St Louis Blues on The Hockey News

ST. LOUIS -- As confirmed on Thursday, Zachary Bolduc will make his NHL debut tonight against the Islanders and the coach that he played for the past two seasons with Quebec of the Ontario Hockey League, Patrick Roy.

"That's crazy," Bolduc said Thursday. "Just to play my first game is crazy, but against Patrick and also the other coach Benoit [Desrosiers]. It's going to be a fun challenge for us. They have a good team. We've got to be ready for them."

Islanders coach Patrick Roy (top) will face Blues forward Zachary Bolduc tonight in St. Louis in Bolduc's NHL debut. Bolduc played for Roy the past two seasons in Quebec of the Ontario Hockey League.

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Roy, who was recently named Islanders coach, also found the irony in it.

"The funny part is it's against us, but I'm happy for him," Roy said. "I had him for two years in Quebec. He was one of our key players. It's nice to see a player who played for you in junior having a chance to play at the next level. I will say this, the team we had last year, there's going to be a lot of our guys that eventually will play their first NHL game.

"What I love about Zack is we had a lot of meetings. We know he can score goals. We know he's a skill player, but I always mentioned to Zack, 'It's your d-zone coverage that will allow you to play at that next level,' and how involved you want to be physically in his battles and compete. He doesn't have to kill anyone; he needs to be involved physically. I think that's what he's been trying to do since he's gone to Springfield.

"It's not like a switch on and off. It's something you need to do when you you're in junior and you bring it to your game. There's no secret recipe to this. You have to do it early in your career and it will kind of transpire when you get to that next level."

Bolduc, who had 110 points (50 goals, 60 assists) in 60 regular-season games for the Remparts last season and helped Quebec win the OHL title and Memorial Cup.

He will play in the second Blues line with Brayden Schenn and Jake Neighbours.

"Hey at 20 and 21, it's going to be a lot of fun," Schenn said. "Both kids ... I shouldn't say kids, but both guys like to have a lot of fun and hopefully we can get it going with a little chemistry."

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Bolduc said he was excited for the opportunity and understands the difference between junior hockey and the pro level.

"Guys are stronger, bigger," Bolduc said. "You've got to be smarter. You've got to play quicker. Just to learn too. Just learn the game, the pro game for me was the big part. It took me a few months to adjust to that, but the last month, I felt very comfortable on the ice there. I have a lot of confidence too. I'm really excited to join the team here. I want to help the team here to help win some games.

"My confidence was there (in Springfield). I played with good players too down there. It really helped me. I think it's all about confidence and I feel really comfortable on the ice. My skating was good. I've just got to use my strength as much as I can.

"I couldn't asked for better linemates for a first game. These guys, they are real pros. I'm pretty lucky to play with them. I'm excited to be playing with them. Looking forward to playing with them. ... I'm still a young player, a young kid. I've got to learn from these guys. A guy like [Schenn], he did crazy good things in the National [Hockey] League. For me, it's a great model to follow. Just excited to play with him (tonight)."

As for any doubts whether Roy hadin Bolduc making it to the NHL, there were zero doubts.

"Absolutely. I have no doubt in my mind," Roy said.

And the challenge for Bannister, who will not initially use Bolduc on the power play, is finding him successful areas to play in, at least to start.

"We just want to put him in positions that he can have success," Bannister said. "I think that's the plan moving forward with him would be put him in a situation whether it's offensive zone situations, where he's starting there, where he can use his ability to shoot the puck and create offense for our group.

"It's not that it's a challenge. It's just an unstanding that it's time and space and having awareness of where the puck is in certain areas of the ice and where you need to be. Zack's a smart player. He's obviously gifted offensively. When he has the puck on his stick, he can make a lot of good things happen. The one thing that stoodout to me is his willingness to learn and get better at some of the deficiencies in his game, but he had to be better at if he wants to become a full-time NHL player."

ST. LOUIS -- Scott Perunovich will return for the St. Louis Blues when they conclude a four-game homestand on Thursday against the New York Islanders (7 p.m.; BSMW, ESPN 101.1-FM).

The defenseman will return after missing the past seven games with a lower-body injury sustained late in the third period of a 4-3 overtime win against the Los Angeles Kings on Feb. 28.

Morning skate report vs. Islanders (2-22-24) (1:45)

"I've just been working with the trainers and them obviously getting me as prepared as I can be," Perunovich said. "Just trying to be smart and listening to them and taking their advice. I'm trying to stay motivated and positive.

"It was kind of a weird hit, a clean hit I think. We just got tangled up there awkwardly. We were thinking about (returning to the game), but there were three minutes left and my gear was off so not really worth it at that point."

The Blues power play has been clicking and Perunovich, who will slide back in on the third pairing alongside Marco Scandella, will quarterback the second unit.

"It's disappointing; I thought I was finding my groove there," Perunovich said. "Hopefully I can just keep it simple and rely on my teammates to help me out.

"I think the power play, special teams are super important and can win you games. Obviously they've been red hot the last however many games. Hopefully I can just keep it going."

Blues interim coach Drew Bannister confirmed Perunovich's return, and to make room for his inclusion back on the roster, the Blues assigned defenseman Calle Rosen to Springfield of the American Hockey League.

"When he was with us, he added an element to that second (power play unit) or whatever unit he was on when he left but we were having success with him on there and we've continued to have success," Bannister said. "Put him in situations where he can have success and he's proven to be a good power-play quarterback."

- - -

Blues defenseman Justin Faulk (lower-body injury) skated for a third straight day, second with the team, on Thursday but will miss his 11th straight game.

Faulk, who was placed on long-term injured reserve on Wednesday, was injured on Jan. 23 against the Calgary Flames.

- - -

The Blues' projected lineup:

Pavel Buchnevich-Robert Thomas-Jordan Kyrou

Zachary Bolduc-Brayden Schenn-Jake Neighbours

Brandon Saad-Kevin Hayes-Kasperi Kapanen

Alexey Toropchenko-Oskar Sundqvist-Nathan Walker

Nick Leddy-Colton Parayko

Torey Krug-Matt Kessel

Marco Scandella-Scott Perunovich

Jordan Binnington will start in goal; Joel Hofer will be the backup.

Healthy scratches include Sammy Blais, Nikita Alexandrov and Tyler Tucker. Justin Faulk (lower body) is out.

- - -

The Islanders' projected lineup:

Anders Lee-Bo Horvat-Mathew Barzal

Pierre Engvall-Brock Nelson-Kyle Palmieri

Simon Holmstrom-Jean-Gabriel Pageau-Oliver Wahlstrom

Matt Martin-Kyle-MacLean-Cal Clutterbuck

Alexander Romanov-Noah Dobson

Adam Pelech-Ryan Pulock

Mike Reilly-Scott Mayfield

Semyon Varlamov will start in goal; Ilya Sorokin will be the backup.

Healthy scratches include Samuel Bolduc and Sebastian Aho. Casey Cizikas (upper body), Robert Bortuzzo (lower body) and Hudson Fasching (lower body) are out.

ST. LOUIS -- Pavel Buchnevich is his own worst critic.

