After scoring six goals two games ago against the Arizona Coyotes, the St. Louis Blues‘ offense remained hot on Valentine’s Day, scoring six goals for the second straight game in a dominant 6-2 win over the Florida Panthers. This marks the first time the Blues have scored at least five goals in back-to-back games since Jan. 3 and Jan. 5. On the night, goals were recorded by Brayden Schenn (14, 15), Nick Leddy (2), Ryan O’Reilly (12), Jordan Kyrou (24), and Ivan Barbashev on an empty net goal (10). In a time where his name is being mentioned more and more in possible trade talks, Barbashev led the team in points on the night with three.
The Blues now sit at 25-25-3 overall (53 points), are 2-0 since the trade of Vladimir Tarasenko, and are 11-4 in games where he hasn’t been in the lineup. Coming up next is a much tougher Eastern Conference foe in the New Jersey Devils, who come in with an overall record of 35-13-5 (75 points) and are 7-1-2 in their last 10. In that same stretch, they haven’t beaten a single opponent by more than two goals and have a goal differential of only +4 (32-28). However, they did make history recently, becoming the fastest team in NHL history to reach 20 road wins in a season, accomplishing the feat in just 26 games (20-3-3).
Related: Blues Have Plenty of Pieces to Move at the 2023 Trade Deadline
These two teams have already played one another this season, with the Blues scoring three goals in the third period to notch a come-from-behind 5-3 victory in New Jersey. All time, the Blues are 61-38-14-2 against the Devils.
Blues Projected Lineup
Forwards
Ivan Barbashev – Ryan O’Reilly – Pavel Buchnevich
Brayden Schenn – Robert Thomas – Jordan Kyrou
Jake Neighbours – Noel Acciari – Sammy Blais
Alexey Toropchenko – Nathan Walker – Tyler Pitlick
Defensemen
Nick Leddy – Colton Parayko
*Torey Krug – Justin Faulk
Tyler Tucker – Calle Rosen
Goalies
Jordan Binnington
*Krug is a game-time decision
Saad to Injured Reserve, Krug a Game-Time Decision
During the second period of Tuesday’s (Feb. 14) win over the Coyotes, Brandon Saad left the ice with an upper-body injury and didn’t return. It has since been announced by general manager Doug Armstrong that he’s been placed on the injured reserve, meaning he will miss at least seven days – a stretch in which the Blues play the Devils, Colorado Avalanche, Ottawa Senators, and Carolina Hurricanes. 20-year-old forward Jake Neighbours has been recalled from the American Hockey League (AHL) in a corresponding move. Saad has 15 goals and 22 points in 46 games this season.
In that same game, Torey Krug left the ice with a lower-body injury and didn’t return. It was tough to tell what happened, as he sustained the injury while shooting stationary from the blue line and didn’t receive contact of any kind. After the game and the following day, head coach Craig Berube wasn’t aware of the full extent of Krug’s injury but seemed confident that he wouldn’t be sidelined for long. Krug skated with the team this morning (Feb. 16) and appears to be a game-time decision for tonight but is expected to play.
Related: 3 Potential Landing Spots for St. Louis Blues’ Ivan Barbashev
Devils Projected Lineup*
*Lineup from previous game. The team held an optional morning skate.
Forwards
Ondrej Palat – Nico Hischier – Jesper Bratt
Yegor Sharangovich – Erik Haula – Favian Zetterlund
Tomas Tatar – Jesper Boqvist – Dawson Mercer
Miles Wood – Michael McLeod – Nathan Bastian
Defensemen
Jonas Siegenthaler – Dougie Hamilton
Ryan Graves – John Marino
Kevin Bahl – Damon Severson
Goalie
Vitek Vanacek
Who to Watch
St. Louis Blues: Ivan Barbashev
Barbsahev led the Blues with three points in their most recent win over the Panthers, logging one goal in two assists. With Saad sidelined, he will find himself on the top line with O’Reilly and Buchnevich. With the trade deadline fast approaching, this will likely serve as a time in which Barbashev can maximize his ice time and showcase his skills. He’s rumored to be one of the more highly sought-after players on the market right now, and a strong showing could net the Blues an extremely valuable return.
New Jersey Devils: Dougie Hamilton
Defenseman Dougie Hamilton has already set a career-high in points this season with 52 (15 goals), ranking him fourth among all NHL defenders in that category. Since the start of 2023, he’s been better than a point-per-game player with 24 points in 17 games. He’s been deadly on the power play (PP) this season (seven goals, 16 assists), and with the Blues missing one of their main penalty killers in Saad, Hamilton may add to his impressive PP numbers.
How to Watch
New Jersey Devils @ St. Louis Blues – 8:00 PM CST
The Devils and Blues square off at 8:00 PM tonight at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, MO. For the second straight game, you can watch the broadcast on ESPN. As always, you can catch the radio broadcast on 101 ESPN and the Blues App.