Preview: Blues at Panthers

BLUES AT PANTHERS

TEAM SNAPSHOTS

BLUES The Blues didn't look very rusty following a nine-day lay-off on Saturday, dishing out a 4-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena.
Vladimir Tarasenko had a goal and two assists, Ryan O'Reilly had a goal and an assist and Brayden Schenn had three assists.
The Blues improved to 6-2-1 in their last nine games.
"We had good legs right away," Blues Head Coach Craig Berube said. "I didn't think our execution was overly great the first period, but we got better as the game went along."
"Coming off the break, we had the mentality to play heavy, play a simple game," O'Reilly said after the game. "It wasn't perfect by any means, but the guys showed up ready to work. We stuck with it and battled."

PANTHERS James Reimer made 34 saves, Aleksander Barkov had a goal and an assist and Mike Hoffman scored the go-ahead goal in the third period to help the Florida Panthers to a 3-1 win against the Vegas Golden Knights in their last game on Saturday.
The Panthers improved to 4-1-0 in their last five games with the win.
"Tonight (was) a good start," said Panthers forward Derick Brassard. "This team is really close to being there."
The Panthers are nine points out of a Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.
HEAD-TO-HEAD Tuesday's game will be the second and final matchup in the regular season between the Blues and Panthers. The Blues won the first meeting 4-3 back on Dec. 11 at Enterprise Center.
St. Louis is 5-1-0 in their last six games at BB&T Center.
O'Reilly (663 face-off wins) and Barkov (662 face-off wins) rank second and third in the League in that category.

BLUE NOTES

O'Reilly has points in seven straight games (three goals, seven assists). He recorded his 300th career assist Saturday in Columbus… Vince Dunn was drafted at BB&T Center and scored his first NHL goal in Florida on Oct. 12, 2017… Jay Bouwmeester was the Panthers' first-round pick (third overall) in the 2002 NHL Draft and spent six seasons in Florida, posting 203 points in 471 games… Tarasenko has 11 points in 11 career games against the Panthers (four goals, seven assists)… The Blues have won seven of their last nine road games (6-2-1)… Tuesday's game marks the beginning of the annual Dad's Trip. The Blues are 5-1 with their dads on the road.