Game Notes: Jan. 19 vs. Washington

The Blues have struggled a bit recently vs. a Washington team that has gone on a tear. The Caps have points in 11 straight games - a stretch that included a nine-game win streak. And what's worse, Alex Ovechkin has logged hat tricks in back-to-back games against St. Louis. Overall, the Blues have dropped two consecutive decisions to the Caps, but, prior to that set, they had won three straight. Tonight is an opportunity for the Blues to bounce back and measure themselves against one of the top teams in the league in the process. St. Louis has lost two in-a-row at home but the good news is that they haven't experienced a three-game home losing streak since March 14-30, 2015.

What to Watch

Jake Allen could return to the net after Carter Hutton made three consecutive starts. Allen has a great opportunity to boost his confidence against a Capitals team that he's faced only one time in his career. That start resulted in a 32-save shutout, including four stops on Ovechkin. Two of the Blues' Swedes are among those to keep an eye on tonight. Patrik Berglund's 10 goals since Dec. 15 share the League lead while Alexander Steen has collected nine points (three goals, six assists) over his last eight games.

Milestones

• David Perron - 5 shy of 100 goals as a Blue
• Paul Stastny - 3 shy of 200 career goals / 8 shy of 100 PIM as a Blue
• Kyle Brodziak - 1 shy of 400 career PIM
• Kevin Shattenkirk - 10 shy of 300 career PIM
• Jori Lehtera - 9 shy of 100 career points

Quick Hits

• Kevin Shattenkirk will dress in his 410th game as a Blue tonight, passing Murray Baron for 11th on the franchise list among defensemen
• Vladimir Tarasenko is riding a four-game goal streak vs. the Caps (five goals, one assist)
• Ovechkin (134) and Tarasenko (112) rank first and second, respectively, in total goals (reg. + postseason) since 2014-15
• Alexander Steen potted his 50th career power play goal on Tuesday vs. Ottawa
• Ken Hitchcock is just two wins shy of tying Al Arbour (782) for third on the NHL's all-time regular season wins list

50th Anniversary Throwback Note

On this day in 2004, Pavol Demitra scored two goals, including the game winner 48 seconds into overtime, as the Blues won 2-1 over the Panthers at Florida. The two goals gave Demitra 500 points in his 525 game NHL career