Blues at Panthers
Alex Steen is riding the hottest streak of his career and looks to continue his binge when the St. Louis Blues begin a three-game road trip at the Florida Panthers on Friday. Steen has a league-high 11 goals and has scored in five straight games, including the decisive tally with a minute to play in Tuesday's 3-2 victory over Winnipeg. "He deserves all of this success," Blues defenseman Alex Pietrangelo said. "We've just got to make sure he keeps going."
The Panthers have dropped three straight - two via shootout - and have won once in their last seven games (1-4-2) entering the finale of their six-game homestand. Florida will be out for revenge after getting steamrolled 7-0 at St. Louis in the second game of the season - a defeat that did not sit well with coach Kevin Dineen. "It was a man's game, and we didn't rise to the occasion tonight," Dineen said after the drubbing. "We got outplayed in every aspect of the game."
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSN Midwest (St. Louis), FSN (Florida)
ABOUT THE BLUES (7-1-2): Even though Jaroslav Halak blanked the Panthers on Oct. 5 to set a franchise record with his 17th shutout, Brian Elliott will make his second start of the season Friday. Elliott allowed three goals in a shootout loss to Winnipeg on Oct. 18 and is 3-2 with a 3.21 goals-against average in five games against the Panthers. Brenden Morrow, who scored in Tuesday's win over Winnipeg, did not accompany the team for the two-game Florida trip due to a rib injury sustained against the Jets.
ABOUT THE PANTHERS (3-7-2): Jacob Markstrom has been forced to carry the goaltending load while Tim Thomas continues to battle injuries that have limited him to six starts. Markstrom, who has allowed at least three goals in five of his six starts and has one win in nine appearances, is especially rankled by the two shootout losses. "For me, it’s personal because if we go into shootouts, we should win," Markstrom said. "But I haven’t made the kind of saves I need to, the big saves I feel I can make."
OVERTIME
1. St. Louis owns the league's best power play with a 28.2 percent success rate, while the Panthers are among the league's worst, going 4-for-41 with the man advantage.
2. Panthers LW Tomas Fleischmann, the team's leading scorer, is expected back after missing Sunday's game due to illness.
3. Steen has scored a goal in all but one game this season.