Blues at Coyotes
The St. Louis Blues earned a point last time out, which helped them climb into the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference. St. Louis looks to overtake Anaheim for the first wild card Saturday with a victory over the host Arizona Coyotes.
The Blues erased a pair of one-goal deficits in Vegas on Friday before dropping a 4-3 decision in overtime, ending their season-high six-game winning streak. Brayden Schenn scored his 26th goal in the setback to match the career high he set in 2015-16 with Philadelphia and increase his team-leading point total to a personal-best 65. Arizona returns home after concluding a 3-3-0 road trip with a 4-2 loss in Los Angeles on Thursday. Defenseman Kevin Connauton scored for the third time in two games for the Coyotes, who reside in the Western Conference basement but trail Vancouver by only two points with four contests remaining.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, FS Midwest (St. Louis), FSN Arizona Plus
ABOUT THE BLUES (43-28-6): Scottie Upshall returned to the lineup Friday after missing 10 games with an MCL sprain and registered an assist. The 34-year-old right wing increased his point total to 19, his most since he recorded a career-high 37 in 2013-14 with Florida. Vladimir Tarasenko notched an assist against the Golden Knights to extend the point streak during which he has recorded four goals to four games.
ABOUT THE COYOTES (27-40-11): Connauton's goal against the Kings was his career-high 10th in 70 games this season after registering a total of five in 89 contests over the previous two campaigns. The 28-year-old from Edmonton is two points away from matching the personal best of 21 he recorded while splitting the 2014-15 campaign between Dallas and Columbus. Rookie Clayton Keller leads the team with 62 points but was kept off the scoresheet Thursday, ending a 10-game streak during which he collected five goals and nine assists.
OVERTIME
1. Coyotes C Derek Stepan has gone three games without a point, keeping him one assist shy of a career-high 41.
2. Schenn has landed on the scoresheet in six of his last seven games, collecting two goals and five assists in that span.
3. Arizona D Trevor Murphy has recorded a goal and an assist over his first four NHL contests.