ST. LOUIS – Brayden Schenn is no stranger to St. Louis Blues home openers, but his routine for Saturday’s was a bit different from past years. A quick trip to the St. Louis Aquarium, a pep rally talk in front of hundreds of fans and, above all, his first home matchup as captain of the St. Louis Blues.

The Blues prevailed with a 2-1 shootout victory over the Seattle Kraken in their home opener. Schenn played nearly 20 minutes, won around 58% of faceoffs and registered two shots on goal.

Named captain nearly one month ago, Schenn is still getting his bearings set on the captaincy role and says the transition has been fast-paced. Schenn served as an alternate captain at various points the last few years. He says the 23 previous Blues captains have set the bar high.

“It’s an honor,” said Schenn during his pregame pep rally chat on Saturday. “The captains we’ve had in St. Louis, to be added to that list, it’s pretty amazing. Looking forward to leading the Blues.”

Schenn takes over lead duties for a Blues team coming off a rare playoff-less season last year. He says this year’s club is determined and hopes last year doesn’t become the norm.

“Everyone’s buying in this year,” said Schenn. “Everybody wants to play good as a team. Anything can happen.”

Schenn credits Blues fans for their support over the years and into a new era of franchise history.

“Unbelievable. That’s what you play for. Best fans in the league, most underrated fans for sure. We can’t wait to get it going.”

The Blues improve to 1-0-1 on the young season and have a four-day break before their next game on Thursday. St. Louis will host the Arizona Coyotes in their third game of the season, then the Pittsburgh Penguins on the following Saturday before a Canada-heavy road trip.