They're back!!
TEAM SNAPSHOTS
BLUES The St. Louis Blues are back in action. After an extended All-Star break in which they last played on Jan. 29, the Blues gear up for the second half of the season and will take on the Devils at Enterprise Center on Thursday night.
Despite entering the break with a disappointing loss to Winnipeg, the Blues feel confident about where they sit after a first half full of tests and adversity.
"We have a deep team," said Brayden Schenn. "I think if you look at the first half of the season, we've had injuries, we've had a lot of COVID as has everyone else in the League, and we've found a way to put ourselves in the top three in our division."
Craig Berube agrees.
"I think we're in a good spot, I think the first half's been very good," he said. "Going into the second half, we can work on some things and get better, and we will. We gotta have a good push here - you look at the standings, that's all you gotta do for motivation."
As of Jan. 29, the Blues were in third place in a Central Division full of Western Conference contenders. Minnesota's wins on Jan. 30 and Feb. 2 lifted them into the No. 3 spot, continuing the divisional battle likely to shape a thrilling playoff race.
The four teams at the top of the division - Colorado, Nashville, Minnesota and St. Louis - also make up four of the top five teams in the Western Conference as of Wednesday afternoon.
As each game starts to matter more and more down the stretch, as legs tire and mental focus becomes even more crucial, the Blues will be thankful to have had these 12 days of rest.
The fight continues now.
DEVILS The New Jersey Devils needed a break as badly as anyone. Losing seven in a row before Tuesday - and 10 of their last 11 - the Devils got just six days of rest for the All-Star break. Compared to the Blues' three postponements, the Devils' eight postponed games in the first half of the year makes for a much busier February slate.
New Jersey resumed their season on Monday, losing 4-1 in Ottawa on their first of a three-game road trip.
The Devils were without 20-year-old All-Star Jack Hughes, who entered COVID-19 protocols prior to the game. Hughes, the Devils' second-leading scorer and 2019's No. 1 overall pick, has played just 28 games this season due to a shoulder injury suffered in October.
The rebuilding Devils have paired Hughes with 23-year-olds Jesper Bratt and Nico Hischier - the No. 1 pick in the 2017 draft and Team Captain - to lead the young roster, but are still struggling this season to build an identity and establish consistency.
Taking down the Canadiens on Tuesday night with ease, the Devils snapped their losing streak with a dominant 7-1 victory. Michael McLeod led with two goals, and goaltender Jon Gillies - briefly a Blue earlier this season - earned a quality win with 31 saves.
They will now visit St. Louis with a record of 16-26-5, good for 37 points and eighth place in the Metropolitan Division.
HEAD-TO-HEAD The last time the Blues and Devils played, Jordan Kyrou wore No. 33 - and was not an All-Star. The Devils won 4-2 on March 6, 2020 - just days before the NHL paused the season due to COVID-19. The teams will meet again in New Jersey on March 6 to wrap up the season series.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
BLUES All eyes are on Kyrou as he resumes his season following NHL All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas. The 23-year-old star made his mark on the festivities, winning the Fastest Skater challenge and leading all players with five points across two 20-minute three-on-three games.
DEVILS Bratt leads the Devils in points by a wide margin, recording 43 on the season - 16 more than Hughes's second-place mark. The 23-year-old winger has passed his career-best point total by seven, notching 35 points in 74 games as a 19-year-old rookie in 2017-18.
The St. Louis Blues will refocus on their checking game when they resume play Thursday at home against the New Jersey Devils.
The Blues posted a 9-4-0 record between the holiday break and the NHL All-Star break. They are 17-5-2 overall at home this season and 14-2-1 in their last 17 games at Enterprise Center.
Defenseman Robert Bortuzzo said there is more work to do, however, after the Blues dropped a 4-1 decision to the Winnipeg Jets at home in their previous game on Jan. 29.
"We want to grow into a rock-solid defensive team," Bortuzzo said. "I think we know that we have the high-end offense. We can beat you different ways, whether it's in the (offensive) zone or off the rush. To a man we can dedicate ourselves to the other side of the puck."
The Blues come out of the break in fourth place in the Central Division. They would be in the bracket if the playoffs started this week, but a battle for postseason berths looms down the stretch.
"You want to get better at it all year," Bortuzzo said. "It's no different after the All-Star break and going into the last stretch. The competitiveness and intensity of the game are going to elevate and I believe we have the group to match that."
The Devils should come into this game with some momentum after routing the Canadiens 7-1 on Tuesday in Montreal. That snapped a seven-game losing streak.
"To try to build on it and play the same way," Devils defenseman Ryan Graves said. "St. Louis is a good team so we're going to have to keep building on that. We had a bit of sloppy play for a bit there, and we definitely gave up some chances."
The Devils are in last place in the Metropolitan Division. They have lost 10 of their last 12 games and they are 6-15-2 overall on the road.
Star defenseman Dougie Hamilton is recovering from a broken jaw, top center Jack Hughes is in COVID-19 protocol, No. 1 goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood has been shelved by a heel injury and backup netminder Jonathan Bernier sustained a season-ending hip injury.
So they needed their spirit-lifting victory in Montreal.
"We haven't had a lot of breaks recently, and I thought tonight we got some," Devils coach Lindy Ruff said. "We deserved a lot of the goals we got. We had good net front presence, rebound goals, second opportunity goals, the stuff we've been talking about. I thought our defense and our motion inside the offensive zone really helped us."
The Blues are almost back to full strength, with only rookie defenseman Scott Perunovich (upper body) out of the lineup.
Blues coach Craig Berube, who signed a three-year contract extension on Wednesday, rode hot goaltender Ville Husso (9-3-1, 1.90 goals-against average) before the break. Berube gave him five of the last six starts.
Berube, however, likely will try to get Stanley Cup-winning netminder Jordan Binnington (11-9-3, 3.27 GAA) back on track for the stretch run at some point.
