Preview: Blues at Oilers
By
Elise Butler / Notes by Brett Barczewski
QUICK HITS
BLUES The St. Louis Blues (43-29-7) saw their franchise-record win streak come to an end on Monday at the hands of the NHL's top team, the Winnipeg Jets. After stringing together 12 wins in a row, the Blues fell 3-1 in Winnipeg for their first loss since March 13.
It was a tight-checking contest between the two teams that was tied entering the third period. Alex Iafallo put the Jets ahead 2-1 midway through the final frame, and the Blues were unable to find the equalizer despite late pressure on goaltender Connor Hellebuyck. Pavel Buchnevich recorded St. Louis' lone goal while Joel Hofer made 23 saves in net.
"We feel like we didn't have our best tonight," said captain Brayden Schenn following the game. "But, at the end of the day, they're a good hockey team and we were right there until the end."
While the win streak catapulted the Blues up the standings and back into playoff contention, they cannot rest yet. St. Louis (93 points) currently occupies the first Wild Card spot and is two points ahead of Minnesota (91), who has one game in hand. Just outside the cutoff line sits Calgary. While the Flames trail with 87 points, they have games in hand on both teams ahead of them.
The Blues have just three regular-season games remaining: Wednesday at Edmonton, Saturday at Seattle and Tuesday vs. Utah. And their goal is clear.
"The streak was great while it lasted," said Head Coach Jim Montgomery. "Now we've got to refocus and we've got to play better than we did [Monday] to be able to try and get in the playoffs. That's our focus."
OILERS The Edmonton Oilers (44-28-5) are returning home from a four-game West Coast trip with two losses in a row and a bevy of injuries. They opened their road slate with wins over the Vegas Golden Knights and San Jose Sharks, but fell to the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks on the second half.
The Oilers opened scoring in Anaheim on a tally by Adam Henrique, but gave up the next three goals to the Ducks and could not recover. It was the first NHL start for 24-year-old goaltender Olivier Rodrigue, who made 18 saves in the loss.
Edmonton has been battling injuries in the final weeks of the regular season. Superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have both been dealing with lower-body injuries that have held them out of the lineup. McDavid has not played since March 20 while Draisaitl has missed six of the last nine games, including their last two.
Additionally forwards Trent Frederic and Evander Kane, defenseman Mattias Ekholm and goalie Stuart Skinner are all dealling with injuries of their own that have kept them sidelined. Because of this and salary cap constraints, the team played their last game with only 17 skaters (11 forwards, six defensemen).
The Oilers have not yet clinched a spot in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, but sit comfortably in the third seed for the Pacific Division. While they trail the Kings by four points for the No. 2 seed, they have a six-point cushion on the Flames behind them.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
BLUES Pavel Buchnevich has goals in three consecutive games and four of his last five since returning from an illness. The forward ranks third on the Blues with 33 assists and fourth with 51 points this season. He joins Ryan O'Reilly, Jorgen Pettersson, Doug Gilmour and Pierre Turgeon as the only Blues to record 50+ points in each of their first four seasons with St. Louis.
OILERS Evan Bouchard has six points, all assists, in his last five games. The defenseman has 13 goals and 63 points in 77 games this season, trailing just behind his career-high numbers from 2023-24 (18 goals and 82 points in 81 games). He ranks third on the Oilers in points, first among the team's defensemen and fifth overall amongst League defensemen.
BLUE NOTES
- The Blues can clinch a spot in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs on Wednesday if the they win in regulation at Edmonton AND the Flames lose in regulation at Anaheim.
- Robert Thomas enters Wednesday's game on a nine-game point streak (four goals, 16 assists), recording six multi-point games in that stretch. The forward has 31 assists and 40 points since Feb. 2, leading the NHL in both categories in that span.
- Nathan Walker is just three hits away from setting a franchise record for hits in a single season with 277. The NHL has tracked hits since 2005-06.
- Ryan Suter is expected to dress in his 1,524th career game, moving him into a tie with Brendan Shanahan for 19th all-time.
