Preview: Panthers at Blues

[February 20, 2017]  The Florida Panthers look to complete an improbable sweep of a five-game road trip against teams in or close to playoff position when they visit the surging St. Louis Blues on Monday. The Panthers began the trek by scoring a total of 17 goals in wins over Nashville, San Jose and Anaheim before edging Los Angeles 3-2 on Saturday for their seventh victory in eight overall games.

“This is a group that fought the confidence bug a little when we were going through the rough times,” Florida interim coach Tom Rowe, who took over for Gerard Gallant in late November, told reporters. “Now they’re taking advantage, feeling good and playing some good hockey.” The Blues also made a coaching change and have won seven of nine since Mike Yeo replaced Ken Hitchcock at the beginning of February. St. Louis won six consecutive games before losing 3-2 at Buffalo on Saturday despite registering 17 shots in the third period. “The game was still there for us,” Yeo told reporters after the loss. “We kept ourselves in it. You get 39 shots, and the majority (32) are 5-on-5, there are a lot of things that are good.”

TV: 8 p.m. ET, NHL Network, Sportsnet, TVA, FSN Florida, FSN Midwest (St. Louis)

ABOUT THE PANTHERS (27-20-10): Perhaps nothing has helped Florida get back into the hunt for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference more than health. Aleksander Barkov has recorded eight points (five goals) in six games and defenseman Alex Petrovic has been solid since both had long stints on injured reserve while Jonathan Huberdeau has collected eight points in his first six contests of the season following an Achilles injury. “We got our players back,” Jussi Jokinen, who has scored four goals in five games, told reporters. “Everybody is playing the minutes and the roles they were supposed to play early in the year.”

ABOUT THE BLUES (31-23-5): The biggest difference for St. Louis this month has been in the defensive end, where it has allowed just 14 goals in nine games while goaltenders Jake Allen and Carter Hutton have raised their level of play a few notches. Allen is 5-2-0 with a .934 save percentage this month and Hutton has posted three of his eight career shutouts over his last four starts – two in as many outings in February. Leading scorer Vladimir Tarasenko (28 goals, 56 points) has scored in back-to-back games and defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk, an impending free agent who has been mentioned in trade rumors, is second on the club with 42 points - including a team-high 31 assists.

OVERTIME

1. The Blues have won seven of the last eight meetings, but the Panthers recorded a 3-1 triumph in St. Louis last season.

2. Florida C Vincent Trocheck (two goals, five assists) and RW Jaromir Jagr (two, three) both are riding five-game point streaks.

3. St. Louis C Paul Stastny (35 points) could return to the lineup Monday after missing the last four games with a lower-body injury.

PREDICTION: Blues 4, Panthers 2

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