BLUESThe St. Louis Blues kept their momentum up on Monday night, winning their third in a row on the road trip and fourth straight overall. After a quiet first period and a half, the Blues broke the game open with three goals in the second and two more in the front half of the third.
Jordan Kyrou continued his sensational play, scoring his first career hat trick and adding an assist to drive the 5-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks. His was also the first hat trick by any Blue this season.
The Blues kept up their improvement on defense and special teams, denying all four Vancouver power plays and scoring on two of their own. Over the current five-game point streak, the Blues are 89.5 percent on the penalty kill - No. 6 in the League in this span.
They'll turn the page for the second half of a back-to-back set on Tuesday in Seattle, looking for their fifth straight win. The Blues are gearing up for their eighth back-to-back set, the most in the NHL so far this season.
The Blues head to Climate Pledge Arena with a record of 16-15-1, worth 33 points and fifth place in the Central Division.
KRAKEN In their second season in the NHL, the Seattle Kraken are making strides to establish themselves in the League landscape. New acquisition Andre Burakovsky has been helpful, leading the team in scoring as they try to keep in the hunt for a playoff spot.
A red-hot stretch in November propelled Seattle's early success as they recorded 25 out of a possible 28 points in 14 games from Oct. 29 to Dec. 1. Since then, however, they have weathered a 2-5-0 stretch entering Tuesday's battle.
Matty Beniers, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, has been one of the leading storylines for the Kraken thus far. His 11 goals and 24 points lead all NHL rookies, and his 17:13 ice time average ranks No. 2 among first-year forwards as he establishes his early Calder Trophy candidacy.
Looking to flip the momentum on their recent stretch, Seattle is coming off a strong win over Winnipeg on Sunday. Ryan Donato and Jared McCann scored a pair of unanswered goals in the third period to win it 3-2, and the Kraken held the Jets to a season-low 17 shots on goal.
The Kraken host the Blues with a record of 17-10-3, worth 37 points and third place in the Pacific Division.
HEAD-TO-HEADJustin Faulk scored the overtime winner in the Blues' last matchup with the Kraken, winning 4-3 in Seattle in their second game of the year. All time, the Blues are a perfect 4-0 against the young franchise.
