ST. LOUIS – It’s almost time for the St. Louis Blues home opener! The season began Thursday in Dallas, but the Blues saved the grand festivities for the weekend.
The Blues open the home slate of the 2023-24 season on Saturday with a matchup against the Seattle Kraken. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Enterprise Center.
If you’re planning to head to Downtown St. Louis on Saturday, either to attend the game or enjoy a hockey atmosphere, you’ll want to plan ahead. Tens of thousands are expected between the big game and a pregame pep rally.
Here’s what to expect for the pep rally and home opener:
Pregame rally
From 3-5:30 p.m., the Blues will host an outdoor pregame rally at Union Station. The rally includes live music, T-shirt tosses, contests and appearances from Blues staff and alumni. Some lucky fans might even win tickets to the home opener.
The Well Hungarians, a country rock band, will perform live music starting around 3 p.m.
New captain Brayden Schenn will speak on the grand stage around 4 p.m.
Blues Hall-Of-Famer Bernie Federko and chairman Tom Stillman will speak on the grand stage around 4:45 p.m.
Event organizers plan to giveaway a select number of home opener tickets around 4:55 p.m.
There will also be booths with hockey-themed activities and opportunities to meet staff from Louie and the Blue Crew, 101 ESPN, 105.7 The Point, 1st Phorm Energy, and Rinkside Reserve. Guests can grab food or drinks from a variety of vendors and restaurants near the rally.
Fans hoping to score home opener tickets should look for an enter-to-win contest booth at Union Station.
Home opener
The Blues (0-0-1) will host the Seattle Kraken (0-2-0) with both teams searching for their first win of the season. St. Louis is coming off a 2-1 shootout loss to the Dallas Stars on Thursday.
Saturday’s game will feature head-to-head matchups against former Blues fan favorites Jaden Schwartz and Vince Dunn. It’s also the first home opener in which the Blues have hosted the Kraken, a new franchise embarking on just their third NHL season.
Starting at 5:30 p.m., ticketed fans can begin entering the Enterprise Center.
Sometime between 6-6:30 p.m., pregame warmups will be held. Fans can watch both teams up close during this time, even if their tickets are in the upper sections.
All fans are asked to be at their seats by 6:45 p.m. That’s approximately when the Blues hope to begin pregame introductions, not just for the starting lineup, but the whole team.
Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m., though could be slightly delayed based on the pace of pregame warmups.
Popular parking spots around the Enterprise Center include the Kiel Center Garage, Union Station and Justice Center Garage. Be prepared to pay, either by cash or card, depending on your ultimate parking location. Some spots could cost up to $40. Click here for a look at some parking spots.
Inside the stadium, fans can only pay for goods and services with the Enterprise Center using a credit or debit card. No cash is allowed.
The Blues will wear their powder-blue alternate home jerseys on Saturday, ones very similar in detail to the 2017 Winter Classic threads.
How to watch or listen
If you can’t make it out to Saturday’s home opener, here is what you need to know in order to watch or listen.
Puck drop: Scheduled for 7 p.m.
Stream: Bally Sports Midwest / ESPN+ (out of market)
BSMW pregame coverage: Begins at 6:30 p.m.
Bally Sports Midwest will host a half-hour pregame special that includes some interviews before moving on to home opener ceremonies. To find a cable service that uses Bally Sports Midwest near you, click here.
If you follow the Blues outside the league’s designated DMA, you might be able to catch a stream for the game through ESPN+. This is not an option for Blues fans watching within close proximity to St. Louis due to local blackout restrictions. For more information on these services, click here.
Fans without access to either can also follow along the game on local radio station 101.1 ESPN.
Blues roster
If the Blues use the same home opener roster as they did for Thursday’s season opener, it will feature 12 forwards, six defensemen and two goalies. These were Thursday’s line combinations.
FORWARDS
Pavel Buchnevich – Robert Thomas – Jordan Kyrou
Brandon Saad – Brayden Schenn – Kasperi Kapanen
Jakub Vrana – Kevin Hayes – Sammy Blais
Alexei Toropchenko – Oskar Sundqvist – Jake Neighbours
DEFENSEMEN
Nick Leddy – Colton Parayko
Torey Krug – Justin Faulk
Marco Scandella – Tyler Tucker
And as for goalies, Jordan Binnington should draw the start with Joel Hofer expected to serve as the backup.
Home opener history
The Blues are 33-20-1-2 (1 overtime loss, 2 ties) all time in home-opener games over 55 seasons.
St. Louis has won seven of its last 10 home openers, riding a three-game winning streak and four-game point streak in such action.
The Blues tied twice in their first six seasons of existence, including their first-ever game in 1967. The NHL dropped ties after getting past the 2004-05 lockout.
St. Louis has never hosted the Seattle Kraken for a home opener. Seattle won’t play again in St. Louis until the Blues’ final home game of the regular season in April.
Happy hockey season! Enjoy the home opener and the new season’s first weekend of St. Louis Blues hockey.