When: Saturday, Feb. 8 at 6 p.m. CT
Where: Enterprise Center in St. Louis, MO
Watch: FanDuel Sports Network
Listen: 101 ESPN, Blues App
Tickets: Online at ticketmaster.com
QUICK HITS
BLUES The St. Louis Blues (24-26-5) are set to take the stage on Saturday night in a rivalry matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks.
This game will mark the 333rd all-time meeting between two of the fiercest rivals in the NHL, dating back to Nov. 12, 1967. The Blues hold the edge in the all-time series with a 142-138-35-17 record over the Blackhawks. The last time the two teams met was in the NHL’s annual Winter Classic game on New Year’s Eve, where St. Louis took the 6-2 win at Wrigley Field.
The Blues are coming off a heartbreaking 3-2 loss on Thursday to the defending Stanley Cup Champions, the Florida Panthers. The back-and-forth contest looked to be going into extra time until the Panthers took the lead in the final seconds of the game.
It was the third line leading the offensive charge as Zack Bolduc and Oskar Sundqvist both tallied goals on Thursday. Bolduc had a two-point performance (one goal, one assist) to contribute, his sixth goal and 11th assist on the season.
After the game, Sundqvist acknowledged the disappointing result after a hard-fought battle.
“It sucks, obviously,” Sundqvist said. “Eleven seconds left. I think we played a good game overall, especially in the second period. I feel like we should have come out of that period with one or two goals up. It’s hockey. Sometimes they go in, sometimes they don’t.”
On Saturday the Blues will take the ice for the final time before the NHL’s two-week break for the 4 Nations Face-Off. They resume play on Feb. 22 against the Winnipeg Jets to begin a three-game homestand.
BLACKHAWKS The Chicago Blackhawks (17-31-6) snapped a three-game losing streak on Friday night with a dominant 6-2 performance over the Nashville Predators.
Five Blackhawks had a multiple-point affair on Friday, with Ryan Donato posting a career-high four-point game (two goals, two assists). Additionally Connor Bedard and Seth Jones each tallied a goal and an assist, while Teuvo Teravainen and Alex Vlasic both had two assists on the night.
This game extended Chicago’s streak of scoring in every game this season, leaving them and the Dallas Stars as the only teams yet to be shut out.
On Jan. 24, the Blackhawks facilitated a blockbuster trade with the Colorado Avalanche and the Carolina Hurricanes. In this trade the Hurricanes acquired Mikko Rantanen from the Avalanche as well as former Blackhawk Taylor Hall. In exchange the Blackhawks received a 2025 third-round draft pick and 50 percent of Rantanen’s $9.25 million salary. With this trade, Chicago now has nine draft picks for 2025, including two in the first round.
Since the Blues and Blackhawks last met on Dec. 31 in the Winter Classic, the Blackhawks have posted a 5-7-4 record and rank in eighth place in the Central Division of the Western Conference.
