Blues (43-29-7 93P) vs Panthers (33-35-11 77P)
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- WHEN: 7:30 p.m. ET – LBC GameThread right here at 7ish
- WHERE: BB&T Center – Sunrise, FL
- ON THE TUBE: FOX Sports Sun (NOT FS-FLA), FOX Sports Midwest
- ON THE DIAL: 560 WQAM, 640 WMEN
- SOCIALS: #FlaPanthers, #STLBlues, #STLvsFLA, @LitterBoxCats, LBC FaceBook
- GOODIES: Fan Appreciation Week continues! (More)
- ENEMY INTEL: St. Louis Game Time
- SB NATION: Game Feature Hub
- BACK-TO-BACK? (FLA/STL): None/None
- FLA IN SEASON SERIES: Game 2 of 2 (1-0-0)
- ALL-TIME vs STL (RS): 9W-18L-3T 1OTL 1SOL 55GF 83GA
- ALL-TIME at FLA (RS): 4W-7L-2T 1OTL 1SOL 30GF 37GA
- LAST FIVE vs STL (RS): 2-2-1 11GF 13GA
- LAST MEETING: FLA 2 at STL 1 – (Todd’s Recap) – 02/20/2017
- NEXT MEETING (RS): 2017-18 Season
- PROJECTED STARTERS: Reimer (16-15-5 2.60/.917 1SO) vs Allen (31-20-5 2.42/.914 4SO)
- TALE OF THE TAPE via Left Wing Lock
- PLAYER STATS: Florida / St. Louis/
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Scouting Report: The St. Louis Blues, who visit the Florida Panthers on Thursday night, clinched a playoff spot for the sixth straight year and could make some noise.
After reaching the Western Conference finals last season, the Blues fired coach Ken Hitchcock on Feb. 1, giving the job to Mike Yeo, who was already on staff.
The Blues are 19-8-2 since, positioning themselves as a legitimate Stanley Cup title contender, especially considering their strong run last year.
While the Blues prepare for the playoffs, the Panthers are getting ready for summer vacation and endeavors such as golf and tropical beaches.
Multiple published reports Tuesday indicate what has long been suspected — the firing of Gerard Gallant just one month into this season after he led the Panthers to a surprising 2016 Atlantic Division title was an abject failure, and general manager Tom Rowe, who became the interim coach, will not return in the latter role.
The Panthers went 11-10-1 under Gallant before management hit the panic button. The team is 22-25-10 under Rowe and lost five games in a row as well as 16 of the past 21.
Florida (33-35-11) was eliminated from playoff contention last week, and Monday, a Panthers fan hired a plan to fly over the BB&T Center with a banner that read: “Rowe must go! Call him a cab!” (More via AP)
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Last action from the Cats: 4-1 loss to Montreal Monday. Past five: 0-5-0 (streak: 5L)
Last action from the Blues: 5-2 loss to Winnipeg Tuesday. Past five: 3-1-1 (streak: 1L)
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