The St. Louis Blues return home against the Buffalo Sabres at 7 pm CST after a two-game road trip against the Chicago Blackhawks and the Minnesota Wild. On Tuesday night (Nov. 28) the Blues suffered a 3-1 loss to the Wild to end their two-game road trip. In their last five games, the Blues are 3-2-0 and were hoping to sweep the road trip since they were facing two of the worst teams in the Central Divison this season.
This matchup is the first with the Sabres this season; the Blues are looking to grab a victory at home after losing their last home game 8-3 on Nov. 24 against the Nashville Predators. Let’s take a look at what to expect in the Blues’ upcoming matchup.
Blues vs Sabres in the Standings
A loss to the Wild may have hit the Blues hard considering Minnesota was on a seven-game losing streak and recently fired their head coach Dean Evason. With their recent loss, they are now 11-9-1 through 21 games played and are playing a Sabres squad that is fresh off a 5-1 victory over the New York Rangers. Going into this game, the Sabres are 10-10-2 through 22 games and are 4-4-2 in their last 10 games played.
In the Western Conference, the Blues are seventh and are barely hanging on with Nashville and the Arizona Coyotes only one point behind them in the standings. A loss against Buffalo could potentially put them behind in the standings if Arizona and Nashville win their next game. Last season, the Blues were 0-2-0 through their two games facing each other. However, in their last 10 games played, the Blues are 6-4-0 and have a good chance of beating the Sabres since the Blues are 6-3-0 at home.
Blue to Watch For: Jordan Binnington
Despite going 2-2-0 in his last five, and having to be pulled in his start against the Coyotes on Nov. 22, Jordan Binnington is still heavily relied upon even through the highest goal-scoring games. Binnington has not been too bad, he’s got a 6-6-1 record through 16 games played followed by a .910 save percentage (SV%), 2.91 goals-against average (GAA) and a shutout. The Blues have allowed 20 goals in their last five (fourth in the NHL) which is mainly why Binnington is struggling to hold down the fort.
As Binnington is projected to be the starter against Buffalo, he’s only started four times against the Sabres in his career and he seems to struggle against them. In his last five seasons playing the Sabres, Binnington has a record of 2-2-0 with a .890 SV%, 3.30 GAA and no shutouts.
Ten in a Row When Scoring First
In the goal-scoring department, the objective for the Blues should be scoring the first goal of the game as they are undefeated when doing so. Their record this season is 10-0-0 and have yet to lose a game when scoring first. On the contrary, the Blues have won only once when trailing first totalling their record to 1-9-1.
Related: Blues’ 3 Up, 3 Down: Goaltending, Buchnevich, Scandella & More
In their most recent victory over the Blackhawks on Nov. 26, the Blues scored three goals early in the first period and never looked back. However, it does not mean they are never going to lose if they score first, but the odds are in their favour if they do.
Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich are putting points on the board with some help from Jake Neighbours, who was on a five-game point streak which ended on Tuesday against the Wild.
Blues Gameday Notes
Going into this matchup, here are some key notes to keep in mind:
- The Blues have won five games this season when scoring three or more goals.
- The Blues have also lost seven games this season when scoring three or more goals.
- On the powerplay, the Blues are 30th in the league, going 6 for 65 (9.2%) on the power play.
- In terms of winning the faceoff, the Blues are 11th in the league with a faceoff-winning percentage of 51.3 percent.
After their home game against the Sabres, the Blues will make another road stop in Tempe to face the Coyotes.