GDT #21: Blues @ Wild 7:00 CT Bally Sports, 101ESPN

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BLUES The St. Louis Blues got back in the win column on Sunday afternoon in Chicago, continuing to show their ability to quickly put tough losses behind them. Pavel Buchnevich's three points and Jake Neighbours' two goals paved the way for a 4-2 win over their rival Blackhawks, impressing proud dads in the bleachers.

"We wanted to get a big win here after the last couple games and we did a good job of that," said Jordan Binnington after his 32-save win. "My mindset was just to come in and compete, and as a team we did a great job of that tonight."

Robert Thomas had another strong game to continue his hot start to the season. With five points in his last three games, Thomas remains one of just six players in the NHL leading their team (or sharing the lead) in goals, assists and points this year.

The Dads' Trip concludes on Tuesday night with a matchup in Minnesota, featuring another division rival hungry for a win.

The Blues visit the Wild with a record of 11-8-1, worth 23 points and fourth in the Central Division.

WILD Currently enduring a seven-game losing streak, the Minnesota Wild are in need of a rebound to their season. After falling in the First Round to Dallas, the Wild saw some turnover in their lineups - including Oskar Sundqvist's departure to St. Louis as a free agent - as they balance salary cap limitations.

Minnesota's most accomplished add this offseason was three-time Stanley Cup Champion Pat Maroon, hoping that development by their younger players can drive additional improvement.

The Wild's losing streak reached seven games (0-5-2) with a 4-1 loss to the Red Wings in Detroit. Offensive struggles have been the biggest factor as the losses mount, scoring an NHL-worst 1.86 goals per game in the winless stretch.

On Monday, they made a big move to address the recent slide, parting ways with Head Coach Dean Evason and Assistant Coach Bob Woods. In 251 games over parts of five seasons as Wild Head Coach, Evason coached a record of 147-77-27 and saw four playoff appearances.

Minnesota is hungry to bounce back against their division-rival Blues on Tuesday, set to be just their third Central Division game of the season. Afterwards, they play the Predators and Balckhawks for additional reps against the Central.

The Wild host the Blues with a record of 5-10-4, worth 14 points and seventh in the division.

HEAD TO HEAD The Blues went 1-3-0 against Minnesota last season, but are 4-1-1 in their last six games at Xcel Energy Center and 10-3-1 in their last 14 games against the Wild overall. The season series resumes in March, when the Blues will face the Wild three times in a 12-game span.

Play Video
Scott Thomas interviews Robert for Gameday Report

PLAYERS TO WATCH
BLUES Jake Neighbours, who posted his first career multi-goal game on Sunday in Chicago. The 21-year-old forward ranks third on the team with seven goals this season, including five during his active five-game point streak.

WILD Kirill Kaprizov, second on the Wild with 18 points this season. Kaprizov has nine points in 13 career games against the Blues, plus seven goals and an assist in the Blues and Wild's 2022 First Round Playoff series.

BLUE NOTES
Colton Parayko is expected to dress in his 598th career game on Tuesday, matching him with Chris Pronger at No. 6 on the all-time leaderboard for games played by a Blues defenseman

Prior to last season's 1-3-0 record against Minnesota, the Blues earned points in 10 straight matchups (9-0-1 from April 9, 2021 to April 16, 2022)

The Blues are 10-0-0 this season when scoring the first goal of the game, the only team in the NHL without a loss of any kind when scoring first

In the month of November, the Blues' eight wins share the League lead and their 46 goals share No. 3. Robert Thomas' 17 points this month shares seventh among all skaters

The Blues are 26-for-28 (92.9%) on the penalty kill in road games this season, the second-highest road PK mark in the League. Their five shorthanded goals in road games lead all teams