The St. Louis Blues will be looking to go two for two against the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday (Dec. 6) at 8 pm CST at home after beating them on the road on Monday (Dec. 4) 2-1 in overtime. The Blues haven’t gone to overtime since Oct. 14 against the Seattle Kraken, winning that one 2-1 in a shootout. This recent victory over Vegas puts the Blues at 12-0-0 when scoring first after Alexey Toropchenko opened the game with a goal and Pavel Buchnevich scored the game-winning goal in overtime. Goaltender Jordan Binnington also had a flawless start, allowing one goal to the defending Stanley champions and stopping 33 shots.
In almost every category the Blues were beaten except for faceoffs and giveaways. Now, with the home crowd behind them in this matchup, they’ll have to follow through with a victory in this game. Here’s a look at what to expect from both the Blues and Golden Knights in this game.
Blues vs Golden Knights in the Standings
The Blues are now 13-10-1 after defeating Vegas and return to St. Louis with a 7-3-0 record in their building this season. Meanwhile, Vegas has a road record of 7-3-3, but keep in mind they are 5-6-0 vs. the Blues on the road in the last five seasons. At home, the Blues are 6-4-1 against the Golden Knights in the last five seasons.
The Blues barely hang onto a playoff spot, as they currently sit eighth in the Western Conference and fifth in the Central Division. St. Louis lost the seventh spot to the Arizona Coyotes (who are on a red-hot five-game winning streak) in a 4-1 defeat on Nov. 2, so a win could help them stay afloat. However, they are only three points ahead of the Nashville Predators, so they can’t afford to lose this one.
Blue to Watch For: Jordan Binnington
All roads lead back to Binnington this season. He’s been up and down in his performance but can get the job done when the Blues need him too. Backup Joel Hofer looked like he was going to outplay Binnington earlier in the season, however, his last two starts were not the best, allowing seven goals on 36 shots. This left head coach Craig Berube with no choice but to give Binnington more playing time even though he was also struggling to keep the puck out of the net. Surprisingly, it worked against Vegas in Monday’s game, and hopefully, that should build some confidence for the 30-year-old netminder.
However, this season, Binnington has played well in front of the home crowd, with a 5-1-0 record, a .930 save percentage (SV%), 2.39 goals-against average (GAA), and a shutout through seven games – his 16 goals allowed is half what he’s allowed on the road. Through 18 games this season, he is 8-6-1 with a .914 SV%, 2.86 GAA, and a shutout.
St. Louis’ Issues on the Blue Line
Defensive breakdowns, especially on the special teams, have been a major problem and why the Blues have had so many high-scoring games. It’s part of the reason why Binnington and Hofer have to do more in between the pipes. With the trade deadline only three months away, general manager and president of hockey operations Doug Armstrong must look into their defensive core before then if nothing changes.
Related: Mistakes Made by Blues’ Doug Armstrong Since 2019 Stanley Cup
Justin Faulk has been the only decent defenseman on the roster, staying within the top 15 in blocks (56) in the league and leading Blues defenceman in points (11). At the same time, Torey Krug, Nick Leddy, and Colton Parayko have failed to raise the bar this season. Faulk alone was not enough to push the Blues into the top 15 in blocks, and they barely rank within the top 15 in hits. Their top three hitters aren’t even defensemen, with Sammy Blais, Brayden Schenn, and Jake Neighbours leading that category.
Blues Gameday Notes
In their upcoming game against Vegas, here are a few notes to keep in mind for this matchup:
- After this game, Colton Parayko will be two games away from passing Larry Patey on the Blues’ all-time games played list.
- St. Louis is second in the league in win percentage when leading by one (.800%).
- Blais is top-10 in the league in hits this season and sits just outside the top 5 spot (75).
- The Blues allow most of their goals in the second frame and rank eighth in goals against in the second period this season (29).
The next time the Blues face the Golden Knights is on March 25. On Friday (Dec. 8), the Blues will face the Columbus Blue Jackets in their next game, one of two games on their road trip.