BLUESWith several franchise legends officially inducted into the St. Louis Blues Hall of Fame, the team looks to change the tide in their home-ice play as they continue their seven-game homestand.
At a record of 8-10-2 at Enterprise Center, the Blues have been performing below their typical standard at home. Over the last 10 seasons prior to 2022-23, the Blues have been a Top-5 team in the NHL at playing in their own building. This track record gives the Blues a lot of confidence that they can return to form, especially as the homestand's final four games consist of teams currently outside the playoff picture.
"(The top-line players) gotta find more emotion, they gotta find more energy and they gotta play with more grit right now," Head Coach Craig Berube said after Saturday's 4-2 loss to Tampa Bay. "When you're getting checked like that, you gotta fight through it and you gotta battle."
Berube praised his fourth line depth for their tenacity vs. the Lightning, creating an early goal with a pinpoint pass from Alexey Toropchenko and hard skating by Tyler Pitlick.
The Blues host the Ottawa Senators on Monday before continuing the week with two divisional battles vs. Nashville and Chicago before ending the homestand next week against the Sabres. The Blues and Predators have been separated by just a single point in the division standings since the start of 2023, so a win over Ottawa could make a big difference in establishing momentum for that pivotal matchup.
The Blues host the Senators with a record of 21-20-3, worth 45 points and fifth place in the Central Division.
SENATORSThe Ottawa Senators made a number of changes during the offseason, but they have yet to pay off as the team still seeks its new identity and place in the standings.
Their biggest moves were acquiring forward Alex DeBrincat from Chicago in exchange for draft capital - including the No. 7 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft - adding goaltender Cam Talbot from Minnesota, signing seven-time All-Star Claude Giroux to a three-year contract and extending Tim Stutzle to an eight-year deal.
The Senators' season did not start strong, though they have picked up in recent weeks as they eye a move up the Atlantic Division ladder. A 6-12-1 (.342) start to the season has turned into a 13-8-2 (.608) record since Nov. 23, playing at a postseason-worthy pace in that span.
Ottawa is 5-4-1 in their last 10 games before Monday's matchup with the Blues, including an impressive shootout win over the League-leading Boston Bruins on Dec. 27.
Coming off an unfortunate 7-0 loss in Colorado on Saturday, however, the Senators will need to shake off that difficult performance quickly if they want to continue their season turnaround efforts.
They head to Enterprise Center with a record of 19-20-3, worth 41 points and seventh in the Atlantic Division.
HEAD-TO-HEADThe Blues split the season series with Ottawa last year, winning on the road and falling at home. Over their last 10 matchups with the Senators, the Blues are 7-3-0 with a 37-27 goal differential.