Just check out his comments following a loss against the Winnipeg Jets in November.

It's no secret that Buchnevich has had the yips with the puck the past couple games, a couple costly turnovers that led directly to goals.

Blues player to watch vs. Islanders: Pavel Buchnevich (1:42)

But the forward is too good a player to be held down for too long.

He does have two goals and an assist his past three games, but he's been such a good player for the Blues since his arrival three years ago that to see such careless puck play from a strong two-way forward is out of character.

But we see a big chance at a big bounce-back and impactful game from Buchnevich, who can help the Blues (29-24-2) shed a two-game losing skid here against the New York Islanders, who he is quote familiar with from his days with the New York Rangers, on Thursday night.

And as of late, Buchnevich's name has been dropped in trade rumors, including those of Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, who listed Buchnevich in his 32 Thoughts that the price would be high should the veteran be offered up in trade talks.

ST. LOUIS -- Zachary Bolduc stood up in front of reporters in his first interview since being recalled from Springfield of the American Hockey League and offered up exactly what any player about to make his NHL debut would say:

"For me, it's my dream," Bolduc said. "I'm pretty excited to be here. Guys have been real nice with me. I'm really excited to be here."

Blues 2021 first-round pick Zachary Bolduc (middle) battles against 2023 No. 1 overall pick Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks in a preseason game on Sept. 28, 2023. Bolduc will make his NHL debut on Thursday against the New York Islanders.

Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports

And so it begins.

The 17th pick in the 2021 NHL Draft will make his NHL debut on Thursday against the New York Islanders.

The 20-year-old forward was called up after putting up 23 points (eight goals, 15 assists) in 48 games with the Thunderbirds this season, including six points (two goals, four assists) in Springfield's past seven games.

It's no secret that the Blues need 5-on-5 scoring. They currently sit 27th in the NHL in that category with 101 goals in 55 games, or 1.8 goals per game.

"I think right now, we have to create more offense 5-on-5 and I think everyone's had the opportunity to play regular minutes," Blues interim coach Drew Bannister said, "and right now, we're stuck in the mud 5-on-5. We're able to score on the power play, but we need a boost 5-on-5 and hopefully Zack can bring us that boost but also give our other guys a push."

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Bolduc, who won the Ontario Hockey League title and Memorial Cup last season with the Quebec Remparts which was coached coincidentally by the coach he'll face for the first time in the NHL Thursday, Patrick Roy, will get thrust right into the top six; he skated on a line with Brayden Schenn and Jake Neighbours on Wednesday at Enterprise Center.

"The moment he got drafted, he's looking forward to this day," Schenn said. "We're excited for him, I'm excited for him. I'm sure he's looking for the opportunity. I think the reality of how his game goes, people are obviously going to look at his first one and obviously a lot of eyes on him and stuff like that. I think just make him feel comfortable and with me and Jake on his line, excited for him and you just try and help the nerves. That's all you can do.

"I played one game with him in Kansas City (in the preseason), but other than that, he's a happy kid. He's always smiling, he's always laughing. He's got good energy around him and we're looking forward to helping him on the team."

The Blues have used Kasperi Kapanen, Brandon Saad, Sammy Blais, Oskar Sundqvist and Nathan Walker to name some all in the top nine, and some in the top six, where some scoring is needed. And when none was provided, it was evident that management was going to do something other than alter the roster from outside in.

And with the Blues clinging to the second wild card from the Western Conference, if the guys from within the roster can't get the job done, then it's time to look from the prospect pipeline.

"At the end of the day, you realize as a player those decisions are out of your control, so you go out there and you play and you work," Schenn said. "We still believe in this hockey team. We're in a playoff spot right now, we're battling with other teams, we're a good hockey team. Yeah, we haven't won, the past four games haven't been great obviously other than Edmonton. We feel in this locker room that we're playoff team and whether guys are in and out of the lineup, you have to come in here and fit and just help the team win, and that's all that we're really focused on right now."

Bolduc, who has 110 points (50 goals, 60 assists) during the regular season in 2022-23 with the Remparts, is a shooter who likes to play his off-wing. Utilizing that one-timer is something the Blues are lacking -- and needing -- at this point.

"With my game, I want to shoot the puck," Bolduc said. "I think it's one of my qualities. I've got to use it as much as I can. For me, it's just read the play and make the good play. It's going to come to me.

"I think for me it's just playing with pace. Sometimes it was taking a shift or two off into periods. Just to be ready for every shift I'm going on the ice. The defensive side of the puck and my d-zone was a big part of what they wanted me to improve."

Bolduc's numbers didn't look gaudy in Springfield, sure, but that's because the 6-foot-0, 187-pound winger was more focused on becoming a more complete player.

"You want to score, you want to make some points, but for me, the big part of my development was to get better in my game overall," Bolduc said. "I think I did some improvement. I think I still have to get better at some certain stuff, but for sure, you always want to make more points than what you have. I put a lot of focus on my overall game in the defensive side and I'm very proud of what I did.

"We have the same system as they have here. It's going to be easier for me to join the group. I know Drew, I know what he wants from me. I had a meeting with him this morning talking what he was expecting from me. Everything's clear and just excited for tomorrow."

Bannister had his hands on Bolduc before the 49-year-old was promoted to the Blues, having coached him in Springfield. The air was made clear, and the objectives are similar.

Zachary Bolduc (76) will make his NHL debut for the Blues against the Islanders on Thursday.

Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

"I've had that conversation with him already and his linemates too," Bannister said. "I think it's just over-communicating with him and telling him and enforcing the positive if he gets in an area where he feels he can get the puck to the net, then he has to shoot. Those conversations have been had already. I don't see it being an issue moving forward here. But young players always tend to defer to the older players on the ice because one of his strong points is to shoot and score, we want to see him utilize that.

"I think when Zach came to Springfield, our main focus was on his play away from the puck. I think for all young players coming from junior to college, the transition defensively becomes the toughest part, especially for offensively gifted players like him where quite frankly scored at will in junior hockey. Trying to take a little bit of pressure off of that because you get to the next level, whether it's at the American Hockey League or the NHL, it becomes tough to score. Just trying to really focus on his defensive habits, his puck play, playing more on the inside at this level. I think what stood out for me was his willingness to learn and how receptive he was to our staff there. I started to see a lot of growth in his game just before I came up. The offensive side kind of started to click for him."

Bolduc was probably as surprised as he was excited to get the call-up. The idea was for him to play the entire season in Springfield, but the Blues need a change, and it's Bolduc's time to see if he can provide some punch. If anything, it's good experience, and good exposure for what's down the road.

"You always wait for a call up, but at some point, you've got to do your thing and get better in your game," Bolduc said. "For me, the big part was the defensive side. I think I improved my game and I still got some stuff to improve, but I'm really excited to be here.

"I would say when I received the call, the nerves came in. It's still there. Excited for tomorrow. I can't wait for my first shift to get that stress excitement out of me."

ST. LOUIS -- Let the Zachary Bolduc era in the NHL begin.

