After earning two victories in their first three outings this season, the Habs are looking to get back in the win column for the first time since October 12 when they beat the Ottawa Senators 4-1.
Meanwhile, the Blues are coming to Montreal following a convincing 5-1 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday. Drew Bannister’s men will close out October on the East Coast with stops in Ottawa and Philadelphia. The team is without star forward Robert Thomas who was placed on injured reserve on Wednesday after sustaining a fractured ankle. Prior to his injury, the 25-year-old scored a goal and five assists in seven games. With Thomas on the shelf, the Blues now have four players on injured reserve with Nick Leddy (who traveled with the team on their four-game sojourn), Torey Krug and Adam Jiricek.
During the offseason, the Blues added depth up front and on the back end to bolster their chances of securing a playoff spot this spring and stay competitive in a challenging Central Division. They tendered offer sheets to then Oilers Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway and it looks like the gutsy move is paying off. The former has seven points (2G, 5A) in eight games played so far. Meanwhile, centreman Holloway has four points in eight games, including two markers against the Leafs on Thursday.
In addition, St. Louis acquired forwards Alexandre Texier, Mathieu Joseph, and Radek Faksa, and defensemen Pierre-Olivier Joseph and Ryan Suter. They made a long-term commitment to Pavel Buchnevich who signed a six-year extension in July. The signing came after the Blues cleared up some cap space by trading Kevin Hayes and a second-round pick to the Pittsburgh Penguins for future considerations at the 2024 NHL Draft.
BY THE NUMBERS: BLUES-CANADIENS
Montreal has the upper hand over St. Louis with a 6-4-0 record in their last 10 meetings. However, the Blues have emerged on the winning end in recent history, beating the Habs twice last season.
According to NHL Public Relations, Lane Hutson could join Glen Harmon and Bert Corbeau as the third defenseman in Canadiens history to record the most points through their first 10 NHL games. The 20-year-old defenseman has six points, all assists, in nine games.
Here’s how the Blues and Canadiens match up by the numbers:
