Preview: Blues at Hurricanes

BLUES AT HURRICANES

TEAM SNAPSHOTS

BLUES Jordan Kyrou scored two goals and Jordan Binnington made 23 saves on Thursday, but the St. Louis Blues dropped a 4-3 overtime decision to the Nashville Predators on Thursday night at Enterprise Center.
It was the Blues' first loss when leading by multiple goals this season. Nashville erased a 2-0 deficit in the second period.
"I think in the first period, we kind of dictated the play of the game," Kyrou said after the matchup. "We were forechecking hard, we were all over the puck making plays. I think the second period, we kind of let off the gas a little bit. We gave them some leeway and they scored those two goals."
Despite the loss, the Blues were still in first place in the Central Division as of Friday with an 8-2-2 record (18 points). The team will face Carolina on Saturday night before returning home for a Sunday evening matchup with the Edmonton Oilers.
HURRICANES The Carolina Hurricanes have been one of the League's hottest teams this season.
Carolina lost at home on Friday to the Philadelphia Flyers, falling 2-1 at PNC Arena. The loss was just the Hurricanes second of the season. Their 10-2-0 record has them sitting in first place in the Metropolitan Division with 20 points.
Andrei Svechnikov leads Carolina in points this season, netting 15 (seven goals, eight assists) in the 12 games he's played. Former Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Frederik Anderson is 9-2-0 with a 1.78 goals-against average and a .938 save-percentage this season for the Hurricanes. The Blues could see Alex Lyon on Saturday night as Anderson played Friday vs. Philadelphia and backup Antti Raanta is out with an injury.
HEAD TO HEAD The Blues are facing an Eastern Conference team for the first time since March 9, 2020 when they met the Florida Panthers.
St. Louis has won five of their last six games against Carolina, including a 6-3 win in their most recent meeting on Feb. 4, 2020. The Blues have won four of the last five games at PNC Arena.
Since Craig Berube took over behind the Blues bench, St. Louis has the Western Conference's second-best record against Eastern Conference teams (31-16-6).

FAULK'S FIRST VISIT

Defenseman Justin Faulk is playing in his third season with the Blues, but Saturday's game will mark the first time he's returned to PNC Arena to face the Carolina Hurricanes.
"We were supposed to go there just after we got shutdown [due to the pandemic] a couple years ago," Faulk told stlouisblues.com. "I haven't been able to go back to play, and I haven't gone back to visit yet, either."
Faulk was drafted by Carolina in the second round (No. 37 overall) of the 2010 NHL Draft and spent the first eight years of his career with the Hurricanes, posting 85 goals and 173 assists (258 points) in that span.
"I want to beat them, that's for sure," Faulk added. "They're playing really well… not the most fun team to play against, that's the style they have and what they've built there, but we're ready to go."

BLUE NOTES

With a 5-1-1 road record, the Blues have the NHL's third-best road winning percentage this season (.786). The Hurricanes rank first with a 5-1-0 record… Vladimir Tarasenko will play in his 544th game as a Blue on Saturday, passing Keith Tkachuk for 18th in team history. Tarasenko has 12 points in 11 games this season… Faulk's next goal will be the 100th of his NHL career.