The St. Louis Blues announced on Tuesday that the 17th pick in the 2021 NHL Draft was recalled from Springfield of the American Hockey League on Tuesday, and he could make his NHL debut as early as Thursday against the New York Islanders, coached by Bolduc's junior coach in Quebec of the Ontario Hockey League, Patrick Roy.

My thoughts on St. Louis Blues recalling Zachary Bolduc (2-20-24) (6:12)

Bolduc, 20, has been toiling in the AHL this season with the Thunderbirds and has 23 points (eight goals, 15 assists) in 48 games, his first season if professional hockey, which included six points (two goals, four assists) in the past seven games.

It comes in the heels of winning an OHL title and Memorial Cup with the Remparts last season, when Bolduc put up 110 points (50 goals, 60 assists) in 61 regular-season games, 19 points (11 goals, eight assists) in the playoffs and six points (four goals, two assists) in the Memorial Cup. 

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The ideal situation was for the Blues to keep Bolduc (6-foot-0, 187 pounds) in the AHL the entire season, but it's become quite evident that they are not getting the necessary production from a number of skaters playing consistently in the top nine.

A left-handed shot, Bolduc can play either wing and could provide instant offense with his penchant to shooting pucks often and quickly.

The Blues were off on Tuesday and Bolduc, who has played in preseason games the past two training camps, will be on the ice for practice at Enterprise Center on Wednesday.

Also, the Blues placed Justin Faulk on long-term injured reserve, a formality they had at their disposal since the defenseman has already missed the past 10 games due to a lower-body injury. 

Also, Scott Perunovich was placed on injured reserve; the defenseman has missed the past seven games due to a lower-body injury. He can return at any point, but his IR designation is to create a roster spot for Bolduc. 

Perunovich appears close to a return at any point.

ST. LOUIS -- Oskar Sundqvist isn't looked upon to provide the offense for the St. Louis Blues.

However when he does, it usually bodes well for them.

Blues player of the game vs. Maple Leafs: Oskar Sundqvist (1:26)

Sundqvist had a power-play assist on a Brandon Saad goal Monday against the Toronto Maple Leafs, but it came in a 4-2 loss at Enterprise Center on Monday.

Sundqvist did play a solid game in his 12:48 ice time; he won four of seven face-offs and had two hits, was on the ice for the lone goal for, which was a power-play goal, played well at the net front and was solid defensively.

Along with linemates Alexey Toropchenko and Nathan Walker, the trio didn't do anything to be vulnerable in any of the three zones on the ice, and in fact, Sundqvist had a 12-7 Corsi-for rating in the game and when he was on the ice, the Blues didn't spend as much time in the defensive zone.

His game was strong despite the losing effort.

ST. LOUIS -- In a playoff chase, points are critical.

Even one loss is detrimental, but now for the St. Louis Blues, who once again failed to step to the plate with a game on the line in the third period of a 4-2 loss against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday, the pressure gets tighter.

Three keys in Blues' 4-2 loss against Maple Leafs (2-19-24) (4:11)

The Blues (29-24-2) had the chance to really gain some separation from those chasing them for one of two spots in the Western Conference wild card. Instead, they have plenty of traffic in the rear view mirror.

Losses against the Nashville Predators and now Maple Leafs (30-16-8) means by the time the Blues play again on Thursday against the New York Islanders, they could be on the outside looking in, instead of producing results like the one they had in impressive fashion against the Edmonton Oilers last week.

"Oh yeah, I think we all know where we're at right now, especially with how tight the race is," said Blues forward Brandon Saad, who scored a second-period power-play goal. "It's something I think we're following dearly."

Let's look at the three keys to a President's Day loss:

1. Critical mistakes -- Mistakes are one thing, but when they're made by the top guys at critical junctures of the game and they wind up in the back of the net, it costs hockey games.

It started with Toronto's opener 22 seconds into the second. The Blues thought a zone entry had either gone out of play or hit the linesman sitting on the Maple Leafs bench. It was clear that players let up on the play, but Nick Leddy gets stripped by Auston Matthews along the defensive zone boards, then blind backhands a feed to Matthew Knies, and when Colton Parayko doesn't take the body and allows Knies to get off a quick wrister, it's 1-0.

In a 1-1 game to begin the third period, Jordan Kyrou high-sticks Knies just four seconds in, and on the ensuing penalty kill, Pavel Buchnevich, who had another rough game, failed to get a clear. The Leafs had turned the puck over  to Leddy, but it was quickly poked away from him allowing Mitch Marner from behind the net to find the NHL's leading goal scorer [Auston Matthews] wide open all alone in the slot and he makes no mistake for his 49th just 45 seconds in for a 2-1 Toronto lead.

And on Toronto's, what would wind up being the game-winning goal, it was a plethora of blunders for Buchnevich. First, a chance to shoot or funnel a puck towards the net from the high slot. He chooses to keep it, then inexplicably throws a puck towards Torey Krug, who was coming towards him back to the point and not expecting the puck there, it gets turned over and William Nylander converts the shorthanded goal 2-on-0 at 7:29 for a 3-1 lead.

"We made three mistakes that cost us," Blues interim coach Drew Bannister said. "The first goal, we got caught on the wrong side of the puck. If we're under the puck there, that play probably doesn't develop. We take the penalty, they score on the power play, but that was missed coverage. The third goal's a turnover on the power play. We made three mistakes and they made us pay on them."

Is this a case of top players underperforming now the past few games?

"It's more consistency in their game than not playing well," Bannister said. 'I thought we had some pretty good performances tonight by guys. We have to find a way. I think we had 42 shot attempts that were either blocked or didn't hit the net, so we were shooting the puck enough but we have to find ways to get the puck to the net if we're going to create offense. The shooting the puck isn't the issue, but finding a way to get there and making sure that we get bodies around the net. That was something that stood out to me that we weren't able to get pucks to the net."

2. Getting more shots on goal/quicker attempts -- The Blues had just 21 shots on goal. It's not great. But they did have 62 shot attempts, so why such a disparity?

Simple. 

Toronto blocked 26 shots to the Blues' seven, and St. Louis missed the net another 15 times, which is unacceptable.

It was another case of holding onto a puck a split second longer than necessary, allowing enough time for a defender to get a block, or simply missing the net in critical areas of the ice.

"I think it is, a little bit quicker. We shot high quite a bit too," Bannister said. 'If guys are getting to the net, they don't want pucks around their head. We've got to keep the puck down around the knee level. Obviously it's easier to redirect in those areas, But I thought at times we held onto the puck too long. Whether the lane wasn't there possibly, or us waiting for guys to get to the net. We have to get those pucks off to the net quicker."

3. Failing to grab a game on the line in the third period -- For the second straight game, even if it wasn't their best, the Blues were in a one shot game.

Saturday, they trailed Nashville 2-1 and ultimately lost 5-2. On Monday, it was 1-1.

That's no points on home ice with the game on the line in the third period.

"I think special teams hurt us tonight," Saad said. "I think they scored a power play and penalty kill on the third period there. That's the difference in the game. It's hard to say. It was a tight-checking hockey game. Without those mistakes, it's an even game. It's tough."

