St. Louis @ Carolina preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 6, 2018 ) Carolina 1, St. Louis 4

The St. Louis Blues surged into playoff contention in the Western Conference by setting a franchise record for wins in February. So did the Carolina Hurricanes in the East. Two of the hottest clubs in hockey, St. Louis and Carolina will try to carry their momentum into this month when the Blues pay a visit to the Hurricanes on Friday night.

St. Louis used a 10-game winning streak to post a blistering 12-1-1 record last month and recorded its fifth shutout during that span by blanking Nashville 2-0 on Tuesday night. "We were in last place when January started," forward Vladimir Tarasenko said. "There's no thinking about how many you've won at home or on the road. We just try to win every game. We try to keep it rolling." The Hurricanes capped a 10-3-0 month with a 6-1 mauling of the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday to extend their winning streak to three games. "If we play like that, we're going to have a really good chance to be in the playoffs," goaltender Petr Mrazek said. "We have 19 games left and we have to do the same job we did in February."

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FS Midwest (St. Louis), FS Carolina

ABOUT THE BLUES (34-23-6): Rookie Jordan Binnington is 15-2-1 since he was promoted from the minors on Jan. 7 and became only the second netminder in the modern era to notch five shutouts in his first 18 starts. Alex Steen will return to the lineup but Brayden Schenn remains a question mark while David Perron will not not fly to Carolina. "They looked good to me, but it's how they feel," coach Craig Berube said of Perron and Schenn, who both are dealing with concussions. "They want to feel the right way and I don't blame them. It's important. When they feel like they're ready, they'll let us know."

ABOUT THE HURRICANES (34-23-6): Carolina suffered a slew of injuries in Tuesday's drubbing of Los Angeles, but forward Micheal Ferland returned to practice while coach Rod Brind'Amour said he was "optimistic" over the status of Justin Faulk and Calvin de Haan, although neither defenseman practiced Thursday. Sebastian Aho scored his team-leading 25th goal Tuesday and joined Eric Staal (2005-06) as the only player in team history to register 70 points before his 22nd birthday. Jordan Staal has shown no signs of rust after missing two months due to a concussion, notching four points in his first two games back.

OVERTIME

1. Tarasenko had 10 goals and 22 points in 14 games last month.

2. Aho had 13 points in 13 games last month but has just one assist in five meetings versus St. Louis.

3. Blues leading scorer Ryan O'Reilly has five goals and as many assists in 16 games against Carolina.

PREDICTION: Blues 3, Hurricanes 2