The Matchup: Blues vs. Canucks

ST. LOUIS - Three straight overtime wins for the Blues has them inching higher in the standings. As of Thursday night, the Blues were three points out of a Wild Card spot with a game in hand on both the Anaheim Ducks and the Colorado Avalanche, who hold the final two playoff spots in the West.

The Blues will host the Vancouver Canucks on Friday night at Scottrade Center, with a chance to move back to within one point of a playoff spot, before traveling to Columbus for a Saturday evening matchup with the Blue Jackets.
The puck drops on Friday night at 7 p.m. (FSMW, FSGO, KMOX).

THE MATCHUP

BLUES Another game, another overtime hero.
The Blues seem to be getting contributions from everyone as of late. First it was Brayden Schenn with an overtime winner against the New York Rangers, then it was Patrik Berglund against the Chicago Blackhawks. Most recently, it was Jaden Schwartz, who scored two goals to lift the Blues to a come-from-behind 2-1 overtime victory against the Boston Bruins on Wednesday night.
Of course, there's Alex Pietrangelo contributing with big games, Jake Allen denying the opposition, Alexander Steen leading on the ice, the list goes on and on.
"We've seen it with all of our veterans and our leaders," Yeo said. "You can keep going through the list, there's a number of guys. The message is pretty clear what they're sending to the group: we have no other choice, we have to find a way. When you're that determined, quite often you will."
As a result of their efforts, the Blues are 5-1-0 in their last six games, which has moved them past the Dallas Stars in the standings.
The Blues will get a boost with Vladimir Tarasenko's return. Tarasenko will be back on the ice after missing two games with an upper-body injury.

CANUCKS Alexander Edler scored twice and Henrik Sedin, Bo Horvat and Brandon Sutter also scored to help the Canucks snap a seven-game losing streak with a 5-2 win against the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday night.
Goalie Jacob Markstrom made 39 saves, giving Vancouver its first victory since March 5.
"It was great in here postgame,' Horvat said after the game. "The mood was light and it hasn't been for a while. It's fun to win and put some goals on the board doing it."
HEAD-TO-HEAD The Blues have won both matchups with the Canucks this season, including a 3-1 win in the most recent meeting on Dec. 23 in Vancouver.
The Blues have won four straight against Vancouver overall and have earned points in eight straight games (7-0-1). The Blues have outscored the Canucks 27-13 in that span.

HOT VS. VANCOUVER

• Tarasenko has 10 points in his last 10 games (three goals, seven assists)
  - Pietrangelo has three points in his last three games (one goal, two assists)
  - Schenn has a goal in three of his last four games
  - Steen has nine points in his last 10 games (four goals, five assists)
  - Kyle Brodziak has six points in his last eight games (five goals, one assist)
  - Allen is 5-0-1 with a 2.14 goals-against average and a .920 save-percentage in his last six starts

BLUE NOTES

• The Blues have won five games when trailing after two periods this season, and three of those wins have come in the last three games.
  - Wednesday's win vs. Boston marked the first time in franchise history the Blues have won three consecutive games in overtime, and also the first time they've won three consecutive games in which they trailed in the third period.
  - Allen has won three straight games and is 5-1-0 with a 2.49 goals-against average and a .904 save-percentage in his last six starts.
  - The Blues recorded 46 hits against the Bruins, the most they've recorded in one game since Dec. 4, 2015 against the New York Rangers when they had 53 hits.