Blues at Canadiens
It took a sensational goaltending performance from Tuukka Rask to stem the St. Louis Blues' offensive barrage. They'll look to resume their high-scoring ways Thursday night as they continue their four-game road trip with a contest in Montreal. Rask stopped 33 shots as Boston ended the Blues' three-game winning streak with a 2-0 triumph, while the Canadiens are desperate for a bounceback after dropping a 4-0 decision to the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins.
Both teams were playing well prior to being blanked, as Montreal had a six-game winning streak snapped in the loss to Pittsburgh. The Blues may have the momentum in this one, however, as they've won their last five meetings with the Canadiens - including both last season. Montreal is also starving for offense - ranked in the league's bottom third in goals per game - while St. Louis was on a tear prior to the loss to Boston, scoring 14 times in a three-game stretch.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FS-MW (St. Louis), RDS (Montreal)
ABOUT THE BLUES (12-5-1): St. Louis coach Ken Hitchcock had a rare admission after watching his team outplayed for one of the few times in the past month. "We weren't really a threat," he told reporters. "We were trying to make the extra play all night, rather than pound it in and look for the greasy goal." Expect a solid rebound effort from Blues forward Vladimir Tarasenko, who has been held without a point in back-to-back games after registering nine goals and seven assists over his previous nine outings.
ABOUT THE CANADIENS (14-5-1): Montreal is facing its most daunting schedule stretch to date, with four games in six nights against elite teams. Coach Michel Therrien took it easy on his players Wednesday, putting them through a light workout featuring just over a half--hour on the ice. The blue line may be short with Mike Weaver missing Wednesday's practice with an upper-body injury; that will put more pressure on the six healthy bodies to reign in a Blues team that boasts the league's second-ranked power play (25.4 percent)
OVERTIME
1. Montreal has scored just four goals in its last four meetings with St. Louis.
2. St. Louis has won each of its last five games after scoring two goals or fewer in its previous contest.
3. Tarasenko has zero points in two career games against the Canadiens.