Preview: Blues vs. Capitals

When: Saturday, Nov. 9 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 (7-7-0) aim to bounce back on Saturday as they host the Washington Capitals for the fourth game in their five-game homestand. The Blues are coming off a tough 4-2 loss in their inaugural matchup against the Utah Hockey Club on Thursday.

Colton Parayko and Jordan Kyrou each netted a goal to put the Blues on the board. Parayko’s goal marked his third goal in three games, while Kyrou now leads the team with five goals and 12 points.

With the Blues looking ahead to Saturday night and hosting Alex Ovechkin, Head Coach Drew Bannister addressed how his team needs to prepare when facing marquee players.

“Recognition of what we do well. And when we’re playing the way we need to, we have success and you’re able to play through the skill on the other team,” Bannister said. “But when you allow the skill on the other team to get up and get going and let them have space and let them play with the puck, it becomes very difficult.”

The Blues are 4-2-0 in their last six home games and 2-0 in the Heritage jerseys this season.

CAPITALS The Washington Capitals (9-4-0) are off to one of the hottest starts in the League, but visit St. Louis on the second half of a back-to-back that started with a loss to the rival Pittsburgh Penguins.

Pittsburgh took an early two-goal lead before seeing the Caps claw back to tie it on goals from Rasmus Sandin and Andrew Mangiapane. However the Penguins scored twice in the third to seal the victory in D.C.

After going 7-2 in October, the Capitals are 2-2 so far in November.

The team had a busy offseason, most notably acquiring Pierre-Luc Dubois from the Los Angeles Kings. On the defensive side, they acquired Jakob Chychrun from the Ottawa Senators and goaltender Logan Thompson from the Vegas Golden Knights. Thompson, who is expected to start in goal Saturday, is undefeated in six games this season.

Washington has made the playoffs 15 of the past 17 seasons, most recently getting swept by the New York Rangers in 2024 in the first round.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

BLUES Pavel Buchnevich recorded two assists on Thursday vs. Utah, his third multi-point game of the season. Buchnevich has five points in his last seven games (one goal, four assists). He is currently tied for second on the team in points with nine (four goals, five assists).

CAPITALS All eyes remain on Alex Ovechkin this season as he continues his pursuit of Wayne Gretzky's goal record. The Capitals captain currently ranks second all-time with 861 tallies, just 33 behind The Great One's 894. Ovechkin is second on his team in points this season with 16 (eight goals, eight assists) in 13 games.

BLUE NOTES

• The Blues are 7-1-1 in their last nine games against Washington. Prior to last season, the Blues earned points in seven straight games against Washington (6-0-1 from Jan. 3, 2019 to Mar. 17, 2023).
• Colton Parayko is expected to dress in his 674^th career game, which will move him past David Perron for ninth on the Blues' all-time franchise list. Parayko has seven points in his last nine games (four goals, three assists).
• Jordan Kyrou now has a three-game goal streak, which matches his career-long (five times previously). He also has six points in his last eight games (three goals, three assists).