The Blues have been outscored 6-2 the past two third periods.

"We've set ourselves up in a good spot going into the thirds," Parayko said. "Just got to find some ways to win some games. We're still in a good spot. It's no need to get excited or however you want to put it, but obviously we know where we're at in the standings. Everybody knows where it's at. These are big games. We're going to come to work the next couple days, get ready for Thursday, give it our best shot to get two more points."  

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- The moment Drew Bannister was named to lead the St. Louis Blues after Craig Berube was fired Dec. 14, it was already known -- and felt -- that the 49-year-old's message would resonate with the younger players.

That meant Jake Neighbours, that meant Alexey Toropchenko, it meant Scott Perunovich, Joel Hofer, Nathan Walker, Sammy Blais, Tyler Tucker, Matthew Kessel, Calle Rosen, Nikita Alexandrov, even Robert and Jordan Kyrou all knew what message was coming. Theyall knew what kind of coaching style was coming, the message that would be sent, the style of communication that would be coming.

The Blues are 15-9-1 since interim coach Drew Bannister (top) took over for Craig Berube on Dec. 14.

Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

But what about the veterans? What about Jordan Binnington? What about Pavel Buchnevich? Brayden Schenn? Torey Krug? Brandon Saad? Kevin Hayes? Nick Leddy? Colton Parayko? Oskar Sundqvist? Justin Faulk? And all the other veterans on the team that the majority have only played for and known Berube, five who had won a Stanley Cup with him in 2019?

That seemed to be the greatest challenge when there's a sudden in-season change. Now it's a different voice, a different philosophy, a different leader behind the bench.

But this is a former player, from junior to the International Hockey League to the NHL and American Hockey League and Europe, Bannister has seen it all and been through it.

Well, it's been a decent transition thus far through 25 games, or roughly a little more than quarter of a season to gauge the impact he's had on the Blues to this point.

Bannister, who began his coaching career at the junior level, first at Owen Sound of the Ontario Hockey League to Soo before taking over the Blues' minor league teams in San Antonio, then a season in Utica before spending the past two-plus seasons in Springfield of the AHL, has the Blues off to a 15-9-1 start, good for a .620 winning percentage, which is 10th-best in the league in that stretch.

It was obviously going to take some adjusting. Nothing ever really transitions over quickly and smoothly. In these situations, it's mostly done in the fly. Many of these Blues know that all too well when Berube took over for Mike Yeo on Nov. 20, 2018 and went on to win the franchise's first Stanley Cup. But Bannister has the Blues playing meaningful games, currently holding down the second wild card from the Western Conference.

"It's obviously different," Thomas said. "For me, I've had one coach the whole time, so it's been a little bit of an adjustment, but he's a guy that's a hockey mind. He likes to talk hockey and think hockey. I think he's fit in that way as well."

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Bannister wasn't going to come in and be all authoritarian. Winning over the veterans was going to be important. He relied on the leaders of the team.

"For me, you have to give the leadership group a lot of credit," Bannister said. "They've been very open with me. Every second, pending on our schedule, I'd touch base with individual guys like Robby and 'Schenner'. 'Faulker's injured right now, but he's still an important part of our team, but he has eyes in the stands and sees things, what's going on from a bird's eye view. It's important for him and 'Pary'. But my communication has been what I've talked about and what we need from our group. To have them leading by example, I think they're a big part of our success in how we've turned things around and playing good hockey and playing consistent hockey, they should take a lot of credit for that because they're a big part of that."

Communication is key. If players don't know who you are or understand what you're all about, then the guessing will translate to the ice and the message gets lost.

"Communication is kind of the most important thing, especially in sports, between players, between player-coach, between everything," Thomas said. "Communication's really important. That's something that we've harped on since he's gotten here. He's done the job of doing that. I think communication's the most important thing.

"There's been some open conversations about how we see the game and how he sees the game and I think those things are important in getting everyone moving in the right direction and I think that's what you've seen from our team those big games where we're all coming together and all see it the same way. I think that's important."

Despite the solid start, Bannister is still proving himself. He was given the interim tag and not the permanent coach -- yet. That's how the organization is dealing with it, that's how some of the players are treating it.

"It's still early, it's still fresh," Schenn said. "Right now, we're focusing on winning hockey games.

"We're still trying to get to know each other. Not only me, but the veteran guys as well. But just messaging in the locker room, throughout the game and stuff like that, he has a good message for the guys and guys have responded to it."

What's probably helped is that Bannister didn't try and come in and be someone different, someone that he felt would fit the narrative of the group. It was pretty clear who he was and who he is when he talked of holding players accountable for their actions, when he benched Buchnevich in the third period of a 6-1 loss against the Tampa Bay Lighting, after Buchnevich took three hooking penalties.

Blues interim coach Drew Bannister (top) continues to work on winning over veteran players Brandon Saad(right) and Justin Faulk.

Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

"I'm not an insecure guy; I know who I am," Bannister said. "I guess at the end of the day, it's just me being myself. I know I've had success, whether it's in the American League or junior being myself. I can't change who I am, but at the end of the day, it comes down to communication and talking to them about what I see, asking them and getting their opinion on what they feel and what they see and then us making a decision as a group and moving forward for the betterment for the guys in the room."

There's still much work left to be done. Bannister hasn't transformed the Blues into an upper echelon team just yet. But in winning, one improved area has come from the power play. The Blues are sixth in the league at 27.5 percent since the coaching switch after anguishing near or at the bottom for much of the early portion of the season. The penalty kill has improved, the goals per game have improved, goals-against, many categories that had the team at 14-15-1 when the firing occurred.

The Blues most nights are pulling on the same rope, and it's been evident in some of the wins they've picked up along the way against the top-end teams in the league.

"I think that's been our key to success lately," Thomas said. 'That's what championship teams do and that's what teams that have success in the playoffs do. I think we're well on our way to that. You can tell just from the way we practice, the energy we have, the fun we have, even on those tough practice days, travel and all that stuff. It's looking really well and I think we're all really happy with the direction of our team and what we're building here."

It's still up in the air whether general manager Doug Armstrong and the management team decide to keep Bannister as the permanent coach moving forward. There are still obstacles that need to be reached and goals achieved, but so far, it's been a positive start, and as long as these remaining 28 games remain relevant, the chances of him staying on increase. 

ST. LOUIS -- Colton Parayko continues to shine in the spotlight.

The St. Louis Blues top defenseman continues to play at an extremely high level and has fared will against some of the NHL's elite talent.

Player to watch vs. Maple Leafs: Colton Parayko (2:29)

Since being a minus-3 in a 6-1 loss against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Dec. 19, Parayko has been an even or plus player in 20 of the past 23 games, and in those three games he hasn't, he's only been a minus-1 in each game, including last Tuesday in a 4-1 loss against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

In those 23 games, Parayko has gone up against and done a solid job on the likes of Nathan MacKinnon, Sidney Crosby, Elias Pettersson, Sebastien Aho, Artemi Panarin, David Pastrnak, Alex Ovechkin, Tage Thompson, Cole Caufield and Auston Matthews, who leads the NHL with 48 goals.

