Don't miss MacKinnon, McDavid and more of the NHL's biggest names at Enterprise Center this season
By Andrew Pek
St. Louis Blues
The St. Louis Blues are a little more than two months away from taking the ice for the 2024-25 season, but that doesn't hold back our anticipation for the upcoming year.
The upcoming schedule promises there won't be a shortage of NHL superstars visiting Enterprise Center this season.
Below are just a few of the marquee matchups fans should make sure to show up for:
Beasts from the East:
Nov. 2 vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
Nov. 5 vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
Nov. 9 vs. Washington Capitals
Nov. 12 vs. Boston Bruins
The Blues get their inter-conference work in early this season, facing a slate of the Eastern Conference's biggest names over a 10-day stretch just weeks into the season.
Toronto's Auston Matthews is coming off a career-best 69 goals last season, the highest total from any NHL player since the days of Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky.
Though the Lightning lost Steven Stamkos to the Predators this offseason (more on him later), Tampa Bay still boasts two of the game's biggest stars: Nikita Kucherov, the reigning Art Ross Trophy recipient as the NHL's point leader; and goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, a former Vezina Trophy winner, Conn Smythe Trophy winner, and two-time Stanley Cup Champion.
Though the Capitals have not finished atop the standings in recent years, Alex Ovechkin continues his pursuit of history. After lighting the lamp 31 times in 2023-24, The Great 8 sits just 41 goals behind Gretzky for the most in League history.
Rounding out the impressive homestand is a visit from the Boston Bruins, who have been knocking on the door of the Stanley Cup since the Blues took them down for the 2019 crown. David Pastrnak leads their star power, finishing with the fifth-most points in the League last season with 110.
Take your pick from any of this intriguing five-game homestand, which also features the first visit to Enterprise Center by the brand new Utah Hockey Club on Nov. 7.
Big Stars from the Big Apple:
Dec. 15 vs. New York Rangers
Only three skaters scored more points last year than the New York Rangers' Artemi Panarin - Kucherov, reigning Hart Trophy winner Nathan MacKinnon and reigning Conn Smythe winner Connor McDavid. Panarin's 120 points last year and New York's Metropolitan Division crown were enough to get him fifth in the League's MVP award race, though he works far from alone. His Rangers also roster Adam Fox, a Top 5 Norris Trophy candidate; and Igor Shesterkin, a former Vezina-winning netminder.
The West Coast's Youngest Powerhouse:
Jan. 27 vs. Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks made a monumental jump up the standings, going from 83 points in 2022-23 to 109 points, a Pacific Division title and a First Round Playoff series win last year. Though 30-year-old JT Miller led the team with 103 points, 24-year-old Quinn Hughes and 25-year-old Elias Pettersson played significant roles in the Canucks' rise. Hughes' 92 points were the highest among all NHL defensem*n - including multiple players featured in this article - and earned him the 2024 Norris Trophy as the League's top blueliner.
Back-to-back against the Stanley Cup Finalists:
Feb. 4 vs. Edmonton Oilers
Feb. 6 vs. Florida Panthers
Another multi-game superstar visit comes in a rare occurrence: the Blues host both 2024 Stanley Cup Final teams in consecutive matchups in early February.
Opening the set is a visit from Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl's Edmonton Oilers. After years of dominance by the NHL's highest-scoring duo in recent history, the Oilers came within an inch of Stanley Cup glory by erasing a 3-0 deficit to force an electric Game 7 against the Florida Panthers. Since the 2016-17 season, no skater in the NHL is even within 100 points of Connor McDavid (934), and the very first name underneath him on the leaderboard is his own teammate in Draisaitl (790). McDavid also made history this year by winning the Conn Smythe Playoff MVP Trophy despite not taking home the Stanley Cup, the sixth such occurrence in NHL history. McDavid finished with a blistering 42 points in 25 playoff games, the fourth most in League history.
The second of these matchups may mean even more to Blues fans. The defending champion Florida Panthers, led by St. Louis' own (and Blues Hall of Famer Keith Tkachuk's son) Matthew Tkachuk, make their lone visit to Enterprise Center this same week. Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart, former Vezina winner Andrei Bobrovsky and two-time Selke Trophy winner Aleksander Barkov made for a powerhouse on their way to the Panthers' first-ever Stanley Cup win.
A New Look to an Old Rival:
March 27 vs. Nashville Predators
The first Central Division foe on this list is the Nashville Predators, who added two-time Stanley Cup Champion Steven Stamkos this summer. Stamkos, a two-time Rocket Richard Trophy winner, joins the Preds after his seventh career 40-goal season - the second most among active NHL players. His new teammates include former Norris Trophy winner Roman Josi (Nashville's all-time leading scorer), another star in Filip Forsberg (second in Predators history), and a familiar face in 2019's Conn Smythe and Selke Trophy winner, Ryan O'Reilly.
Recent Champs looking to get back to Glory:
April 5 vs. Colorado Avalanche
Two of the League's very best players suit up for the Colorado Avalanche on a nightly basis: Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar. Both have earned top honors in recent years, with MacKinnon taking home the Hart Trophy as the NHL MVP last season after a 140-point explosion. Makar, who won the Norris and Conn Smythe Trophies after the Avs' 2022 Stanley Cup win, became the second-fastest defenseman in League history to eclipse 300 points last season (280 games), only surprassed by Bobby Orr by a single game.
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The best way to secure tickets for every home game this season is withfull season tickets, which are available now. Half season and mini plan deposits are also available now – to place a deposit call 314-622-2583 or visit stlouisblues.com.
The on-sale date for single-game tickets will be announced at a later date. If you want to be the first to purchase single game tickets when available,sign up for Blues e-mail communicationsnow.
