Maple Leafs at Blues
The St. Louis Blues are left with questions after seeing a four-game winning streak and seven-game point stretch (6-0-1) go by the boards with their first loss at Scottrade Center - in shutout fashion, no less. Coach Mike Yeo hopes the Blues can provide the answers on Saturday when they host a high-octane Toronto Maple Leafs squad that is wrapping up a four-game road trip.
"I think we can be more direct, whether it's off the rush, whether it's in the offensive zone. You've got to be able to create offense in other ways," Yeo told reporters on Friday, one day after St. Louis came up empty on 33 shots in its 2-0 setback to Philadelphia. Toronto's second-ranked offense hasn't had that issue by averaging 3.79 goals per game, but the Maple Leafs' fortunes have taken a tumble as they have answered winning six of their first seven contests with losing five of their last seven. Auston Matthews increased his point total to 10 (five goals, five assists) in his last eight games after converting one of his two penalty shot attempts and adding an assist in Thursday's 5-3 setback to Los Angeles, but the reigning Calder Trophy recipient knows just what the Blues bring to the table. "(St. Louis is) a big, heavy team that has some guys with some offensive skill that can make you pay," Matthews told the Toronto Star. "... If you turn the puck over in the neutral zone, they're coming back at you with a two-man rush."
TV: 7 p.m. ET, CBC (Toronto), FSN Midwest (St. Louis)
ABOUT THE MAPLE LEAFS (8-6-0): Morgan Rielly continued his scoring output with a goal in the waning moments of the second period on Thursday, increasing his point total to eight (two goals, six assists) in his last nine games overall while his season point total of 11 (two goals, nine assists) leads all Toronto defensemen. The 23-year-old Rielly, who also netted a goal in the Maple Leafs' 2-1 overtime loss to the Blues on Feb. 9, admitted the team's recent struggles have more to do with effort than errors in the game plan. "The game plan was working when we executed it," Rielly said of the team's performance after facing a five-goal deficit on Thursday. "We started working down low and moving our feet."
ABOUT THE BLUES (10-3-1): Jaden Schwartz, who leads the team in goals (eight) and points (17), enjoyed a fast start to the season and earned the NHL's Third Star of the Month for October in the process. The 25-year-old looks to continue his offensive touch on Saturday versus Toronto, against which he has recorded six points (two goals, four assists) in six career encounters. Fellow forward Vladimir Tarasenko scored twice versus the Maple Leafs during his 39-goal performance last season and has gashed the club for five tallies and six points in seven career meetings.
OVERTIME
1. St. Louis captain Alex Pietrangelo (four goals, nine assists) is tied with Philadelphia's Shayne Gostisbehere for the league lead in points (13) among NHL defensemen through Thursday.
2. Toronto RW Connor Brown has scored in back-to-back games and has eight points (five goals, three assists) in his last 12 contests.
3. Blues G Jake Allen turned aside 57 of the 59 shots he faced to win both encounters last season versus the Maple Leafs.