When Matthews is on the ice Monday, Parayko will likely be out there with partner Nick Leddy doing their best to neutralize the Leafs' top weapons. 

Parayko is 24th in the league in average ice time at 23:52 and is a plus-10 on the season and needs just one goal to match his career high of 10 done twice, most recently in 2019-20.  

ST. LOUIS -- It's a quick chance for redemption for the St. Louis Blues.

The Blues (29-23-2) will play host to the Toronto Maple Leafs (29-16-8) at noon on a President's Day Monday (ESPN, ESPN 101.1-FM) just six days after the two teams squared off in Toronto.

(2-19-24) Maple Leafs-Blues Gameday Lineup (4:45)

For the Blues, it was a sour end to a three-game road trip that started off well but they fell flat in a 4-1 loss.

"It's always nice when we play those teams twice a year and they beat you in the first one to get another crack at them, especially so soon," Blues center Robert Thomas said. "We're excited for that challenge.

"We just didn't have it against Toronto. It happens. ... They have a ton of offense. They're happy to play a run-and-gun game with you. They can score a lot of goals. They've got a lot of talent. I think just making sure you dictate the game to the way you want to play it and play to our strengths."

It's another chance to try and at least neutralize the NHL's leading goal scorer, Auston Matthews, who did not register a point against the Blues, the only game in the past 12 in which he's been kept off the scoresheet.

Matthews scored his sixth(!) hat trick of the season Saturday in a 9-2 drubbing of the Anaheim Ducks and comes in with 48 goals on the season.

"We didn't like our last game against them," Blues captain Brayden Schenn said after practice Sunday. "Obviously we know we can play a whole lot better than that. We look forward to the challenge. Obviously the best goal scorer in the league coming into our building. They're feeling good about their game right now. Big challenge, good test and we'll be ready to play tomorrow."

The difference for the game here is the Leafs were without some of their top skaters in forwards John Tavares and Mitch Marner, each out due to illness, and defenseman Morgan Rielly, who is serving a five-game suspension.

"Tomorrow's going to be a whole lot different," Schenn said. "They were missing some pieces up front with power play and whatever else. A lot more weapons going to be in the lineup tomorrow night. We've just got to do a job like we normally do against those guys. It doesn't just take one guy, it doesn't take the center, it doesn't take one D, it takes all five on the ice to do a job on an elite goal scorer like that. We're up for the challenge, it's going to be a good test. We're looking for the afternoon game tomorrow."

- - -

Not only do the Blues want a better performance against the Leafs, but they want a better performance -- period.

They did not have one on Saturday when they fell 5-2 against the Nashville Predators on Saturday.

"Frustrating loss," Thomas said. "Obviously a division team. Those games are that much more important. We had a lot of chances. We kind of let it slip in the third, but we were right in that game until like half way through the third. Just keep on fighting. If we keep putting ourselves in those one-goal situations more than not, we've came out on top. That's an important focus for us as well."

"We know we have to be better," Schenn said. "I just think we had a chance to go into the second period being tied 1-1 and things happen, and being down 2-1, obviously didn't love that call to make it 3-1. We knew it wasn't our best game but we had a chance to be in it and it got away from us. We know we have to be better as a team and you're not going to have your 'A' game every night, but you've got to find a way. Last night, we didn't do that."

- - -

As for lineup changes, Sammy Blais and Alexey Toropchenko swapped spots in the bottom six, and it's a good idea to put Toropchenko back with Oskar Sundqvist and Nathan Walker on that hard-to-play-against identity line.

Also, interim coach Drew Bannister will speak in the morning in regards to the goalie, but it could very well be Joel Hofer, who last played on Feb. 10 in a 3-1 win against the Buffalo Sabres after Jordan Binnington started the past four games.

Defenseman Scott Perunovich (lower-body injury) appears close to being fully fit to play but according to line combinations and d-pairings Sunday, he appears set to miss his seventh straight game.

The Leafs have a number of players, including forward Max Domi, and defensemen Jake McCabe, Timothy Liljegren and William Lagesson all as game-time decisions. Rielly is appealing his suspension and a decision could come before the game if it will get reduced or not. Veteran defenseman Mark Giordano is likely to miss due to the death of his father.

- - -

Speaking of Binnington, he was fined $5,000 by the NHL's Department of Player Safety for his high-sticking penalty at 19:14 of the third period on Nashville's Luke Evangelista.

St. Louis’ Jordan Binnington has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for high-sticking Nashville’s Luke Evangelista.

— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) February 18, 2024

Bally Sports Midwest color analyst Jamie Rivers mentioned on the broadcast that Binnington skated out and apologized to Evangelista for the incident.

- - -

The Maple Leafs' projected lineup:

Matthew Knies-Auston Matthews-Mitchell Marner

Tyler Bertuzzi-John Tavares-William Nylander

Bobby McMann-Max Domi-Nicholas Robertson

Noah Gregor-David Kampf-Ryan Reaves

TJ Brodie-Timothy Liljegren

Simon Benoit-Jake McCabe

Marshall Rifai-Max Lajoie

Ilya Samsonov could start in goal; Martin Jones would be the backup.

Healthy scratches could include Mark Giordano and Pontus Holmberg. Calle Jarnkrok (broken knuckle), Connor Timmins (mononucleosis), Joseph Woll (lower body) and William Lagesson (upper body) are all either out or a game-time decision. Morgan Rielly will serve fourth game of a five-game suspension.

- - -

The Blues' projected lineup:

Pavel Buchnevich-Robert Thomas-Jordan Kyrou

Jake Neighbours-Brayden Schenn-Kasperi Kapanen

Brandon Saad-Kevin Hayes-Sammy Blais

Alexey Toropchenko-Oskar Sundqvist-Nathan Walker

Nick Leddy-Colton Parayko

Torey Krug-Matt Kessel

Marco Scandella-Calle Rosen

Joel Hofer could start in goal; Jordan Binnington would be the backup.

Healthy scratches include Nikita Alexandrov and Tyler Tucker. Justin Faulk (lower body) and Scott Perunovich (lower body) remain out.

ST. LOUIS -- It's not the first time siblings faced each other in hockey, or any sport for that matter, but in the case of Brayden and Luke Schenn, it's another chance on Saturday afternoon to add to their list of memories when the day comes to hang the boots up from the NHL.

The Schenn brothers were on opposite benches again when Brayden's St. Louis Blues faced older brother Luke's Nashville Predators on Saturday.

Brayden Schenn (10) looked forward to facing older brother Luke Schenn when the Blues and Predators squared off on Saturday, but Luke got the best of Brayden for just the fourth time in 16 head-to-head matchups.

Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

Not only did Luke get the best of Brayden for just the fourth time in 16 career head-to-head matchups, but Luke scored his first goal of the season in the third period of Nashville's 5-2 win, giving Luke a chance to rub it in for a change.

"No," Luke said after the game. "I haven’t talked to him (yet) but I’ll go and give him a shout out here pretty quick."

