The Blues remember their last matchup with the Senators, when they were defeated 8-1 in Ottawa on October 29. When the teams meet again on Friday night in St. Louis, the Blues are looking for revenge.
In that October game, Ottawa’s Tim Stutzle had two goals and two assists, while Brady Tkachuk, who grew up in the St. Louis area, also scored twice. This loss was one of several blowouts that led to Blues general manager Doug Armstrong replacing coach Drew Bannister with Jim Montgomery on November 24.
Under Montgomery, the Blues have a record of 9-5-3 and have won three of their last four games after a 1-3-2 slump.
“For our group right now, we’ve got to start pushing,” Montgomery said. “We’ve got a lot of games at home in January and February. If we want to make a run at the playoffs, our consistency and our belief in our identity has to start showing game-in and game-out.”
After a 6-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks in the Winter Classic on New Year’s Eve at Wrigley Field, the Blues had some extra time to prepare for their back-to-back games against Ottawa on Friday and at Columbus on Saturday.
“Obviously everyone getting back to St. Louis and getting everyone’s families back home and then a good practice day today kind of resets you a little bit,” said Blues forward Jake Neighbours on Thursday.
“(The Winter Classic) was an emotional high and an amazing event, something we’re all excited and honored to be a part of. But it’s back to normal now, normal games and try and build off the win we had.”
The Blues have scored 19 goals in their last four games, with increased offensive help from their defensemen. Cam Fowler, who joined the Blues in a trade from the Anaheim Ducks in mid-December, has three goals and three assists during this stretch.
Justin Faulk had a three-point game against Chicago, scoring his first goal in 35 games. He missed practice on Thursday for a “maintenance day,” but there’s a good chance he will play on Friday.
The Senators, on the other hand, entered their Christmas break after a four-game road trip. They started a five-game road trip right after the break and haven’t played a home game since December 14.
After a strong 9-3-1 record in December, the Senators started the new year with a 4-2 loss to Dallas on Thursday. The Stars scored three unanswered goals from the middle of the second period onward.
“Second half was embarrassing,” said Tkachuk. “Embarrassing hockey. Just unacceptable. … Thank God we play (Friday), move on from this one quicker. A lot of lessons to be learned from this game.”
Tkachuk had a goal and an assist, bringing his total to four points in his last three games after only four points in his previous nine games.
Defenseman Artem Zub returned to the Senators lineup on Thursday after missing over five weeks due to a broken foot.
“It’s great to have him back,” said Senators coach Travis Green. “You feel for a guy if he’s out, he’s injured. He’s a big part of our team.”
Ottawa goaltender Anton Forsberg was available as a backup on Thursday after missing the previous seven games with an undisclosed injury. Forsberg, who has a 4-6-0 record with a 2.95 goals-against average and an .889 save percentage, could be in line to start against the Blues.
Ottawa’s Linus Ullmark, who won the game against the Blues earlier this season, remains out due to a back injury.
