GDT #70: Blues @ Senators | 6:00 pm CT | BSMW, 101 ESPN

[theohall]

Ottawa has an 18-15-2 record in home games and a 28-35-4 record overall. The Senators have committed 276 total penalties (4.1 per game) to rank ninth in the league.

St. Louis has a 36-30-3 record overall and a 15-18-2 record on the road. The Blues have a 28-4-1 record in games they score three or more goals.

The matchup Thursday is the second meeting between these teams this season. The Blues won 4-2 in the last matchup.

TOP PERFORMERS: Drake Batherson has scored 23 goals with 27 assists for the Senators. Brady Tkachuk has five goals and two assists over the last 10 games.

Pavel Buchnevich has 23 goals and 29 assists for the Blues. Alexey Toropchenko has scored five goals over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Senators: 3-6-1, averaging 2.2 goals, 4.4 assists, 3.6 penalties and 8.5 penalty minutes while giving up 3.4 goals per game.

Blues: 6-4-0, averaging 2.4 goals, 4.4 assists, 2.5 penalties and 5.3 penalty minutes while giving up 2.2 goals per game.

INJURIES: Senators: Josh Norris: out for season (upper body), Rourke Chartier: out (upper body), Travis Hamonic: out (undisclosed), Matthew Highmore: out (upper-body), Zack MacEwen: out (lower body).

Blues: None listed.

[theohall]

BLUES The St. Louis Blues' win streak was snapped by the Colorado Avalanche 4-3 at Enterprise Center on Tuesday.

While they kept the game close, the Blues made a few costly mistakes, which Colorado - namely Mikko Rantanen, who had a hat trick - took advantage of every time.

"When you make mistakes, those guys - there's a reason they have as many points as they do. They capitalize," Blues Captain Brayden Schenn said postgame.

Despite the loss, the Blues are still optimistic about their play. They got a healthy contribution from the fourth line, with goals from Nathan Walker and Alexey Toropchenko.

"I thought we generated a lot of offense here (Tuesday) against a good team that plays fast...The chances were there for us," Blues Head Coach Drew Bannister said. "Certainly we'd like to see us cash in on a couple of those extra chances that we had, but offensively I thought our guys played well here."

While the Blues (36-30-3) lost Tuesday, so did the Golden Knights. Therefore, the final Wild Card spot is still four points away, with the Wild just one point ahead of the Blues. After Ottawa, the Blues play both Minnesota (March 23) and Vegas (March 25), so they'll need to pick up all the points they can before two games with massive playoff implications.

SENATORS The Ottawa Senators are coming off a lopsided loss to the Boston Bruins at home. Despite only trailing 3-2 after the second period, Ottawa let up three unanswered goals in the third, resulting in a 6-2 win for Boston.

"We played well for two periods," Shane Pinto said after the game, "and then I don't know what happened in the third. We just didn't stay consistent, and it just kind of got away from us."

Tuesday was the second game in a row where the Sens trailed by one through 40 minutes before its opponent blew the game wide open in the third period. Sunday, Carolina scored four times unanswered in the final frame for a 7-2 win.

"The difference at the end of the day is [Boston] played a perfect game in both ways up the ice, and we didn't. We gave them scoring chances, and when you play good teams like that, they're going to find the back of the net."

The Senators (28-35-4) have had a frustrating year. Despite entering the season with playoff hopes, they currently hold the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference. They changed coaches mid-season and parted ways with Vladimir Tarasenko at the Trade Deadline.

After Thursday's game, Ottawa gets one day of rest before back-to-back games with New Jersey and Edmonton over the weekend.

HEAD TO HEAD This is the second and final matchup between the Blues and Sens this season. The Blues won the first meeting on Dec. 14, 4-2, which was also Drew Bannister's first game as Head Coach.

PLAYERS TO WATCH
BLUES Jake Neighbours, who had one assist Tuesday, may be a Tkachuk at heart. Lately, he's been compared to Blues Hall of Famer Keith Tkachuk for his scoring prowess around the net. When he was drafted in 2020, Neighbours said he models his game after Matthew Tkachuk. He's played like it, too; Neighbours is one of four players under 25 to deflect at least 25 shots on goal this season. He joins that list with Alexis Lafrenière, Quinton Byfield and...

