Preview: Blues vs. Maple Leafs

When: Saturday, Nov. 2 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 (5-6-0) are looking to rewrite the narrative on Saturday when they kick off their five-game homestand against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Blues are coming off a disappointing road trip that started with a 5-1 win in Toronto but concluded with three consecutive losses to Montreal, Ottawa and Philadelphia. Although it wasn’t the result they wanted, Head Coach Drew Bannister was pleased with his teams’ response and performance in the final game of the trip against the Flyers.

"I thought our response [Thursday] was really good by the whole group," Bannister said. "I saw a conservative effort to work in the hard areas. I saw players working for each other. Defensively I thought we played strong. But when you get into these funks, you have to keep your game near perfect to get yourself out of it. That's something that we have to really rely on with our group is making sure that we have all 20 guys on the ice pulling in the same direction.”

The Blues lineup has been tested already this season by injuries. Forwards Mathieu Joseph (injured Oct. 26) and Kasperi Kapanen (injured Oct. 29) and defenseman Nick Leddy (injured Oct. 15) all skated on Friday but are not expected to suit up this weekend for the Blues and remain day-to-day.

MAPLE LEAFS The Toronto Maple Leafs (6-4-1) are coming into Saturday night’s matchup looking for revenge after losing their previous tilt vs. the Blues 5-1. And they'll have a familiar face behind the bench as Craig Berube will return to coach in St. Louis for the only time this season.

Berube will be recognized by the Blues in-game Saturday as he makes his first appearance in St. Louis since his tenure with the team ended. Berube served as the Blues' head coach for parts of six seasons, leading the team to their first-ever Stanley Cup championship in 2019. However, after failing to make the playoffs in 2022-23 and starting last season 13-14-1, he was relieved of his coaching duties in December.

Berube finished his tenure with the Blues holding a 206-132-44 record and is the third most-winningest coach in franchise history.

Since the two teams' last meeting on Oct. 24, the Maple Leafs have gone 2-0-1, including recording a key win over Winnipeg to end the Jets' undefeated run this season. Most recently, the Maple Leafs are coming off a 4-1 victory over the Seattle Kraken on Thursday with two goals from forward William Nylander.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

BLUES As the Blues look to spark the offense, Jordan Kyrou is capable of doing it. The 26-year-old hasn't scored since the club's season-opening win in Seattle, but remains tied for the team lead in points with nine (two goals, seven assists). Since the start of the 2022-23 season, Kyrou leads the franchise with 70 goals.

MAPLE LEAFS Auston Matthews continues to be a pivotal part of the Maple Leafs' success this season. In the past three games, Matthews has tallied two goals and three assists. The former No. 1 overall draft pick in 2016 led the team last season with 107 points. In his career he has totaled 659 points (373 goals, 286 assists).

BLUE NOTES

• With his next victory, goaltender Jordan Binnington will match Jake Allen for second on the Blues' all-time franchise list with 148 wins. With his next appearance, Binnington will also match Allen for second on the Blues all-time franchise list in games played at 289.
• Defenseman Philip Broberg recorded his seventh assist of the season on Thursday at Philadelphia. This assist marked his ninth point in 11 games as a Blue. Broberg has recorded an assist in back-to-back games (two assists) and has three points in his last four games (one goal, two assists).
• The Blues have scored a power-play goal in four of their last five games against Toronto, going five for twelve (41.7%) on the power play in that span.