BLUES AT BRUINS
When: Saturday, Oct. 26 at 6 p.m. CT
Watch: NBC Sports Network, NBC Sports App
Listen: 101 ESPN, NHL App

THE REMATCH
The St. Louis Blues and Boston Bruins will meet Saturday for the first time since their Stanley Cup Final matchup in what promises to be an emotional game for both teams.

Last June, at the end of an intense, back-and-forth seven-game series, the Blues hoisted the Stanley Cup for the first time and then had a summer to remember - one that included a massive parade, a worldwide tour with the Stanley Cup, a championship ring ceremony, a banner-raising and even a visit to the White House.

The other team - the Bruins - had three months to think about what could have been.

"It's an empty feeling," Bruins Head Coach Bruce Cassidy said after falling 4-1 in Game 7. "It's a long year. Someone had to win and someone had to lose and we came out on the wrong side of it. It's not the way you picture it. It's as simple as that."

The Blues had ranked last in the NHL standings on Jan. 2 (15-18-4, 34 points) and became the first team in the NHL's expansion era to sit last in the standings at any point after its 30th game to rebound and win the Stanley Cup. The Blues were also the first team from any of the four major North American sports leagues (NHL, MLB, NBA, NFL) to win a title after being in last place overall after one-quarter of the season.

The Blues' victory in Game 7 ended the longest wait in NHL history for a championship (51 season, 4,046 regular-season games, 4,437 total games). St. Louis also matched a League record with 10 road wins in a single postseason.

TEAM SNAPSHOTS
BLUES Brayden Schenn scored twice and Vince Dunn and Alex Pietrangelo also scored as the Blues took a 5-2 win against the Los Angeles Kings at Enterprise Center on Thursday night.

The Blues had three power-play goals in the game to secure their second consecutive win.

"After losing four in a row there (0-2-2), we've responded as a team," Schenn said. "We know what it takes to win. Sometimes it's hard and it's not flashy, but we know it's successful."

The Blues - who were already without Sammy Blais due to a day-to-day injury - lost Vladimir Tarasenko to an upper-body injury in the first period Thursday. Tarasenko did not accompany the team on the road trip to Boston and Detroit and will be re-evaluated next week.

BRUINS The Boston Bruins look like a team on a mission after falling one win short of claiming hockey's ultimate prize last season.

Through nine games in 2019-20, the Bruins have just one regulation loss and are 6-1-2.

Bruins forward David Pastrnak leads the League with 10 goals, while goaltender Tuukka Rask ranks first with a .944 save-percentage. In addition, the Bruins' power play ranks first in the League at 35.7 percent and the club has a League-best goals-against average (2.11).

Pastrnak is on a seven-game point streak in which he has accumulated 10 goals and seven assists. Brad Marchand has 14 points (five goals, nine assists) during an eight-game point streak.

HEAD-TO-HEAD The Blues and Bruins will meet twice this season - Saturday and on April 2 at Enterprise Center.

Before winning the Stanley Cup Final in seven games, the Blues and Bruins split the regular-season series last season, with each team winning at home.

Including the Stanley Cup Final, the Blue are 5-3-0 in their last eight trips to TD Garden.

BLUE NOTES
Jaden Schwartz has recorded points in six consecutive games (one goal, six assists) and is two games shy of matching his career-high eight-game point streak. Schwartz has nine points (one goal, eight assists) in 10 games this season… Brayden Schenn ranks fourth in the League with eight goals.

https://www.nhl.com/blues/news/preview- ... =282288828

Will Boston be more hungry for this game? I’m sure Berube will pump up the boys. We’ll see who wants it more. Still, payback via a regular season game is very little consolation for a lost Cup. Go Blues!

On HF Boards , Boston pregame thread is noted as Return of the Blues

Some SunnyD for the first line

I made the mistake of reading Facebook to get the line combos and read some of the comments.

Open the curtain on Act 2 ...

Blais/barbie/mac mac....wow...that will be a fun line to watch!

Gotta say I'm not to confident in those lines, but in Berube I trust.

Nice hit by chara

1 shift in and the blais/barbie/MacMac line was fun to watch. Full of energy. Lots of hits.

Is that the obligatory Perron penalty.

Parayko is one hell of a defenseman

BlueinNy wrote: Sat Oct 26, 2019 6:21 pm Is that the obligatory Perron penalty.

No...i think this one is

The dreaded 5-hole trickledickle goal

The Blues need to get that one right back on this power play.

Bostons arena announcer chose an....odd time to announce their goal...

What was the blues pre-game meal? SLOPPY-joes?!

You’d think the Blues would know the type of game they have to play to beat the Bruins by now. Can we please go back to cheap shots ! Make them bleed please!!!!!

A decent 1st Period by The Blues. They took the 2 penalties because of trying to play aggressively. They had a little bad luck on the goal, with Bortuzzo's block attempt screening Binnington from picking up the shot. He was able to get in front of it, but it trickled off him, into the net. The Blues also had 2 really good chances, but failed to finish on those attempts. Sundqvist had a great opportunity on his breakaway. No defender was anywhere near him.

The blues should do well in The Second as long as they don't take too many penalties.

NHLTIM wrote: Sat Oct 26, 2019 6:54 pm You’d think the Blues would know the type of game they have to play to beat the Bruins by now. Can we please go back to cheap shots ! Make them bleed please!!!!!

That style of hockey is only allowed in the playoffs.

Rules change from pre to reg to post season sadly

I notice that The Bruins are taking good advantage of Thmas' lack of experience by taking the puck away from him, pressuring him with 2 men, hoping he'll get flustered an give it up, or make a pass that can be intercepted, instead of holding the puck until he can safely get the puck to a teammate. The Blues have lost possession 3-4 times because Thomas passed to a spot, and The Bruins grabbed it.

Blues are going for the hits, Bruins are going for the (more important) win

I cant say that pp sucked...just our shooters did

PK looked good there

The Blues should have had a two-man advantage. There was a clear tripping while they were coming up ice already on the power play. The refs seem to give two-man advantages much more easily to The Bruins, Blackhawks, Rangers, Penguins, Canadiens, and Leafs AGAINST The Blues, but barely any FOR them.

Meanwhile, Binnington made a great save to keep them game from getting farther away.