BLUES The St. Louis Blues got out to a slow start in their Florida road trip on Tuesday, falling 6-1 in a tough matchup with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Justin Faulk scored with less than five minutes left in regulation to prevent the shutout, but a 3-0 first period by the Lightning proved too tall a task to come back from.
Nick Paul and Steven Stamkos led the Bolts with three points each, while Nikita Kucherov tallied two goals to further his lead on the NHL's point leaderboard. Kevin Hayes and Jake Neighbours assisted on Faulk's goal, his first of the season.
"Probably too much defensive zone time, and good (Tampa Bay) players are going to make good plays," said Brayden Schenn after the game. "It's not that we weren't ready, I just feel like we just didn't tilt the ice enough in the first period to calm things down - before you know it, it's 3-0."
A bright spot in the Blues' recent up-and-down stretch has been Hayes' play in recent games. Off to a slow start with just two points in his first eight games as a Blue, Hayes' assist on Faulk's goal puts him at 11 points in his last 15 games and five in his last four games.
The Blues will need to find their consistency with another test in their Florida trip, traveling south to Sunrise, FL to face the defending Eastern Conference champions. After facing Florida, they'll return home for a three-game homestand against all Central Division teams.
The Blues visit the Panthers with a record of 15-15-1, worth 31 points and sixth in the division.
