Preview: Blues at Predators

The St. Louis Blues earned one point in the standings in Thursday's 5-4 overtime loss to the New Jersey Devils. The team will travel to Nashville to face off against the Predators in the finale of their four-game road trip.

Nashville leads the season series 1-0-0, defeating the Blues 5-2 on Oct. 17 at Bridgestone Arena. 

What: Blues at Predators
When: Saturday, Nov. 7 at Noon CT
Where: Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee
Watch: Blue Note+
Listen: 101 ESPN

QUICK HITS

BLUES The Blues had their second multi-goal comeback in the span of a week, scoring three unanswered goals in 3:08 to take the New Jersey Devils to overtime. After New Jersey's Jesper Boqvist and Anthony Mantha both scored just 19 seconds apart to extend the Devils lead to 4-1 in the second period, St. Louis rallied. Mason McTavish, Philip Broberg and Dalibor Dvorsky scored in the final nine minutes of regulation. 

Although Jesper Bratt clinched New Jersey's win 1:26 into overtime, beating Jordan Binnington on a breakaway, the Blues walked away with a hard-fought point. 

"We showed a lot of heart sticking with it," Robert Thomas said. "Every line contributed and that's what makes good teams. I thought in the second period we did a lot of good things - they obviously got two quick goals - but it was a tight game and we felt like we played pretty solid and got rewarded in the third."

The Blues recorded 32 shots on goal, Thomas scored on the power play, McTavish recorded two points and Jordan Binnington made 31 saves.

St. Louis finishes their six-game Eastern Conference opponent swing with a 2-3-1 record. 

PREDATORS A new face has joined Nashville's roster since these two teams last met in October. 

On Sunday the Predators acquired center Shane Wright from the Seattle Kraken in a one-for-one player swap for forward Matthew Wood. Wright, a 6-foot-1, 192-pound forward, was drafted No. 4 overall in the 2022 NHL Draft. He spent four seasons in the Kraken organization but was ultimately moved after struggles with inconsistent deployment and heavy expectations following his draft year. 

In Nashville's 3-2 overtime victory over the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday, Wright centered the second line with Filip Forsberg and Nils Hoglander on his wings. Ross Colton and Vitali Pinchuk scored for the Predators in regulation, with Pinchuk's goal being his first in the NHL. Pinchuk spent the previous four seasons with Dinamo Minsk in the Kontinental Hockey League in Russia, and signed a one-year, entry-level contract with Nashville in April. 

Steven Stamkos scored in overtime to secure Nashville's third straight win. On the special teams front, the Predators went 1-for-5 on the power play against Colorado and have stayed perfect on the penalty kill over their last seven games.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

BLUES Dylan Holloway recorded an assist in the Blues' last matchup against the Nashville Predators and is in pursuit of his first goal since Oct. 22. His offensive production has stagnated following a six-game point streak he had last month, recording only two points in his last six games. He has continued to help the Blues create scoring chances but will need to ramp up his offensive production for the team to continue to stay competitive in games. Holloway has two goals and seven assists in 12 games against Nashville in his career.

PREDATORS Jack Drury scored against the Blues in their last matchup off a setup from defenseman Roman Josi. While Drury is not the most offensively potent player, his steady defensive presence and relentless forechecking makes him a sneaky threat in the Predators' lineup. Although his 48.3 percent success rate on faceoffs to begin this season is currently below the league average, he has historically been dominant on faceoffs with his winning percentage exceeding 55 percent over his past four seasons.

BLUE NOTES

• The Blues are 5-4-0 in their last nine games against Nashville and are 2-3-0 in their last five games at Bridgestone Arena.
• The Blues have scored a power-play goal in four straight games against Nashville, going 4-for-12 (33 percent) on the power play over those four games.
• Robert Thomas has 17 points in his last 12 games against Nashville (5g, 12a), while Jake Neighbours has 11 points in his last eight games against the Predators (2g, 9a). 
• After Saturday's game, the Blues will play five of their next seven games at Enterprise Center.
• Pius Suter is one shy of 100 career goals and one shy of 200 career points.