Early look · NHL 2026-27

Vancouver Canucks at St. Louis Blues: game preview

VancouverCanucks2026-27: 2-2-0 · 4 pts · 2025-26: 25-49-8 · 58 pts · 32ndat

St. LouisBlues2026-27: 1-2-0 · 2 pts · 2025-26: 37-33-12 · 86 pts · 22nd

Puck drop30 Jan · 3:30 PM ET

VenueEnterprise Center

All-time meetings238 completed

BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26

The thesis

Twenty-eight points apart last season

Vancouver finished last season 32nd in the league on 58 points. St. Louis finished 22nd on 86.

Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 239

Across 238 completed games, St. Louis lead the head-to-head 130-87-21.

All-time record130-87-21St. Louis's record in the series

Meetings played238This is number 239

2025-26 series—

Last 53-2St. Louis

Last 5 meetings

See all: Last 5 meetings →

DateResultShotsPower playWinner

21 Mar 2026STL 3 – VAN 1——STL

30 Oct 2025VAN 4 – STL 3 SO——VAN

13 Oct 2025STL 5 – VAN 2——STL

20 Mar 2025VAN 3 – STL 4 OT——STL

27 Jan 2025VAN 5 – STL 2——VAN

Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateVancouverSt. Louis

13 Oct 20251-2-0 · 2 pts26th2-1-0 · 4 pts13th

30 Oct 20256-6-0 · 12 pts21st3-6-2 · 8 pts30th

21 Mar 202621-40-8 · 50 pts32nd28-30-11 · 67 pts28th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 13 Oct 2025, Vancouver were 26th in the league and St. Louis 13th. By 21 Mar 2026 it was 32nd and 28th.

Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

St. Louis out-attempted Vancouver 192 to 151

Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.

Vancouver Canucks

151 att · 62 on goal · 6 G · 9.7%

Crease15 att · 2 G

Slot49 att · 2 G

Wing62 att · 1 G

Point20 att · 1 G

Neutral zone5 att · 0 G

St. Louis Blues

192 att · 96 on goal · 11 G · 11.5%

Crease14 att · 2 G

Slot79 att · 5 G

Wing64 att · 3 G

Point29 att · 0 G

Neutral zone6 att · 1 G

GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

St. Louis have created the better chances, last 10 games

Shot quality both ways: expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring. Finishing above zero means more goals than the chances.

VancouverSt. Louis

2.44xG for per game2.69

3.15xG against per game3.33

43.6%xG share44.7%

+9.2FinishingGoals minus expected goals−1.1

−5.4GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−0.0

This season: 4 games for Vancouver, 3 for St. Louis. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.

Every team’s xG →

Special teams

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

This season's rates first, then 2025-26 and the last meetings between the two. Power-play chances are counted from the penalty log with coincidental minors cancelled; faceoffs are each club's wins over draws taken.

All bars share one scale · 0–100%SeasonLast meetings

Vancouver

Small sample

Power play · 2026-2723.1%

Power play · 2025-2621.8% · 14th

Power play · last 5 meetings—

Penalty kill · 2026-2768.8%

Penalty kill · 2025-2671.5% · 32nd

Faceoffs · 2026-2749.3% · 112/227

Drawn · 2026-2713 (3.25/gm)

Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-2716 (4.00/gm)

PP goals · last meetings0

St. Louis

Small sample

Power play · 2026-2712.5%

Power play · 2025-2617.6% · 26th

Power play · last 5 meetings—

Penalty kill · 2026-2790.0%

Penalty kill · 2025-2676.7% · 25th

Faceoffs · 2026-2744.6% · 83/186

Drawn · 2026-278 (2.67/gm)

Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-2710 (3.33/gm)

PP goals · last meetings0

Skaters

Skaters to watch

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away.

Goaltending

Who has stopped this matchup

Save percentage in the last meetings by goalie. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Vancouver

Expected starter after their game on 28 Jan: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

St. Louis

Expected starter after their game on 28 Jan: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Vancouver crease

VAN · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 27 Jan

Kevin Lankinen.8243 GP · 1-2-0 · GSAx −6.4

Leevi Meriläinen.9432 GP · 1-0-0 · GSAx +1.0

No appearances against St. Louis in the last meetings.

