2024-25 Schedule Preview: 5 Key Road Trips

Since the release of the St. Louis Blues' 2024-25 regular-season schedule, fans and media alike have been breaking down the 82-game slate for potential storylines and key matchups.

One growth area the Blues have going into the season is their play on the road, with their 18-19-4 (.488) record on the away from Enterprise Center last season well below their home-ice win rate. If the Blues had been able to match their home win rate (25-14-2, .634) on the road, they would have ended up seventh in the West and firmly in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Offense was the key separator between their success at Enterprise Center and in opposing buildings, ranking 18th in the NHL in goals per game at home and 27th on the road.

Below are five road trips in the 2024-25 schedule that could mark key matchups to circle as well as key opportunities for the Blues to collect those hard-to-earn wins in enemy territory:

Season-Opening Road Trip:
Oct. 8 at Seattle Kraken
Oct. 10 at San Jose Sharks
Oct. 11 at Vegas Golden Knights

The Blues open their schedule with a three-game road trip out West, facing three Pacific Division teams before hosting Minnesota in the Home Opener on Oct. 15. Though beginning with a road trip is no easy task, the Blues have had recent success getting off to a good start on the road. In 2021-22, the Blues started out with a three-game road trip against Western Conference rivals that also concluded in Vegas. Scoring 15 goals in those three games, the Blues went 3-0-0 and gained valuable momentum for a 5-0-0 start to the season - the first in franchise history.

Heading East before the Holidays:
Dec. 19 at Tampa Bay Lightning
Dec. 20 at Florida Panthers
Dec. 23 at Detroit Red Wings

Just before a three-day break for the Holidays, the Blues face three East foes - including two recent Stanley Cup Champions. The trip opens with a back-to-back in Florida, starting with the Lightning and ending with the 2024 Stanley Cup Champion Panthers. Before they get too much sunshine, the Blues finish the trip in Detroit against the Red Wings and the newly-acquired Vladimir Tarasenko.

First visit to Utah:
Jan. 18 at Utah Hockey Club
Jan. 20 at Vegas Golden Knights

The Blues head to Utah for the first time ever to face the NHL's newest franchise, Utah Hockey Club, at Salt Lake City's Delta Center in mid-January. Utah, formerly the Arizona Coyotes, was seventh in the division last year - hoping to change that with the addition of two-time Stanley Cup Champion defenseman Mikhail Sergachev.

The road trip ends in Vegas, starting a home-and-home series that will follow the Blues back to St. Louis for a rematch on Jan. 23.

Six-game Marathon:
March 2 at Dallas Stars
March 5 at Los Angeles Kings
March 7 at Anaheim Ducks
March 8 at Los Angeles Kings
March 13 at Pittsburgh Penguins
March 15 at Minnesota Wild

The longest road trip of the season comes in March, when the Blues travel for six straight matchups. Though they may return to St. Louis to practice before the trip to Pittsburgh, it will still mark the first time since 2015 that the Blues played six consecutive road games in an 82-game season. The matchups in Dallas and Los Angeles likely pose the biggest challenges as the only two 2024 Playoff teams in the stretch.

Stretch Run:
April 7 at Winnipeg Jets
April 9 at Edmonton Oilers
April 12 at Seattle Kraken

The final three road games of the regular season come all in a row, a trip that could be crucial in securing postseason positioning. Though the Kraken struggled last season, all three opponents could realistically be in a tight Western Conference postseason hunt with the Blues when these matchups take place.

The regular season concludes shortly after, on April 15 against Utah at Enteprise Center.

Honorable Mention: Discover NHL Winter Classic®
Dec. 31 at Chicago Blackhawks (Wrigley Field)

On what will be the biggest stage of the regular season, the Blues meet their division-rival Blackhawks at the Chicago Cubs' historic stadium for the NHL's premier annual outdoor hockey showcase. Though they finished at the bottom of the Central Division standings last season, the Blackhawks saw a strong season from Calder Trophy-winner Connor Bedard and added talent such as Teuvo Teravainen, Tyler Bertuzzi and Pat Maroon.

The Winter Classic matchup is the first of the season between the Blues and the Blackhawks, who will meet two more times in St. Louis later in the year.