After back-to-back road games, the Blues are back at home tonight for a five-game homestand. Check out our Blues vs Capitals Preview 1/7/22.

Blues vs Capitals Preview 1/7/22

It was a very special night for the St. Louis Blues the last time these two teams met. It was October 2, 2019 when the St. Louis Blues were raising their Stanley Cup banner on opening night. It is crazy how much has changed since these two teams last met.

After suffering a 5-3 loss on Wednesday night in Pittsburgh, the St. Louis Blues are back at home facing another tough Eastern Conference opponent. Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals come to town on Friday night to kickoff the five-game homestand for the St. Louis Blues. Ovechkin and company are off to a great start this season, currently tied as the third-best team in the league. They trail Tampa Bay by three points and the Florida Panthers by two points.

Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. central time at the Enterprise Center this evening. The game will be televised on Bally Sports Midwest and the Bally Sports App. You can also listen to the radio call on 101.1 ESPN St. Louis.

Blues Notes

The Blues led 3-1 at one point on Wednesday night in Pittsburgh. The Penguins scored the next four goals unanswered to take the win against St. Louis on the nationally televised game. Brayden Schenn welcomed himself back in the second period with a goal only 26 seconds into the period. Schenn had previously been on the injured reserve (IR) for the last few weeks.

Jordan Kyrou continues his wonderful play this season, scoring the Blues second goal to give them a 2-0 lead. Kyrou is second in points on the team this season, one point behind Vladimir Tarasenko. It would not be one bit surprising to see Kyrou lead the team in points by the end of the season. Kyrou has been an incredible young star to watch this season, and we hope he only grows in his time here in St. Louis.

Speaking of Vladimir Tarasenko, he notched an assist on Wednesday night. Tarasenko currently leads the team in goals and points. As we mentioned in our last article, Tarasenko is the only forward to have not missed a game yet this season. That was until he was put on the NHL’s COVID protocol list Thursday morning. Tarasenko, Scott Perunovich, and Jake Walman were added to the list on Thursday.

The St. Louis Blues will once again be short-handed heading into tonight’s game.

Capitals Notes

The Washington Capitals come into tonight’s game with a record of 20-6-8 and are tied for the top spot in the Metropolitan Division. The Capitals are tied with the New York Rangers with 48 points. Speaking of points, Alex Ovechkin has a lot of them this season. Through 34 games, Ovechkin has 50 points with 24 goals. His 50 points has him third in the league in points.

The next closest player to Ovechkin in points is Evgeny Kuznetsov with 33 points. John Carlson is the only other player with 30+ points, right behind Kuznetsov with 32 points. This will be another homecoming return for T.J. Oshie the former St. Louis Blues. Oshie is having a slow year production-wise with 12 points but he has only appeared in 16 games this season.

One thing that sticks out to me about this Capitals team, is the play of their captain. To have 50 points through 34 games in the season is crazy enough. Not to mention the fact that Ovechkin is doing this at the age of 36. To be 36 in the NHL and to be producing at this level is something we rarely see. As someone who will always remember Ovechkin playing, do not take his play for granted because we are witnessing one of the greatest hockey players of all time.

Blues vs Capitals Odds & Lines

Spread: Blues -1.5

Money Line: Blues -115
Capitals -105
Over/Under: 6.5

This game is expected to be very close. The Blues get the edge in the spread, more than likely for this being a home game. The Blues are 12-3-2 at home this season and are 9-0-1 in their last 10 home games.

Colten’s Bet of the Day: St. Louis -115