Vegas Golden Knights vs St. Louis Blues Picks and Predictions October 11th 2024

Blues, Golden Knights Aim to Extend Unbeaten Starts

As the new NHL season starts off, both the St. Louis Blues and the Vegas Golden Knights are headed toward great beginnings. The two groups will go head to head on Friday in Las Vegas, with each hoping to keep their unbeaten streaks alive. For the Blues, this game presents a chance to finish an ideal three-game street clear. In the mean time, the Golden Knights will expect to expand on their prevailing opening execution.

Blues Overcome Early Struggles for Strong Start

The St. Louis Blues are enjoying a vastly improved start compared to the previous season, where they stumbled with a 3-4-1 record out of the gate. This year, they seem to have found their stride much earlier, already pulling off back-to-back comeback victories on the road.

In their season opener, the Blues combat from a two-objective deficiency to overcome the Seattle Kraken 3-2. However, maybe more noteworthy was their subsequent game, where they eradicated a three-objective third-period deficiency to push out the San Jose Sharks in an exhilarating 5-4 extra time win.

The key to their comeback against San Jose was Blues coach Drew Bannister’s decision to reshuffle his forward lines late in the game. The adjustment worked wonders, sparking a frenetic rally in the final period.

The Blues’ fourth line assumed a vital part, producing two objectives in the third period. Focus Radek Faska got things rolling with a wraparound goal, and winger Alexey Toropchenko set up defenseman Ryan Suter for another score, slicing the Sharks’ lead to only one.

Then, with only seconds left at work, defenseman Justin Faulk tied the game while the Blues were skating with an additional assailant in the wake of pulling their goalie.

“We just had to find a way to see if we could dig deep and find something in the third, and we did,” Faulk said after the game.

In overtime, the Blues wasted no time. They won the opening faceoff, kept control of the puck, and Brayden Schenn sealed the victory just 45 seconds into the extra period with a powerful blast from the left wing.

Key Performances Power the Blues

Two of the Blues’ top players, Jordan Kyrou and Robert Thomas, were instrumental in both victories. The dynamic duo has already combined for seven points in just two games, showing that they are ready to build on their breakout performances from last season.

“You saw good growth in Jordan’s game last year in the last six weeks,” coach Bannister remarked. “Robbie had an outstanding breakout season for us last year. I don’t see any reason for them not to grow in their roles and get better as hockey players here.”

The Blues’ resilience and depth have been key to their early success. However, they may face some challenges ahead, as forward Alexandre Texier missed Thursday’s game with an upper-body injury. Zack Bolduc stepped into the lineup against the Sharks, and the Blues may need to rely on their depth again if Texier is unable to return for the game against Vegas.

Golden Knights Shine in Offensive Showcase

On the opposite side, the Vegas Golden Knights have additionally offered a determined expression to begin their season. In their opener, they blew past the Colorado Avalanche with a 8-4 triumph. While the scoreline recommends a high-scoring, volatile undertaking, Golden Knights mentor Bruce Cassidy was to some degree shocked by the end-product.

“Did I expect an 8-4 game tonight? Absolutely not,” Cassidy admitted after the game. “We weren’t bad defensively tonight. I just think we gave up some bad plays and got a little tired running around.”

Despite some defensive lapses, the Golden Knights’ offensive firepower was on full display. Their top forward line of Ivan Barbashev, Jack Eichel, and Mark Stone led the charge, with Barbashev, a former Blues player, recording two goals and two assists. Eichel added four assists, while Stone contributed two goals and one assist.

Barbashev, playing against his former team on Friday, is feeling confident after such a strong start.

“It’s fun playing with them,” Barbashev said of his linemates. “It felt good. We got a lot of things to prove in the next couple of days, but you know, got a couple of goals and won the game, most importantly.”

Special Teams and Scoring Depth

Vegas also showcased their strength on the power play, converting on two of their three opportunities with the man advantage. Victor Olofsson and Stone both found the back of the net on the power play, while Olofsson also scored at even strength. In fact, the Golden Knights had three different players score twice in the game, demonstrating the depth of their roster.

“We had good patience,” Cassidy explained after the game. “We still attacked. We didn’t force things that weren’t there. We had good shots to score, obviously.”

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The Golden Knights’ balanced attack and special teams play will be crucial as they look to keep their unbeaten start going against a resilient Blues team.

An Exciting Matchup Ahead

As the Blues and Golden Knights get ready to go head to head, the two groups are riding the force major areas of strength for of to the season. The Blues have shown mind blowing purpose and assurance, fighting against eminent loss in both of their games up to this point. In the mean time, the Golden Knights have shown the way that they can overpower rivals with their powerful hostile capability.

This matchup vows to be an astonishing conflict of styles. The Blues should keep depending on their profundity and versatility, while the Golden Knights will hope to use their top-line ability and exceptional groups capability. Fans can expect a cutthroat and hard-faced conflict as the two groups mean to expand their unbeaten runs in the beginning phases of the time.