SENATORS ...Brady Tkachuk. The St. Louis native scored his 31st goal of the season Tuesday, a team high. Tkachuk also leads the Sens with 57 points in 66 games.

BLUE NOTES
In their last 20 games against Ottawa, since Nov. 19, 2010, the Blues are 12-4-4.

The Blues are 2-1-0 in their last three trips to Ottawa and have earned points in eight of their last 10 games in Ottawa (7-2-1).

The Blues are 28-4-1 this season when they score at least three goals in a game (excluding shootout goals). Meanwhile, since March 1, the Senators average the third-fewest goals per game in the NHL (2.20).

Neighbours currently has a four-game point streak (two goals, two assists), which is one shy of matching his career-high five-game point streak, which he did earlier this season (five goals, one assist from Nov. 18-26).

Zach Dean is expected to make his Blues debut Thursday. Dean, who the Blues acquired via trade on Feb. 26, 2023, played junior hockey in Gatineau, Quebec, which is just across the river from Ottawa. In four seasons with the Gatineau Olympiques, Dean posted 188 points (82 goals, 106 assists) in 177 games.

[glen a richter]

I'm conflicted. I'd love to see them make the playoffs but my brain says they'll go nowhere fast when they get there.

It's a crappy looking draft but there's one particular RHD I think they'd have a shot at drafting who would be really good down the line and it would be nice to get a ball in the lottery.

I guess lose but don't shit the bed.

[theohall]

Big catch-22s for this team.

1) They aren't going anywhere if the make the playoffs.
2) Management wants to see who the heck will compete and trying to make the playoffs counts as competing.
3) Management probably wants better draft picks, but can't get #2 if the players actually do #2 (no, not poop).
4) This defensive corps can't stay the same which means getting better draft picks are a necessity (again contrary to seeing player compete) unless the Blues can dump some of these larger contracts that all have NTCs in the off-season. (Yes, Scandella will be gone, but that still leaves 4 d-men making a combined 23.5M. There will be room so sign a quality FA D if one is available, but it doesn't solve the current top 4 unless someone moves down or is traded.

We'll see.

While this might not be popular, I'd try to move Kyrou. His NTC doesn't kick in until 24-25. When I say Kyrou gives up more than he generates, he's at 50 points this season and -14. No plus/minus isn't the greatest stat but it's very indicative of Kyrou's play with him being that far negative. Both Thomas and Buchnevich are above the plus line and Kyrou has spent most of the season with those two. When he's not living off their help, he's a negative influence when not with those two and not a play driver when playing elsewhere. He's not worth the 8.125M the Blues are paying him if he's going to continue to be a one-dimensional player who regularly loses puck battles, doesn't seem willing to fight through whenever he's being tightly checked, and flat out ignores what coaches tell him (see the Avs game as an example or the numerous times Berube tried to teach him - whether it be practice, benching or given extra opportunities). Whomever has a boatload of picks, send him there.

[glen a richter]

I'd be absolutely on board with trading Kyrou, not even a question. Get Snuggerud and/or Dvorsky in right away.

Calgary has 3 first rounders. Get one of them, draft Parekh... offensively gifted RHD who they can work with to improve on his D. If you look at some of the top teams... Vancouver, Colorado, Tampa Bay, Rangers, Edmonton, they all have extremely offensively gifted d-men who play top pairing. This team needs someone like that. Use the other pick on Tij Iginla... yes, Jarome's son, and that would be a good first round for me.

[theohall]

Unfortunately, thanks to Krug being on this team, getting paid, and not wanting to leave, Krug is going to be the "top pairing offensive defenseman" until he starts playing so poorly he has to be moved down. Krug's another one... as much as he gets praised when he has a good offensive game... He's -25.... Seriously?? And he's a "top pairing" defenseman? Drop him in the lineup if he can't play defense at even strength and give someone else a chance... oh, that's right... they can't afford to thanks to the flipping cap and his 6.5M NTC contract.

If the Blues re-sign Scandella, that would be a solid reason to start looking for a new GM.

[theohall]

And now Kyrou has a good game...

Sens defensive lack of structure looks like the Blues last season.

[theohall]

While Kyrou had a good 1st period, his play in the 2nd period was awful. He was arguably the Blues worst forward in the 2nd period.