St. Louis crease

STL · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 27 Jan

Joel Hofer.9552 GP · 1-1-0 · GSAx +2.8

Jordan Binnington.8331 GP · 0-1-0 · GSAx −2.5

No appearances against Vancouver in the last meetings.

Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.5 goals

No total is posted yet: it arrives with the game-day prices. Until then, the scoring rates and the recent meetings set the range.

Goals in the last 5 meetings

21 Mar 20264 · STL 3–1 VAN

30 Oct 20257 · VAN 4–3 STL

13 Oct 20257 · STL 5–2 VAN

20 Mar 20257 · VAN 3–4 STL

27 Jan 20257 · VAN 5–2 STL

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA

Vancouver4.754.502.633.85

St. Louis2.333.332.823.15

Goals for and against per game. The estimate averages each team’s scoring with the other’s goals allowed, and leans on 2025-26 until a team has played 20 games.

Scoring rates suggest6.5Goals in this game

Last 5 meetings6.4Goals per game

Line—No total posted yet

Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

9 on the injury lists

Vancouver · injuries

Akil ThomasUndisclosedIRReturn11 Oct

Filip ChytilShoulderIRReturn8 Oct

Jack ThompsonUndisclosedIRReturn11 Oct

Mackenzie MacEachernUndisclosedIRReturn10 Oct

Thatcher DemkoHipIRReturn21 Dec

St. Louis · injuries

Alexey ToropchenkoUpper BodyIRReturn14 Nov

Felix TrudeauUndisclosedIRReturn10 Oct

Logan MaillouxHandIRReturn25 Nov

Tyler TuckerKneeIRReturn12 Nov

Latest moves

See all: Latest moves →

27 Sep · VAN

Placed G Nikita Tolopilo on waivers.

25 Sep · VAN

Claimed G Leevi Merilainen off waivers from Ottawa. Placed F Filip Chytil on injured reserve. Assigned F Braeden Cootes to Abbotsford (AHL).

24 Sep · VAN

Assigned Fs Ty Mueller, Riley Patterson, Ilya Safonov and Chase Wouters, Ds Kirill Kudryavtsev and Sawyer Mynio to Abbotsford (AHL). Loaned F Ben Berard and D Isaac Belliveau to Abbotsford. Waived for the purpose of assignment to Abbotsford F Trey Fix-Wolansky and Ds Cole Clayton and Jimmy Schuldt.

5 Oct · STL

Placed LW Alexey Toropchenko on injured reserve.

27 Sep · STL

Placed G Georgii Romanov and D Calle Rosen on waivers. Claimed RD Justin Barron off waivers.

19 Sep · STL

Placed D Marc Andre Gaudet was placed on waivers.

Injury report

Vancouver · 2026 draft

See all: Vancouver · 2026 draft →

#3Caleb MalhotraRound 1 · BrantfordC

#24Adam NovotnyRound 1 · PeterboroughLW

#33Brooks RogowskiRound 2 · OshawaC

#41Niklas Aaram-OlsenRound 2 · Orebro Jr.LW

Full draft

St. Louis · 2026 draft

See all: St. Louis · 2026 draft →

#11Tynan LawrenceRound 1 · Boston UniversityC

#16Maddox DagenaisRound 1 · QuebecC

#75Luke SchairerRound 3 · Usa U-18D

#107Landon NyczRound 4 · UmassD

Full draft

Saturday 30 January · the full slate

See all: Saturday 30 January · the full slate →

STLThis game 3:30 PM ET

Updated after every final

Vancouver Canucks at St. Louis Blues: game preview

Twenty-eight points apart last season

Meeting number 239

Last 5 meetings

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

St. Louis out-attempted Vancouver 192 to 151

Vancouver Canucks

St. Louis Blues

St. Louis have created the better chances, last 10 games

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

Vancouver

St. Louis

Skaters to watch

Forwards to watch

Defencemen to watch

Who has stopped this matchup

Vancouver crease

St. Louis crease

Scoring rates point to about 6.5 goals

Goals in the last 5 meetings

Scoring rates

9 on the injury lists

Vancouver · injuries

St. Louis · injuries

Latest moves

Vancouver · 2026 draft

St. Louis · 2026 draft

Saturday 30 January · the full slate