Blues Set to Storm the Hurricanes at PNC Arena
As the St. Louis Blues prepare to face off against the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena, fans are bracing for what promises to be a clash of titans. The upcoming game on January 7th will test the mettle of a Blues team that has shown both resilience and vulnerability in recent outings.
The Blues' performance in their last game against the Vancouver Canucks on January 5th was a testament to their tenacity. Despite being out-hit and facing an aggressive opponent, they managed a narrow victory with a final score of 2-1. This win was largely thanks to their goaltending, which boasted an impressive save percentage of 100 percent, and their even-strength play where they netted both goals.
However, it wasn't all smooth sailing for STL; their powerplay opportunities yielded no goals despite having two chances with the man advantage. Their shooting percentage stood at six percent – not exactly dominant but enough to secure victory on that occasion.
In contrast, when looking back at STL's December 31st encounter with the Pittsburgh Penguins, there were clear areas for concern. The Blues lost this battle by two points in an away game where they were outscored four goals to two by Pittsburgh. Their penalty kill struggled as they conceded one goal while shorthanded and only won one-third of faceoffs overall – a stark difference from their more recent performance against Vancouver.
The most alarming statistic comes from STL's December 30th matchup against Colorado Avalanche where they suffered another loss with just one point scored compared to Colorado's two points. The powerplay unit failed again as they couldn't convert any of their four opportunities into goals.
Despite these setbacks, there is reason for optimism among Blues fans as we look ahead to Carolina. If St. Louis can capitalize on its strengths – solid goaltending and effective even-strength play – while improving its special teams' performance, particularly in powerplays which have been lackluster recently; then we could witness them overcoming the Hurricanes' challenge.
Carolina will not make it easy though; known for being formidable opponents on home ice at PNC Arena, they will look to exploit any weakness in STL's armor.
Fans eager not just for victory but also redemption should mark their calendars: this pivotal match-up is scheduled for January 7th at 8:00 PM Eastern Time (ET). It promises high stakes and intense hockey action that can be caught live nationally on ESPN+, locally on BSMW channel 671 or BSSO channel 646-1 if you're cheering from home territory or enemy lines respectively.