he makes a couple huge plays out there out of nothing, and that’s kind of what we need with (Konecny) out."

Foerster's recent success has helped the Flyers stay afloat without their best player. That's allowed them to stay in playoff position, which Tortorella believes is the next important step in his young squad's development. With an average age of 26.9, the Flyers are the eighth-youngest team in the NHL and the youngest currently in a playoff spot.

“The most important part of this (that) is we’re playing games in March that mean something," Tortorella said. "That’s huge for our kids.”

The Flyers (32-23-7) hold third place in the Metropolitan Division. They have some breathing room with a five-point lead on the Islanders, who are fourth in the division.

HEAD TO HEAD This is the second and final matchup between the Blues and Flyers this season. Philadelphia took the earlier matchup 4-2 at Enterprise Center on Jan. 15. The Blues are 3-2-0 in their last five trips to the City of Brotherly Love.

PLAYERS TO WATCH
BLUES Kevin Hayes, who played four seasons with the Flyers, is returning to Philadelphia for the first time since the Blues acquired him last summer. Hayes had 157 points in 253 games as a Flyer.

FLYERS With Konecny out, Tyson Foerster has stepped up for Philadelphia. He's scored in four of his last five games, including twice against Ottawa. Foerster has 16 goals and 12 assists in 57 games this season.

BLUE NOTES
Blues General Manager Doug Armstrong is just one win away from his 800th win. A victory Monday would make him one of 11 GMs in NHL history to do so.

Jake Neighbours continued his breakout season Saturday, scoring his 20th goal of the season. Neighbours, 21, has the most goals of any player this season age 21 or younger. He's also the 10th player in Blues history to score 20+ goals at that age or younger.

The Flyers are the only team in the NHL with more shorthanded goals than the Blues this season. Philadelphia has 14 compared to St. Louis' 11.

The Blues have not allowed a power-play goal to the Flyers in their last five meetings, going 12-for-12 on the penalty kill in those games.

On Saturday vs. Minnesota, Binnington earned his 138th career win, moving him past Curtis Joseph for third on the Blues all-time franchise list. He's 13 wins away from tying Mike Liut for the top spot.

Robert Thomas had one assist Saturday, giving him his 69th point. Thomas is currently one of nine forwards this season with at least 69 points and a +13 rating, alongside Nathan MacKinnon, David Pastrnak, J.T. Miller, Connor McDavid, Sam Reinhart, Auston Matthews, Mitchell Marner and Leon Draisaitl.

[theohall]

While the Flyers are good at taking away time and space, in general, they are incredibly focused on Neighbours and Kyrou, so far, who are getting even less space than the rest of the forwards.