Two teams coming off shutout losses will try to get their offenses back on track when the St. Louis Blues visit the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday night.
Winnipeg will open a three-game homestand and will play the second game of a back-to-back set after a 2-0 loss at the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday night.
St. Louis, in turn, was shut out 5-0 by the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday.
Meager offense is nothing new for the Blues, who are last in the NHL in scoring with an average of 2.43 goals per game.
The Jets, who reside near the middle of the pack, averaged 4.6 goals per game over a 4-0-1 stretch that preceded Monday night’s loss.
The Blackhawks opened the scoring in the second period Monday, and it stayed that way until Connor Bedard found the empty net with 80 seconds remaining in the third. Spencer Knight made 32 saves to spoil former Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews’ return to Chicago.
Connor Hellebuyck made 22 saves for Winnipeg, which is trying to remain in the race for a Western Conference wild-card spot.
In the Central Division, the Jets are in last place with 44 points, while the Blues are just ahead of them with 46.
“We believe in the way we’ve been playing, really since the (Christmas) break,” Jets coach Scott Arniel said. “For the most part, it’s given us a chance to win most nights, and it’s what we’re going to have to continue to do.”
On Sunday, the Blues surrendered three first-period goals en route to the lopsided loss. Jordan Binnington made 23 saves for St. Louis, which had won two games in a row after losing three straight.
“We didn’t play good enough or hard enough in front of (Binnington), and the reality of it is we’re leaving him hanging out to dry this year,” Blues captain Brayden Schenn said. “… When you give up too many goals and don’t score enough, it’s a combo, obviously, that you don’t want.”
Since shutting out the Montreal Canadiens 2-0 on Jan. 3, Binnington has lost his last three starts while giving up 15 goals.
A bad situation could have been worse for Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist. He was helped off the ice at 7:58 of the third period after colliding with Edmonton captain Connor McDavid along the boards.
“He got a cut just above the ankle. Luckily it did not touch his Achilles,” Blues coach Jim Montgomery said. “So it’s just going to be now how long he’s out. He’s day-to-day. We know the cut was deep. I don’t know how long that takes until he’s back and has the flexibility in his ankle without hurting the cut.”
If the Blues go with Joel Hofer in goal Tuesday for the middle game of a three-city trip, he will look for his third straight win after allowing just two goals over his past two starts.
The teams will meet for the second time this season. On Dec. 17, defenseman Justin Faulk scored the only goal in the Blues’ 1-0 win in St. Louis. Hofer made 24 saves for the shutout, while Hellebuyck turned aside 25 shots for Winnipeg.
–Field Level Media
