The St. Louis Blues resume their season after the Olympic break. Two players returned from Milan with silver medals, while others made a noticeable impact on their team. As fun as that tournament was, attention turns back to the NHL. The Blues kick off their post-Olympic schedule at home against the Seattle Kraken. Let’s jump into the game preview and key storylines.
Blues’ Gameday Preview: Blues vs. Kraken
The two teams are meeting for the second time this season. In the first meeting, the Kraken scored a tying goal in the final seconds before winning in overtime on a goal by Shane Wright.
The Blues lead the all-time series with the Kraken, 9-3-1. Furthermore, they have not lost to them in regulation since Feb. 28, 2023.
Last Game
The Blues have not played since Feb. 4 against the Dallas Stars. The Blues erased a 4-2 deficit in the third period before Jamie Benn scored with 23 seconds left to win the game.
Projected Lineup (Subject to Change)
Dylan Holloway – Brayden Schenn – Jimmy Snuggerud
Jake Neighbours – Pavel Buchnevich – Jordan Kyrou
Pius Suter – Dalibor Dvorsky – Jonatan Berggren
Alexey Toropchenko – Jack Finley – Nathan Walker
Philip Broberg – Colton Parayko
Tyler Tucker – Justin Faulk
Cam Fowler – Logan Mailloux
Jordan Binnington/Joel Hofer
Thomas will miss the game due to a personal leave of absence. Finley will likely join the lineup, which will be his first game wearing the Blue Note. Holloway is expected to return to the lineup following missed time from a high-ankle sprain.
Team Leaders
Thanks to six points in his last four games, Buchnevich now leads the Blues in points with 34. Neighbours leads in goals with 14. Buchnevich’s hot streak also propels him atop the team lead in assists, now with 22. Tucker has consistently led the team in penalty minutes, and this is not changing yet. Tucker currently has 60 penalty minutes on the season. Lastly, the plus/minus leader is Otto Stenberg, who is currently down in the minors but could be called back up soon, now that the season is resuming.
Robert Thomas, Jordan Kyrou, Justin Faulk and Jordan Binnington (The Hockey Writers)
Between the pipes, Hofer continues to lead the team in the three major goaltending categories. He has 12 wins, a 2.94 goals-against average (GAA), and a .895 save percentage (SV%).
Storyline #1 – Rest vs. Rust
Aside from the five players who played in the Olympics, the rest of the team has not played since early February, if not earlier. These two weeks of rest were a great opportunity to let previous injuries heal and take a mental break from the grueling game. However, will there be some rust following this break? The team has only had a few practices, and even then, practice cannot replicate what it feels like to be in an NHL game against an opponent.
What makes this storyline interesting is that the Kraken will be playing on a second-straight night coming out of the break. Typically, playing back-to-back nights is not ideal because of the physical toll it takes on players. However, could a game to shake off some rust be a good thing for the Kraken and a bad thing for the Blues? Time will tell, but it will certainly be interesting.
Storyline #2 – The Choice Between the Pipes
Simply put, Hofer deserves the playing time he is getting, and Binnington has not. Hofer has played much better than his partner, taking over the starting role in the process.
However, Binnington is coming off a strong Olympic performance where he earned a shutout and once again shone in a big-game moment. Furthermore, Binnington’s name continues to swirl in trade rumors. It can be argued that it would benefit the Blues to start Binnington more between now and the trade deadline to allow his value to increase. Last season, Binnington came back from the 4 Nations Face-Off and was great the rest of the season. Could a similar trend happen this time?
Related: Canada’s Olympic Heartbreak Can Be a Season Changer for Blues’ Binnington
Head coach Jim Montgomery announced on Wednesday that Hofer would get the start, but hinted that the decision had more to do with Binnington adjusting to the time change after returning from Milan. While this answers the question for Thursday, it does not answer the question moving forward. This is a tough decision. There is a case to be made for both Binnington and Hofer to get the majority of the starts coming out of the break. The good news is that the Blues play five times over the next nine games, so both goalies should get a few looks regardless of who gets the first start.
Storyline #3 – The Looming Trade Deadline
This could be a storyline for every game between now and the trade deadline. Each time the Blues take the ice, we will wonder if it will be the last time we see certain players wearing the Blue Note. It is an uncertain time for fans, but it is definitely one for the players, who may have to move to a new city and get used to playing for a new coach and new teammates. The human element of a trade is often overlooked.
Justin Faulk, however, has a simple solution. He simply does not think about it (from ‘Blues Defenseman Justin Faulk on Trade Rumors Ahead of Next Week’s Deadline: There’s Nothing I Can Do,’ St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Feb. 23, 2026).
“Well, I’ve been traded, so it makes it a lot easier/ It doesn’t really matter. There’s nothing I can do. Everyone knows what luxuries I might be provided in my contract at times, but it’s out of my control in a sense. It always is. Whether there’s chatter or not, I don’t like to think too much about it because it can happen or it might not, so what’s the point of wasting your time with it?”
How to Watch/Listen
The game starts at 7:00 P.M. Central Time and can be seen on FanDuel Sports Midwest. Radio coverage can be heard on 101 ESPN.
If you are attending, have fun and bring home a winner! Be sure to check back in for more Blues and league-wide coverage now that the season is resuming!
