BLUESThe St. Louis Blues return to Enterprise Center on Friday for a single home game sandwiched between a pair of four-game road trips. On Tuesday, they earned a 4-1 win in Philadelphia, capping off a nearly-perfect trip.
The only hiccup came in Montreal, in which a goal from Canadiens young star Cole Caufield tied the game with 10 seconds left in regulation. The 21-year-old forward followed it up with the OT winner two minutes into the extra period.
Saturday's 6-3 win in Toronto was the highlight, a crucial win on the road against one of the NHL's top teams to bounce back from the disappointing loss.
"We were disappointed with that effort in Montreal," said Blues captain Ryan O'Reilly. "It wasn't a complete game, and I thought we were more engaged tonight. We were more physical at times, we had good numbers, it was just a more complete game. We stayed resilient... It was a good response."
Regardless of how they got there, taking home seven of a possible eight road points at this stage of the season is a good sign. The Blues will look to add even more road wins after Friday's game, facing the Blackhawks in Chicago before heading East again to take on the Rangers, Islanders and Devils.
In a Central Division that remains as tight as any in the League, the Blues sit in second place as of Thursday afternoon with 66 points and a record of 30-14-6.
SABRESThe Buffalo Sabres, two games into a five-game road trip, will make their next stop in St. Louis before finishing the trip in Dallas and Toronto. They will be hungry for a win after losing four straight games entering Friday's contest.
On Wednesday, the Sabres fell 4-0 to the Canadiens, as Montreal goaltender Sam Montembeault earned his first career shutout.
While they eventually lost the game, the Sabres' matchup with Colorado last Saturday saw the first career hat trick from forward Tage Thompson.
Drafted by the Blues and playing his rookie season in St. Louis, Thompson was traded to Buffalo in 2018 when the Blues acquired O'Reilly. The 24-year-old forward currently leads the Sabres with a career-best 38 points.
The Sabres made another big trade this season, sending 25-year-old star Jack Eichel to Vegas in November for forwards Peyton Krebs and Alex Tuch as well as draft compensation. Eichel, drafted No. 2 overall behind Connor McDavid in the 2015 draft, recorded 355 points in 375 games as a Sabre.
The adjustment inherently associated with dealing away a player of Eichel's caliber has been difficult for Buffalo this season. The Sabres currently sit seventh place in the Atlantic Division, with 40 points and a record of 16-28-8 entering Friday's game.
HEAD-TO-HEADThe Blues came away with a win the last time they faced the Sabres, a 5-1 finish on Jan. 9, 2020 led by three points each from Tyler Bozak, Robert Thomas and Alexander Steen. In their last 10 matchups, the Blues are 7-2-1.
