When: Saturday, Dec. 14 at 7 p.m. CT
Where: Enterprise Center in St. Louis, MO
Watch: American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX
Listen: 101 ESPN, Blues App
QUICK HITS
BLUES The St. Louis Blues (14-14-2) look to turn the page when they take on Central Division foe the Dallas Stars on Saturday evening.
After earning three wins in their four-game road trip through Western Canada, the Blues made a pit stop at home, where they fell to the San Jose Sharks 4-3 on Thursday.
Adjusting from the Pacific time zone, it took the Blues two periods to find their rhythm. The Sharks were quick on the board to take an early lead before Jake Neighbours tied the game 10 minutes later. Going into the second, San Jose’s Macklin Celebrini was prolific, tallying two consecutive goals to regain the lead.
In the final frame, Brayden Schenn lit the lamp, but the Sharks responded 35 seconds later. Jordan Kyrou narrowed the gap, making it a one goal game with 12 minutes to play, however the Blues were unable to find the equalizer.
Following the loss, Schenn acknowledged the slow start but gave credit to his team for their persistence and determination in the third.
“We did what we should have been doing all game, and just getting pucks to the goal line and wear them down and create momentum in the offensive end,” Schenn said. “And that’s the good thing about this team; we never quit, never give up and we keep on pushing. Unfortunately we just didn’t get to our game early enough, didn’t have our legs early and they capitalized.”
The Blues' busy travel schedule continues. They fly to Dallas for a Saturday night tilt before returning home for two games, starting with the New York Rangers on Sunday.
STARS The Dallas Stars (17-11-0) are coming off a 4-1 loss to the Nashville Predators on Thursday.
After a scoreless first period, the Predators scored three successive goals in three minutes for the lead in the second. In the final frame, Dallas’ Lian Bichsel scored his first goal in his NHL debut to put the Stars on the board. Nashville finished with an empty-netter to ice the game.
The Stars had a busy offseason. Most notably, veteran Joe Pavelski announced his retirement after 18 seasons in the League. Last season he was second on the team in points with 67 (27 goals, 40 assists). Additionally, former Stars Radek Faksa and Ryan Suter moved on to the Blues via trade and free agency respectively.
The biggest addition to their team this season is rookie Logan Stankoven. The 47th overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft has already made his name notable on the stat sheet, accumulating 16 points (four goals, 12 assists) in 26 games.
The Stars have made the playoffs for the past three seasons, most recently falling to the Edmonton Oilers in the Conference Finals in six games. Currently they rank third in the Central Division of the Western Conference.
