GDT #80: Blues vs Hurricanes | 7:00 pm CT | BSMW, 101 ESPN

[theohall]

BLUES To say the St. Louis Blues came out hot Wednesday would be an understatement.

The first period against the Chicago Blackhawks resembled a dodgeball game more than a hockey game. Jordan Kyrou scored on the Blues' first shot just 2:04 in.

Then he got another. Then Torey Krug got one. Then Zack Bolduc joined the fun.

The Blues were up 4-0 in the first seven minutes. They became just the second team since 2009-10 to score on each of their first four shots.

That first-period blitz let the Blues cruise to a 5-2 win.

"Obviously I thought we had a real good start to that game," Blues coach Drew Bannister said, "and (we) got rewarded. Broke the game open pretty quickly. It was good to see the guys come out with that kind of urgency to start the game."

Bolduc, who was recently elevated to the top line, had a goal and an assist. The rookie's found some great chemistry with Robert Thomas and Brayden Schenn, and it's led to goals in each game since the switch.

"I'm getting more comfortable," Bolduc said, "I think my confidence level is pretty good too. Playing with Tommer and Schenner has made my game so much easier."

With the win and a Vegas Golden Knights loss, the Blues stay alive in the playoff chase. They're three points behind the Knights with three games left. After Carolina, they close out the final homestand of the year against the Seattle Kraken on Sunday.

"We've just got to continue to play our game and win hockey games," Bannister said. "Right now that's all we can do. Obviously we understand that we need a little bit of luck, but that's out of our control. It's on us, too, that it's out of our control, so all we can control is what we can do today and what we can do on Friday."

HURRICANES While the Blues' last three opponents are playing for ping pong balls, their next one is going all in for the Stanley Cup.

The Carolina Hurricanes have been one of the NHL's top teams all season long. They're an incredibly well-rounded team, and it's earned them the league's third-best record (50-22-7).

Defense has been Carolina's calling card for the last few seasons, and this year's no different. The Canes have the league's best penalty kill (86.4%) and allow the third-fewest goals per game (2.54). Starting goalie Frederik Andersen leads the NHL with a .931 save percentage (min. 15 games played).

Scoring has never been an issue for Carolina and the star forward duo of Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov. However, at the Trade Deadline, the Canes threw gasoline onto the fire, acquiring Jake Guentzel from the Pittsburgh Penguins. Combine that with 22-year-old Seth Jarvis' breakout year and plenty of forward depth, and you get a team built for a deep playoff run.

The Hurricanes continued their dominant play with a 4-1 win over the Boston Bruins on Tuesday, their third win in a row. Once again, offense, defense and special teams were all clicking. Svechnikov scored another Michigan goal, Boston was held to just 23 shots and the penalty kill shut down every Bruins power play.

That win was the Canes' 50th, making them the first team to reach the half-century mark each of the last three years.

"That's an unbelieveable accomplishment," Guentzel said. "Playing against them for all those years, you know how hard this team is to play against, so to join them now and be on that side, it's a good feeling."

Friday's game doesn't have much impact for Carolina. The 2-seed in the Metropolitan Division is all but guaranteed, but don't expect them to take the night off as they try to build some momentum to take into the postseason.

HEAD TO HEAD This is the second and final meeting between the Blues and Hurricanes this season. The Blues won the only other meeting in a shootout in Raleigh on Jan. 6.

PLAYERS TO WATCH
BLUES Zack Bolduc has adjusted nicely to his new line. The 21-year-old had his first multi-point game Wednesday and has three points in the two games he's flanked Schenn and Thomas.

HURRICANES Jake Guentzel, who scored Tuesday in Boston, has had incredible start in Raleigh. As a Hurricane, Guentzel 22 points in just 16 games, which is tied for 10th in the league since the March 8 deadline.

BLUE NOTES
The Blues are 6-5-0 in their last 11 games against Carolina. They're 3-2-0 in their last five home games against the Hurricanes.

Friday vs. Carolina will be the Blues' last game this season against the Eastern Conference

The Blues have also allowed just 2.30 goals against per game at home since the start of March, which ranks fourth in the NHL. Carolina ranks first at 1.60 goals per game at home.

The Blues have not allowed a power-play goal to Carolina in their last four matchups, going 3-for-3 on the penalty kill over those four games.

The Blues scored four goals in the first 6:59 of Wednesday's game, marking the third-fastest four goals from the start of a game in franchise history, trailing only 6:41 on Feb. 6, 1973 against Vancouver and 6:58 on April 4, 2019 against Philadelphia.

Jordan Kyrou scored twice in the opening 2:46 Wednesday to mark the fourth-fastest two goals by a player from the start of a game in Blues history. Kyrou also owns the second-fastest instance in franchise history when he scored twice in the first 2:06 on Jan. 30, 2021.

Kyrou is one goal away from recording consecutive 30-goal seasons for the first time in his career. Since 2000, only four Blues have done so: Vladimir Tarasenko, Brad Boyes, Keith Tkachuk and Pavol Demitra.

[glen a richter]

I was ready to label Bolduc a bust but I’m warming up to the kid. Can’t wait to see how he does with a full NHL season next year.

[theohall]

I'm surprised how quickly Bolduc's adjusted to NHL level play considering how long it took him to adjust to the AHL.