Brayden is 32, Luke is 34, and both Saskatoon, Saskatchewan natives. The battles at times have been fierce, competitive and challenging, but at the end of the day, the close bond they share of a combined 31 years together of playing at the highest level of the NHL will add another chapter to store in the memory bank, and they are worth more the older they get and get closer to the end of the line.

"Oh yeah, absolutely," Brayden said. "The best part of the whole thing of the games is getting together the day before. We see each other in the summer time, but throughout the course of seven, eight months, more so watching each other, talking on the phone. When we get together and have dinner and for now, for him to come in and see my kids and vice versa, when I go into Nashville and see his kids, those are the moments that you look back on and we love.

"It's funny, his kids are little bit older than mine right now. Their favorite teams are the Predators and they like cheering for uncle Brayden too and my kids are a little bit younger and don't know that side of it yet. But one day they will. It's pretty cool to be able to play against each other."

Parents Jeff and Rita Schenn were in attendance on Saturday and have already been in town playing grandparents to Brayden's two sons, ages two and seven months. They do the same for Luke's three kids; two sons (six) and (three) and a daughter that is one.

"They're here. They don't miss a beat," Brayden said. "They're here watching every game. They absolutely love it. They cheer for both of us to play well and whoever wins, wins.

View the original article to see embedded media.

"They don't wear jerseys. Jeff just wears team swag right now. Whatever building he's in, he'll wear the Blues stuff here or when he goes to Nashville, it's all Nashville. That's just kind of how he goes. I think as a family, me and Luke, the more we get closer towards the end of our careers, the older we get, the more you cherish these moments."

Brayden, a center, and Luke, a defenseman, each was a first-round draft pick. Luke was taken fifth overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2008, and then Brayden followed as -- yes! -- the fifth overall pick by the Los Angeles Kings, are as close as brothers can get.

And they were teammates with the Philadelphia Flyers from 2013-16.

"We talk every day. It comes up. We watch each other's games," Brayden said. "There's lots of scoreboard watching, there's lots of talk whether it's about our teams, families or league-wide stuff happening. We talk every day and like checking in with a one another."

Luke signed a three-year, $8.25 million contract on July 1, 2023, so now the navigation of seeing one another is much closer and more battles were going to be on the schedule with being in the same division.

And Saturday was a huge tilt. Nashville now trails the Blues by just two points in the standings.

"You know what, we've had many battles, many challenges," Brayden said. "Always love playing him. On top of that, the intensity of the game's going to be there too. There's going to be fire in the building and fire to both he and myself. I'm looking forward to the test with Nashville."

So if there was a chance for Brayden to line his brother up should a physical play present itself, would they hit each other?

Predators defenseman Luke Schenn (2) got another chance to face younger brother Brayden Schenn with the Blues on Saturday; Nashville won 5-2 and Luke scored his first goal of the season. 

Steve Roberts-USA TODAY Sports

Brayden had just one hit in the game in 19:37 of ice time, and Luke had five hits in 17:32 ice time -- none on his brother.

"It's your brother, so you play hard, you play to win, but you're not going to take a huge run at him," Brayden said.

Luke was just more pleased with contributing to a win that chasing down his brother.

"It’s great to score the goal but obviously in the bigger picture, it’s great to contribute to a win," Luke said. 'That’s what I’m most excited about. But I was thinking about it a little bit, trying to get that first one out of the way. I’ve had some opportunities. It’s nice to finally see one and catch a break."

There's plenty of love, plenty of respect, but make no bones about it, there will be bragging rights on the line.

"Always, always," Brayden said. "Those games are fun to play (against) each other, you'll always look back and cherish those moments.

"I'm going to be honest, at the time of the game, I don't know if I love playing him. I love being in the game with him, but it's just I feel like you know when he's on the ice, I feel like you're watching him a little bit more than you'd watch other players around the league and stuff like that. We're very lucky and fortunate to play in the league as long as we have. We'll look back on these games playing with each other in Philadelphia and playing against each other as some of the best moments of our lives."

ST. LOUIS -- Jake Neighbours said the St. Louis Blues knew all the points of emphasis that were on the table on Saturday against the Nashville Predators.

Three keys in Blues' 5-2 loss against Predators (2-17-24) (3:34)

A team that is chasing the Blues in the Western Conference wild card standings; a desperate opponent that had been struggling, coming off an embarrassing 9-2 home loss against the Dallas Stars. A chance to really gain some separation on the Predators, a chance to continue to assert yourselves in the playoff race.

Instead, it was another dud performance for the Blues, who were outworked and outperformed by the Predators, 5-2, at Enterprise Center on Saturday.

"We knew it all, right," Neighbours said. "We knew they were going to come out with a push. I thought we weren't bad for the first two periods honestly. We had moments, we had flashes, but it wasn't consistent enough, but obviously in the third they took over."

Now the Blues (29-23-2), who could have moved six points in front of the Predators (28-25-2) in the wild card with a game in hand, now lead by just two points but still with a game in hand.

"Every game's important," Blues interim coach Drew Bannister said. "The next game will be important for us and we'll have to move past this and find ways to win hockey games, find ways not to lose hockey games like we did tonight."

Let's take a look at the three keys to losing to the Predators for the second time this season:

1. Lack of energy/connectivity against a desperate opponent -- The million dollar question for the Blues is how can that be? This was a chance to really step on the throats of an opponent that had allowed four goals or more in six straight games.

Their lead now is down to two points on Nashville, four points on the Minnesota Wild and Seattle Kraken and five on the Calgary Flames.

"We knew they were obviously coming off a tough game," Blues defenseman Torey Krug said. "Probably a message sent by their organization. They came in here and did a good job. That being said, we lacked support all over the ice. Whether it was in the d-zone breaking the puck out or in the offensive zone, we weren't connected. Big games like that, you just can't do it.

It's a puzzling development coming off an impressive 6-3 win against the red-hot Edmonton Oilers.

"We just weren't really good at all today," Blues forward Jordan Kyrou said. "Timing was off, passing was off. Just wasn't our best game today.

"We had a great game last game and we come out against a team that's right below us in the playoffs and it's a big game for us. We just had a bad game. it's tough."

2. Despite 37 shots, Blues passed up on some prime shooting opportunities -- A pair of 2-on-1's that the Blues either didn't get off a shot or took too long to unload a puck off the stick. Getting little to nothing on the power play despite going 1-for-4 (Kyrou scored on a 5-on-3). The 5-on-4 power plays got little to no pucks to the net. Hesitancy to shoot from the slot. 

Those were some of the prime examples of just what the Blues had and didn't take in this game.

Pavel Buchnevich took too long to crank up a shot off a 2-on-1 with Robert Thomas in the second, then Kyrou had his mind made up he was passing the puck from the blue line on in with Thomas on a 2-on-1, only to have his attempt picked off.

"Yeah no question," Bannister said. "We generated 37 shots, but we passed up probably five quality chances to shoot the puck. I don't think we got pucks through. I don't think we generated one shot on net on the 5-on-4. You have those opportunities, the 2-on-1's, the 3-on-2's, the penalty shot (from Jake Neighbours in the second period), the three other power plays that we had and we didn't generate any shots off that. That comes back to hurt you."

