Wild left winger Jordan Greenway and Blues center Klim Kostin vie for possession in the second period on Wednesday, May 12, 2021, of a game at Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Mo. Photo by Christian Gooden, cgooden@post-dispatch.com
Beginning with Saturday’s game, fans will need to show proof of vaccination, or a recent negative test. Masking will also be required inside.
The two adjectives that may best describe the Blues’ season-opening trip are successful and long.
The Blues won all three games, two against legitimate Stanley Cup contenders, and with a week between their final exhibition game and the first game of the season, the Blues added in a few days in Vail, Colo., to get in some altitude training and do some team bonding. In all, the team was gone 11 days, which will be their longest trip of the season and it took them from the peaks of the Rocky Mountains to the deserts of Arizona and Nevada.
The road may have been fun, but coming home had its advantages, too.
“Needed some clean underwear and socks,” defenseman Justin Faulk said. “Tough to pack for that long one. Couple of different climates we had, too. … Did some fly fishing too (in Vail), so you’re out in 35-degree weather. You got to bundle up a little bit.”
The Blues will follow that up with one of their longest stints at home this season and, for the first time since March 9, 2020, will have a full building when they face the Kings at 7 p.m. Saturday at Enterprise Center in their home opener. After being one of the last teams to begin play, the Blues also will be one of the last teams to play their home opener.
As it turns out, while the stands may be at capacity, the Blues won’t: For their home opener, they won’t be able to show off their two big offseason acquisitions, forwards Pavel Buchnevich and Brandon Saad. Buchnevich will be serving the second game of a two-game suspension for a head butt in Arizona and Saad is out after a positive COVID test.
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