Preview: Blues at Hurricanes

[October 27, 2017]  The St. Louis Blues play away from home for the final time during a road-heavy first month of the season when they visit the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday. St. Louis had eight of its first 11 games of 2017-18 scheduled away from Scottrade Center, where it made a rare appearance on Wednesday and improved to 3-0-0 with a 5-2 triumph over Calgary.

Alex Steen registered his first four points of the season (goal, three assists) in the win and Jaden Schwartz tallied to extend his point streak to five games as the Blues earned points for the fourth consecutive contest (3-0-1). Carolina avoided a three-game losing streak on Thursday by posting a 6-3 victory at Toronto. Josh Jooris scored his first two goals as a member of the Hurricanes and Teuvo Teravainen notched a tally and two assists as the club recorded its third win in the last four road contests. Jeff Skinner leads Carolina with seven points, five of which he has posted over the last four games.

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSN Midwest (St. Louis), FSN Carolinas

ABOUT THE BLUES (7-2-1): Schwartz leads the team in goals (seven) and points (14) as he has landed on the scoresheet in all but one of his 10 games. The 25-year-old left wing has collected five tallies and two assists during his current point streak. Alex Pietrangelo has recorded two goals and two assists over his last three contests and is tied for the league lead in points among defensemen with 12.

ABOUT THE HURRICANES (4-3-1): Victor Rask halted his six-game point drought by recording a goal and an assist versus the Maple Leafs. The 24-year-old Swedish center had not landed on the scoresheet since also notching a tally and an assist in the season opener against Minnesota on Oct. 7. Haydn Fleury, a 21-year-old defenseman who was the seventh overall pick in the 2014 draft, registered a pair of assists in his eighth NHL game on Thursday for his first two career points.

OVERTIME

1. Blues RW Vladimir Tarasenko notched two assists on Wednesday, giving him points in eight of his first 10 games this season.

2. Carolina RW Justin Williams has gone three contests without a point and is 13 away from 700 for his career.

3. St. Louis LW Vladimir Sobotka has recorded seven assists in 10 games this season but remains in search of his first goal after tallying in his lone regular-season contest in 2016-17.

PREDICTION: Blues 3, Hurricanes 1

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