3. No push in one-shot game in the third period -- Even though they were down 2-1, the Blues were on a one-shot game and they have been comfortable playing in those games.

But instead of playing on their toes and in the Nashville zone, the Blues had no pushback, and ultimately fell behind 4-1 in the game, losing it 5-2.

"Yeah, I thought we'd have more jump in our legs where we were at that point," Bannister said. "If we put together 20 minutes, we have an opportunity to win that hockey game and we didn't do it."

"'Binner' [Jordan Binnington] made the stops he had to make to give us a chance to stay in the game," Krug said. "Ultimately, we let him down coming out in the third period. It's tough. You have a chance to win a period in your home building, have a chance to win a game after that and we came out and we just didn't do it."

Two goals allowed were self-inflicted wounds off a d-zone giveaway by Pavel Buchnevich and Marco Scandella whiffing on a backhand keep-in in the offensive zone that led to a breakaway, and still, there was an opportunity to win a game.

If they could just start connecting on the ice for 20 minutes, there was an opportunity. 

"We talked about that in between periods and we still came out and we weren't there for each other," Krug said. "That's a tough one. When you get the puck and you look up and you feel like you don't have any support, it's tough to play that way, and ultimately, the other team's going to turn the puck over and it's going to come back in your defensive zone."

The Hockey News Archive

ST. LOUIS -- It's not the first time siblings face each other in hockey, or any sport for that matter, but in the case of Brayden and Luke Schenn, it's another chance on Saturday afternoon to add to their list of memories when the day comes to hang the boots up from the NHL.

The Schenn brothers will be on opposite benches again when Brayden's St. Louis Blues faces older brother Luke's Nashville Predators at 4 p.m. at Enterprise Center.

Brayden Schenn (10) is looking forward to facing older brother Luke Schenn when the Blues and Predators square off on Saturday.

Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

Brayden is 32, Luke is 34, and both Saskatoon, Saskatchewan natives. The battles at times have been fierce, competitive and challenging, but at the end of the day, the close bond they share of a combined 31 years together of playing at the highest level of the NHL will add another chapter to store in the memory bank, and they are worth more the older they get and get closer to the end of the line.

"Oh yeah, absolutely," Brayden said. "The best part of the whole thing of the games is getting together the day before. We see each other in the summer time, but throughout the course of seven, eight months, more so watching each other, talking on the phone. When we get together and have dinner and for now, for him to come in and see my kids and vice versa, when I go into Nashville and see his kids, those are the moments that you look back on and we love.

"It's funny, his kids are little bit older than mine right now. Their favorite teams are the Predators and they like cheering for uncle Brayden too and my kids are a little bit younger and don't know that side of it yet. But one day they will. It's pretty cool to be able to play against each other."

Parents Jeff and Rita Schenn will be in attendance on Saturday and are already in town playing grandparents to Brayden's two sons, ages two and seven months. They do the same for Luke's three kids; two sons (six) and (three) and a daughter that is one.

"They're here. They don't miss a beat," Brayden said. "They're here watching every game. They absolutely love it. They cheer for both of us to play well and whoever wins, wins.

View the original article to see embedded media.

"They don't wear jerseys. Jeff just wears team swag right now. Whatever building he's in, he'll wear the Blues stuff here or when he goes to Nashville, it's all Nashville. That's just kind of how he goes. I think as a family, me and Luke, the more we get closer towards the end of our careers, the older we get, the more you cherish these moments."

Brayden, 32, and a center, and Luke, 34, a defenseman, each was a first-round draft pick. Luke was taken fifth overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2008, and then Brayden followed as -- yes! -- the fifth overall pick by the Los Angeles Kings, are as close as brothers can get.

And they were teammates with the Philadelphia Flyers from 2013-16.

"We talk every day. It comes up. We watch each other's games," Brayden said. "There's lots of scoreboard watching, there's lots of talk whether it's about our teams, families or league-wide stuff happening. We talk every day and like checking in with a one another."

Luke signed a three-year, $8.25 million contract on July 1, 2023, so now the navigation of seeing one another is much closer and more battles were going to be on the schedule with being in the same division.

And Saturday is a huge tilt.

"You know what, we've had many battles, many challenges," Brayden said. "Always love playing him. On top of that, the intensity of the game's going to be there too. There's going to be fire in the building and fire to both he and myself. I'm looking forward to the test with Nashville."

So what happens if there's a chance for Brayden to line his brother up should a physical play present itself?

Predators defenseman Luke Schenn (2) gets another chance to face younger brother Brayden Schenn with the Blues on Saturday. 

Steve Roberts-USA TODAY Sports

"It's your brother, so you play hard, you play to win, but you're not going to take a huge run at him," Brayden said. "Although he did (ruin) my room (as kids), so we'll see."

There's plenty of love, plenty of respect, but make no bones about it, there will be bragging rights on the line.

"Always, always," Brayden said. "Those games are fun to play (against) each other, you'll always look back and cherish those moments.

"I'm going to be honest, at the time of the game, I don't know if I love playing him. I love being in the game with him, but it's just I feel like you know when he's on the ice, I feel like you're watching him a little bit more than you'd watch other players around the league and stuff like that. We're very lucky and fortunate to play in the league as long as we have. We'll look back on these games playing with each other in Philadelphia and playing against each other as some of the best moments of our lives."

ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Blues had to respond after a dud on Tuesday.

Their 4-1 loss against the Toronto Maple Leafs was just their second in nine games but also second thud.

Oilers-Blues three-period takeaways (2-15-24) (3:13)

A four-game homestand awaited, and the high-flying Edmonton Oilers, who had won 18 of 20, including a 16-game winning streak, were on the ledger.

But getting contributions up and down the lineup again proved beneficial for the Blues.

Jake Neighbours and Robert Thomas led the charge each with a goal and two assists, Jordan Kyrou and Pavel Buchnevich each had a goal and an assist, and Jordan Binnington was terrific when called upon with 35 saves in a 6-3 win against the Oilers at Enterprise Center on Thursday.

Let's break it all down in the three-period takeaways:

* First Period -- The Oilers started with the early push, and defenseman Evan Bouchard thought he had given the visitors a 1-0 lead at 2:54 on a shot from the slot, but referee Chris Rooney immediately waved off the goal due to goalie interference on Corey Perry.

We did it! We finally found a goalie interference call that everyone understood! #stlblues pic.twitter.com/aQo2CwvqyJ

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) February 16, 2024

Matthew Kessel took an early tripping penalty at 5:20, putting the Blues' PK unit up to a challenge against the high-powered Oilers power play, but it was a really solid kill  when the Blues didn't allow Edmonton to get any kind of zone possession. 

The Blues had a solid o-zone possession, and Thomas cashed in on a terrific Nick Leddy cross-ice feed off the left wall for a 1-0 lead at 10:13.

