Preview: Blues vs. Sabres

When: Sunday, Dec. 29 at 2 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 There were six goal scorers and seven goals as the offense rolled for the St. Louis Blues (17-16-4) on Friday, defeating the Nashville Predators 7-4.

The first period was goal-tastic, as Robert Thomas, Zack Bolduc, Jordan Kyrou and Cam Fowler all found the back of the net in the highest scoring period of the season. The two teams exchanged goals throughout the remainder of the game, but the Blues never trailed thanks to additional goals from Philip Broberg, Colton Parayko and another from Thomas.

The defense played a pivotal role in generating offense as they scored three of the seven goals. After the highest-scoring game this season, Thomas shared his thoughts at seeing the offense come alive.

“For us, a team that kind of struggled scoring for a while there, it’s good to get some goals and feel the offense, get some D involved," Thomas said. "The D played great tonight, moving the pucks and getting involved in scoring chances and it’s really important. So, although it wasn’t probably our sharpest game and we can’t be too thrilled with it, it’s nice to get some offense going.”

The Blues will look to continue their offensive push into Sunday’s matchup with the Buffalo Sabres to close out the season series. Following the game, the Blues will head north to Chicago to take on the Blackhawks in the much-anticipated Winter Classic, the final game of 2024.

SABRES After snapping a 13-game losing streak, the Buffalo Sabres (13-19-4) are coming into Sunday’s matinee with two wins in a row, most recently earning a 6-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday.

The Sabres set the tone early, scoring four consecutive goals, including a tally from Alex Tuch for his first on the night. The Sabres outshot the Blackhawks 11-2 in the opening period.

The Blackhawks gained momentum late in the second with their first goal of the evening. Chicago carried the energy into the third for an early goal, making it a two-goal game. Minutes later, Buffalo shifted the pace as Tuch scored twice more, completing his first hat trick of the season to seal the victory.

So far this season, the Sabres have had minimal roster transactions. However, on Dec. 17, Sabres forward Jordan Greenway suffered an injury against the Montreal Canadiens. Greenway underwent surgery and is expected to make a return later this season. In 20 games, he had seven points (three goals, four assists).

Since the two teams last met on Nov. 14, the Sabres have gone 5-11-3. They rank eighth in the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

BLUES Defenseman Cam Fowler earned three points (one goal, two assists) on Friday, including his first goal as a Blue. Fowler was traded from the Anaheim Ducks on Dec. 14. In his seven games in the Blue Note, he has five points (one goal, four assists) and is set to appear in his 999th career game on Sunday. Following Friday's game, he stated how the Blues organization has supported him since the trade.

“I have to give credit to the organization for making it so seamless for me and making myself and my family feel welcome," Fowler said. "And I get to play with a great D-partner (Parayko) who makes life easy and play for a great coach and an organization that believes in their players. They’ve made my job easy, and I just can go out and focus on hockey and try to do the best I can.”

SABRES Assistant Captain Alex Tuch is coming off his third career hat trick in the Sabres’ 6-2 victory over the Blackhawks. Tuch leads the Sabres with 28 points (12 goals, 16 assists) in 36 games this season. In 490 career games, Tuch has 343 points (143 goals, 100 goals).

BLUE NOTES

• The Blues are 10-9-3 against the Eastern Conference this season, which shares the second most wins against the East by Western Conference teams (1. Winnipeg, 11).
• Since Jim Montgomery became the Blues' Head Coach on Nov. 25, Joel Hofer has posted a record of 5-0-1 (seven appearances, six starts), with a 2.15 GAA and a .917 SV%. Hofer is also one of three goaltenders to make at least six starts (40 goaltenders) since Nov. 25 and not have a regulation loss (Darcy Kuemper/Linus Ullmark).
• Dylan Holloway has five points (three goals, two assists) in the past two games.
• Parayko recorded his sixth goal of the season on Friday vs. Nashville, which came shorthanded. It was the second shorthanded goal of his career (Jan. 20, 2024 vs. Washington).