When: Thursday, March 20 at 6:30 p.m. CT
Where: Enterprise Center in St. Louis, MO
Watch: ESPN+, Hulu, Disney+
Listen: 101 ESPN, Blues App
Tickets: Online at ticketmaster.com
The playoff race is coming down to the wire, and no matchup may be bigger than Thursday's meeting between the St. Louis Blues and Vancouver Canucks. The Blues (34-28-7) and Canucks (32-25-11) are tied at 75 points, with Vancouver currently occupying the second Wild Card spot thanks to having a game in hand.
St. Louis, who was eight points out at the 4 Nations break, has found another gear and gone 9-2-2 since to erase the gap between the teams. St. Louis' 20 points since Feb. 22 are the most in the NHL. Vancouver is 6-7-0 in that same span.
"I would say this is the most confident our group has been all season," said Blues Head Coach Jim Montgomery after practice on Wednesday. "And I would say that the excitement we have for the next game is very apparent. We're not getting too high about it, we're just really eager to get out and play real good Blues hockey again."
While the race between the two is tight, they're not the only teams in the hunt. The Calgary Flames (73 points) and Utah Hockey Club (71 points) are also lurking, making every point crucial down the stretch.
This will be the third and final meeting between the Blues and Canucks this season, with each team winning their road game in the series so far. The Blues earned a 4-3 overtime win on Dec. 10, while the Canucks collected a 5-2 win in January.
"I expect this building to be rocking (Thursday) night," Montgomery said. "I think there's an excitement in this city. It's a great sports town. I know that - through family and friends, the way they're talking about it - I imagine the whole city's going to be pretty excited."
LAST GAME
BLUES The Blues went on a one-game road trip to Nashville and took care of business on Tuesday with a 4-1 win over their Central Division rivals. It was the first of three matchups between the two teams over a 10-day span.
Jordan Kyrou had two tallies for St. Louis, giving him eight points (five goals, three assists) in his last three games. Additionally Jake Neighbours scored for the third game in a row, Dylan Holloway had three assists and defenseman Justin Faulk had a two-point night.
Joel Hofer got the win in net, making 22 saves.
CANUCKS The Canucks earned a big 6-2 win against the Winnipeg Jets at home on Tuesday, scoring early and often to keep pace with the Blues in the standings.
Forwards Brock Boeser and Pius Suter potted two goals apiece, while defenseman and captain Quinn Hughes had a two-assist night while logging almost 26 minutes of ice time. The game closed out a 2-1-0 homestand for Vancouver.
Goaltender Kevin Lankinen made 19 saves on 21 shots in the victory.
