ST. LOUIS – Two of the hottest teams as of late in the NHL do battle on Tuesday when the St. Louis Blues (37-28-7), winners of six in a row, host the Montreal Canadiens (33-27-9) at 7 p.m. (Matrix-MW, Victory+, ESPN 101.1-FM).

The Blues are on their best heater of the season, which includes a 13-2-2 run and want to keep their firm grip on the second wild card in the Western Conference; they lead the Vancouver Canucks by three points, Calgary Flames by four points and Utah Hockey Club by six points but now have the Minnesota Wild, holders of the first wild card, in their sights, trailing the Wild by just four points.

The Canadiens 8-1-4 their past 13 games, are 3-0-3 their past six games.

“A lot of similarities,” Blues coach Jim Montgomery said of the Blues and Canadiens. “Two good goalies, [Nick] Suzuki has been unreal like [Robert] Thomas has been unreal, the first line is leading like you want your team to lead and they’re playing real good, committed offense and defense in all three zones.”

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Blues forward Dylan Holloway, fresh off being named the NHL’s third star of the week for the week ending March 23, continues to gain favorable impressions from teammates and coaches.

“I don’t think there’s an area that he hasn’t grown,” Montgomery said of Holloway, who had seven points (one goal, six assists) in four games last week and is on a seven-game point streak (three goals, eight assists). “He’s always had that dogged determination to win puck battles and stay on pucks. I think his physicality has improved, I think his offensive creativity has improved, his shot-first mentality, and defensively, I had him out there in a pulled goalie situation because his defensive habits have augmented so much that the trust level has gone (up). We can use him in those situations that he just has the physical tools that will enable you to have success when you’re short in that situation.”

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Blues defenseman Colton Parayko skated on Tuesday morning, his first time skating with the team since injuring his left knee in a 3-2 shootout win against the Los Angeles Kings on Nov. 5 and having a knee scope.

“I got to be honest, I saw him twice,” Montgomery said. “When I’m out there, I’m focused on the team. I know he’s a long ways away. It’s great to have him out there. It’s just the first step in the recovery process towards becoming a player for us.

“I was just happy with the pace and execution of our team.”

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Defenseman Nick Leddy and center Oskar Sundqvist will return after each missed Sunday’s 4-1 win against the Nashville Predators with an undisclosed maintenance day.

Leddy will replace Matthew Kessel and Sundqvist will replace Dalibor Dvorsky, who made his NHL debut on Sunday.

“I spoke to him before we went out,” Montgomery said of Dvorsky, who played 10:49. “We were really happy with his first game in the league, shows his hockey sense, shows his poise with the puck. Game management was beyond his years as far as he didn’t complicate the game, he didn’t force anything, allowed us to play to our identity. Today is an opportunity to be part of a morning skate, be part of a practice tomorrow, watch the game tonight and grow and learn about why we’ve had success here recently.

“It’s very tempting to keep him in, but I think as a coach, you’ve got to reward the guys that have gotten you here and those guys have battled hard and they’re all fresh and rested right now so we’re going to go with the horses that have gotten us here.”

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Pavel Buchnevich (illness) remains out of the lineup, his third straight game missed tonight, but Montgomery said that the forward is getting better.

"Doing better, not a player yet," Montgomery said, who noted it's nothing related to the hit he took in a 4-1 win against the Predators on March 18. "It's something different."

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Blues Projected Lineup:

Jake Neighbours-Robert Thomas-Zack Bolduc

Dylan Holloway-Brayden Schenn-Jordan Kyrou

Mathieu Joseph-Oskar Sundqvist-Alexandre Texier

Alexey Toropchenko-Radek Faksa-Nathan Walker

Cam Fowler-Nick Leddy

Philip Broberg-Justin Faulk

Ryan Suter-Tyler Tucker

Jordan Binnington will start in goal; Joel Hofer will be the backup.

The healthy scratches include Dalibor Dvorsky and Matthew Kessel. Colton Parayko (knee) and Pavel Buchnevich (illness) are out.

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Canadiens Projected Lineup:

Cole Caufield-Nick Suzuki-Juraj Slafkovsky

Joshua Roy-Alex Newhook-Patrik Laine

Josh Anderson-Christian Dvorak-Brendan Gallagher

Emil Heineman-Jake Evans-Joel Armia

Mike Matheson-Alexandre Carrier

Jayden Struble-Lane Hutson

Arber Xhekaj-David Savard

Sam Montembeault will start in goal; Jakub Dobes will be the backup.

The healthy scratch includes Michael Pezzetta. Kaiden Guhle (quad) is out.

Seattle Kraken defenseman Ryker Evans will skate in his 100th career NHL game tonight against the Calgary Flames.

The Kraken selected Evans in the second round (35th overall) in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, following a three-goal and 25-point campaign in the WHL with the Regina Pats. He played in just 28 games that season due to injuries and quickly followed that season with 14 goals and 61 points in 63 games.

Evans would spend the following season with the Coachella Valley Firebirds, where he further impressed the Kraken organization. In his rookie campaign, he scored six goals and 44 points in 71 games, but he took things to another level in the playoffs, recording five goals and 26 points in 26 games. 

The 2023-24 campaign saw Evans receive his first bit of NHL action, playing in 36 games. Now, in the 2024-25 season, the 23-year-old has established himself as a full-time NHL defenseman, averaging 19:24 of ice time.

In 63 games, Evans has scored five goals and 24 points. The Calgary, AB native took over the second power play duties while Vince Dunn was out with an injury and saw an uptick in his numbers. The production dropped off since Dunn returned, but his overall impact on the game never wavered.

His ability to defend the rush and efficiently move the puck has proved to be a valued asset, and he's continued to gain the trust of the coaching staff. Evans will be an RFA when the season concludes and is inline to get a pay raise. 

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General Manager Kelly McCrimmon was a guest on the VGK Insider Show and mentioned that Shea Theodore will accompany the Vegas Golden Knights on their upcoming road trip and will play at some point on the trip.

Theodore has been out since the first game of the 4 Nations Face-Off after suffering what appeared to be a wrist injury. The initial timetable given on his status was week-to-week and it appears he is inching closer to a return.

He's participated in multiple practices now, both without contact and with contact, signally the recovery process is going accordingly.

The Golden Knights recently welcomed back William Karlsson, who had also spent time on the long-term injury reserve. The pair of Original Misfits are essential to the Golden Knights' success, and allowing them time to revamp before the beginning of the playoffs could be vital.

Tomas Hertl exited Sunday's game against the Tampa Bay Lightning after he was hit awkwardly into the boards. The initial reports haven't been good, with McCrimmon stating that he will not make the trip with the team and is ruled out for the rest of the week. Hertl will undergo more tests to determine the severity of the injury. 

Losing Hertl at this time of the season is a major blow, but adding Theodore back into the line should, at the very least, help cushion it. Very few defensemen possess the offensive abilities Theodore has, scoring seven goals and 48 points in 55 games this season. 

The Golden Knights' road trip begins tonight against the Minnesota Wild, followed by encounters with the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday and the Nashville Predators on Saturday, any of which could be the return game for Theodore. 

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