When: Thursday, Oct. 10 at 9:30 p.m. CT
Where: SAP Center in San Jose
Watch: ESPN+, Hulu
Listen: 101 ESPN, Blues App

QUICK HITS

BLUES The St. Louis Blues kicked off their season Tuesday with a 3-2 comeback win at Seattle.

After a scoreless first period, the Blues began the second period on a rough note, allowing two Kraken goals within the first three minutes.

“For the first half of the game we seemed hesitant, we weren’t playing on our toes, wasn’t a lot of communication on the ice between linemates, between D-partners,” Blues Head Coach Drew Bannister said. “We seemed to be chasing the game a little bit too much. But to be honest with you, the life on the bench continued to be there and guys pushing each other to get things going.”

Blues forwards Nathan Walker and Alexey Toropchenko took it upon themselves to stir the pot, leading to a Blues power play and change in momentum. Jordan Kyrou took advantage of the opportunity and scored the first goal of the season. This was quickly followed by a goal from newcomer Philip Broberg and then another one from Kyrou.

Three goals, 115 seconds.

“(Kyrou) took advantage of his opportunities,” Bannister said. “There were a couple more opportunities where I’d like to see him really bear down, but he’s finding areas, guys are finding him. Again, he’s using his speed, he’s competing and good things happen when he’s doing that.”

The Blues’ success was also in large part due to goaltender Jordan Binnington, who made 30 saves on the night and posted a .938 save percentage.

The Blues look to continue their momentum on the road as they face the Sharks on Thursday and the Golden Knights on Friday before returning to St. Louis for their home opener next week.

SHARKS After finishing last season with a league-worst 19-54-9 record, the San Jose Sharks are looking to make a splash this season with top draft pick Macklin Celebrini and new Head Coach Ryan Warofsky. Thursday’s contest will be their first game of the 2024-25 campaign.

The 36-year-old Warofsky spent the last two years as the Sharks assistant coach, specializing on defense and the penalty kill. During his first season with San Jose, Warofsky coached Erik Karlsson to a second Norris Trophy when he set a franchise record for points by a defenseman with 101.

Last season the Sharks struggled both offensively and defensively, finishing last in the League with 326 goals allowed. Additionally, the Sharks ranked second-to-last in goals scored with 180.

The Sharks received the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft and selected Celebrini. The rookie made a name for himself as a freshman at Boston University with 32 goals and 64 points. Additionally, the No. 4 overall pick in 2023, Will Smith, has officially made the roster. Smith finished his freshman season at Boston College leading the NCAA in points with 71 in 41 games and led Team USA to a gold medal at the 2024 World Junior Championship.

Other notable off-season pickups include two-time Stanley Cup champion Barclay Goodrow, as well as Tyler Toffoli and Alexander Wennberg to help bolster their offense.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Blues: Jordan Kyrou, the team’s leading goal scorer last season with 31, scored twice for the Blues in their 3-2 win against Seattle, including a power-play tally. Last season Kyrou tied for first on the team with eight power-play goals. If Kyrou can reach 30 total goals again this season, he would be just the third Blue since 1996-97 to record three straight seasons of at least 30 goals.

Sharks: Macklin Celebrini, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, is set to make his debut on Thursday. In three preseason games, he recorded two points (one goal, one assist). Celebrini finished his freshman year with a multitude of accolades, including Hockey East Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year and, most notably, was the youngest player to win the Hobey Baker Award as the top NCAA men’s player.

BLUE NOTES

• Tuesday marked the fourth time in franchise history that the Blues staged a multi-goal comeback win in a season-opener (Oct. 2, 2009 / Oct. 9, 1986 / Oct. 11, 1978).
• Jordan Binnington’s victory in Seattle gave him his fourth career win in season-opening games, which is now the most in Blues history. With his seventh win in the 2024-25 season, Binnington will become the Blues’ all-time winningest goaltender with 152 wins. With his next start, Binnington will also match Curtis Joseph for second all-time on the franchise list with 275 games started.
• Kyrou scored twice in a span of 1:55 in the second period on Tuesday for his 22nd career multi-goal game (Blues are 18-2-2 when he scores at least twice in a game in his career).
• Ryan Suter could appear in his 1,446^th career game, moving him ahead of Tim Horton for ninth among defensemen all-time in the NHL.
• Brothers Mathieu and Pierre-Olivier Joseph could become the seventh pair of brothers to play for the Blues at the same time.