St. Louis and Pittsburgh face off in non-conference showdown

Pittsburgh Penguins (36-16-9, third in the Metropolitan) vs. St. Louis Blues (34-17-8, second in the Central)

St. Louis; Thursday, 8 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: Pittsburgh takes on St. Louis for a non-conference matchup.

The Blues are 20-7-3 at home. St. Louis is fourth in the NHL averaging 6.2 assists per game, led by Robert Thomas with 0.7.

The Penguins are 19-7-4 on the road. Pittsburgh averages only 3.0 penalties per game, the fewest in the Eastern Conference. Mark Friedman leads the team averaging 0.4.

Pittsburgh beat St. Louis 5-3 in the last meeting between these teams on Jan. 5. Bryan Rust scored two goals for the Penguins in the victory.

TOP PERFORMERS: Jordan Kyrou leads the Blues with 37 assists and has 59 points this season. David Perron has eight goals and three assists over the last 10 games for St. Louis.

Jake Guentzel leads the Penguins with 29 goals and has 60 points. Sidney Crosby has seven assists over the last 10 games for Pittsburgh.

LAST 10 GAMES: Blues: 5-3-2, averaging 3.6 goals, 6.1 assists, 3.9 penalties and 8.7 penalty minutes while giving up 2.6 goals per game with a .914 save percentage.

Penguins: 5-4-1, averaging 2.8 goals, 4.9 assists, 3.5 penalties and 8.6 penalty minutes while allowing 2.7 goals per game with a .918 save percentage.

INJURIES: Blues: Pavel Buchnevich: day to day (concussion).

Penguins: None listed.

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