The St. Louis Blues entered February with a 23-25-3 record. They’re eight points out of the playoffs and don’t seem to be improving. They’ve given up more goals than any team in the Central Division, including the lowly Arizona Coyotes and Chicago Blackhawks. It’s been a lousy season in St. Louis.
Related: Blues 2022-23 All-Star Break Fan Survey
There aren’t a lot of notable games for the Blues this month. Of nine opponents, five are in a playoff spot right now. All three games to watch include playoff teams. Here are my picks.
Florida Panthers – Feb. 14
The Blues will take on the Florida Panthers in St. Louis for their second game after the All-Star break. These two teams met in Florida on Nov. 26, when the Blues came back from down 4-1 to win in overtime. The Panthers aren’t the juggernauts they were last season, but they’re still good. They’ve won two straight over the Tampa Bay Lightning and Boston Bruins while scoring 11 goals.
The Panthers also beat out the Blues in the Matthew Tkachuk sweepstakes. It hasn’t translated into more wins this season, but Tkachuk has been fantastic. He has 71 points in 50 games, leading the team by 24 points more than the second-ranked scorers, Carter Verhaeghe and Aleksander Barkov. While it’s been a disappointing season in Florida thus far, they’re still a threat if they get into the playoffs. This will be a tough matchup for the Blues.
Carolina Hurricanes – Feb. 21
The Blues are 0-1-0 against the Hurricanes this season after a 6-4 loss on Dec. 1, a loss that highlighted many of the Blues’ defensive issues. They blew a 2-0 lead and gave up two empty-net goals in that road game. Regardless, the Hurricanes are among the best in the league, with a 34-9-8 record and 76 points, which is second in the NHL behind the Bruins. This is a bad matchup for the Blues.
The Blues have lost three straight to the Hurricanes, dating back to last season. Before that, they’d won five of six. The Hurricanes are what the Blues want to be: a hard-nosed defensive team with a lot of offensive talent up front. They’re 10th in goals scored and fourth in goals against. There is no doubt that the Hurricanes are an elite team.
Seattle Kraken – Feb. 28
In the franchise’s second season, the Seattle Kraken have become playoff contenders. They’ve done this in a very different way than the expansion Vegas Golden Knights before them. They spent money in their first season and have plenty of expansion draft players in their lineup. On top of this, they’ve got rookie sensation Matthew Beniers. They play a fun style, and the Blues have had mixed results against them this season.
The 2022-23 Kraken have 63 points and a 29-16-5 record, ranking second in the Pacific Division. They’re fifth in the NHL in goals scored per game, which is up from 28th last season. Jared McCann had 27 goals last season and already has 23 this season. Beniers is the favorite to win the Calder Trophy with 36 points in 48 games. It’s been an incredible season for Seattle, given the expectations.
The Blues went 3-0-0 against the Kraken last season, and they’re 1-1-0 against them in 2022-23, being outskated by the Kraken in both matchups. Once again, they are a team that the Blues don’t match up well against. The Kraken are young and fast, so this should be a tough matchup for St. Louis.
Other Games for the Blues in February
- Saturday, Feb. 11: vs. Arizona Coyotes, 7 PM
- Thursday, Feb. 16: vs. New Jersey Devils, 8 PM
- Saturday, Feb. 18: vs. Colorado Avalanche, 1 PM
- Sunday, Feb. 19: at Ottawa Senators, 1 PM
- Thursday, Feb. 23: vs. Vancouver Canucks, 7 PM
- Saturday, Feb. 25: vs. Pittsburgh Penguins, 2:30 PM
This is an objectively difficult schedule, made more difficult by the looming trade deadline on March 3. However, it should make it easier for the Blues to sell at the deadline. Despite most of these games being at home, the Blues have been bad at home this season. I expect them to enter March with selling in mind.