Bank's open today. #stlblues pic.twitter.com/huPRmD9cYx

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) February 16, 2024

The Blues had the chance to extend the lead when Leon Draisaitl was called for tripping at 11:23, but it was off-set by Jordan Kyrou's hooking minor at 12:33. It came as a result of Torey Krug's whiff at the point that enabled the Oilers to go on an odd-man shorthanded rush.

On the ensuing Edmonton power play, Draisaitl tied it 1-1 at 13:51 when Bouchard's initial shot was blocked straight to Connor McDavid, who had three assists, and the Edmonton captain fed Draisaitl for the one-timer from the bottom of the right circle.

Nikita Alexandrov, who played just 4:05, took the Blues' third minor of the period when he was called for high-sticking, and this is where Binnington came up with two massive saves.

The first came on Zach Hyman, an unbelievable glove save in tight at the top of the crease at 15:12.

Valentine's Day was yesterday but Binner still has plenty of (g)LOVE to give. #stlblues pic.twitter.com/RZVEenugJr

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) February 16, 2024

"You're not really thinking, right," Binnington said. "I forget what he said there, but he's good around the net; we know that. It was nice to get that one on him."

Binnington then robbed Hyman again for good measure at 16:24 on a sprawling toe save.

holy $%#! pic.twitter.com/GiTdKpRN40

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) February 16, 2024

"Just get as far as I can over and luckily got a toe on it there and then we got it out of harm's way," Binnington said.

Yeah.

"It brings life to the bench," Thomas said. "You get down three goals, it's tough to claw back. Those saves are so crucial for us."

They did get down a goal late in the first when Ryan Nugent-Hopkins made it 2-1with 26.2 seconds left.

Kasperi Kapanen had over-skated the puck near the red line enabling the Oilers to gain zone possession, then flood the net and RNH pounced on a loose puck as the Blues didn't protect the crease very well.

They escaped down only 2-1 and outshot 14-8, with the Oilers getting 12 of the final 14 shots.

"I think the first period we were trading chances and that doesn't work too well against these guys," Thomas said. 'I think we really got to our game plan and started working. It benefitted us. We drew a lot of penalties just from working. They had a lot of penalties in the d-zone. I think that was our mindset and it turned out well for us."

Oskar Sundqvist thought he had scored at the buzzer replays clearly showed his shot was put in after the clock struck zeroes.

* Second Period -- Adjustments were made, and the Blues finally gained some energy and zone time.

 The life was evident when they spent the first 1:09 in the Edmonton zone, and it culminated with Neighbours tying the game 2-2.

Jake Neighbours can score without even looking at the net. #stlblues pic.twitter.com/InWxqltz6S

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) February 16, 2024

Edmonton started taking its rash of penalties, and Vincent Desharnais took the first of his three minors with a hooking penalty at 3:55.

However, Binnington was called upon again, stopping Derek Ryan's breakaway not once but twice at 4:01 and 4:02 off the quick rebound.

"He kept us in that game and gave us a chance," Thomas said of Binnington.

Torey Krug's second goal of the season made it 3-2 as the Blues continued their relentless play.

Kapanen intercepted the first initial exit to keep puck in the zone, then Brayden Schenn picks one off on the wall. Neighbours absorbs a McDavid check behind the net, then fights him off to feed Kapanen for a one-timer. Schenn got the puck to Matthew Kessel for a shot that created a rebound, and Neighbours' no-look pass to Krug made it 3-2 at 8:37.

You love to see it. #stlblues pic.twitter.com/fuDW6ZpVk2

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) February 16, 2024

"That's all him," Neighbours said of Krug. "He screamed at me, so I just threw it. Screamed at me, it's good talk and just tried throwing it somewhere and he buried it."

Desharnais went to the box again for cross checking at 15:25, and Kyrou made him pay seven seconds later when he potted a rebound at 15:32 for a 4-2 lead.

Jordan Kyrou doesn't need two whole minutes to score a power-play goal. #stlblues pic.twitter.com/SrCPMp1Cj4

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) February 16, 2024

Thomas won the face-off, he got it back, fed Neighbours going to the net, Neighbours gets off two shots, creating a rebound for Kyrou on the opposite side of the goal.

It got a little chippy late when Marco Scandella and Perry scrapped at 16:15.

"Scandy steps up big for us and gets the life going," Thomas said. "I think that really turned our intensity up and gave us a lot of momentum."

Connor Brown then took his turn going to the box for hooking at 18:39, and Buchnevich made it 5-2 with 24.9 left in the period when he redirected in a beautiful pass from Thomas.

We're running out of creative ways to say BLUES SCORE! #stlblues pic.twitter.com/VIf6CNjnBz

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) February 16, 2024

"Started tilting the ice in our favor, started putting the pucks to the goal line and playing in the offensive zone and getting to the net, kind of doing all the little things," Neighbours said. "Power play was good, converted twice and I thought our 5-on-5 game was really strong."

The Oilers were outshooting the Blues 28-23 but it was 15-14 in favor of the Blues in the period.

* Third Period -- It was a chance for the Blues to really put the game away when Cody Ceci (slashing at 4:44) and Desharnais (elbowing/unsportsmanlike conduct) at 6:36 used a parade to the box and roughly six minutes of power play time for the Blues.

They didn't take advantage of it, and the Oilers tried making it interesting when Perry found a loose puck of a partially deflected shot and deposited it over Binnington at 11:14 to cut the Blues' lead to 5-3.

Edmonton had a push to try and cut it to one but never could get there, as the Blues were basically managing the period trying to kill the clock.

Dylan Holloway was called for cross checking at 14:49, but the Blues didn't score and finished 2-for-8 with the man advantage, and Brandon Saad capped off a successful night with an empty-netter at 17:07 for the 6-3 win and move four points ahead of anyone chasing them in the Western Conference wild card. 

"There's a strong belief in this group," Blues interim coach Drew Bannister said. "If we're going to make the playoffs, which we believe we can and we have a team in here that plays the way we did tonight and plays against opponents like Edmonton and other teams that we have beaten along the road here, that we're going to give ourselves a chance. We have to be able to beat these hockey teams to give ourselves a chance to make the playoffs, and tonight's a step in the right direction."

The Hockey News Archive

ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Blues were on the verge of getting blown out of the building against the high-powered Edmonton Oilers.

Three keys in Blues' 6-3 win against Oilers (2-15-24) (2:53)

The game on Thursday was turning into a track meet, particularly in the back half of the first period, something the Blues didn't want.

"I think the first period we were trading chances and that doesn't work too well against these guys," Blues center Robert Thomas said. "I think we really got to our game plan and started working. It benefitted us. We drew a lot of penalties just from working. They had a lot of penalties in the d-zone. I think that was our mindset and it turned out well for us."

Thanks to Jordan Binnington, the Blues were within striking distance, then arguably played the best period of hockey in the second of a 6-3 win against the Oilers, sending Edmonton to their third loss in five following a 16-game winning streak.

Let's get right into those three keys to the eighth win in the past 10 games:

1. Making the proper adjustments in between the first and second periods -- The Blues (29-22-2) trailed 2-1 after one, the game was played at Edmonton's pace, and it was on the verge of falling out of their hands.

But the Blues didn't have to come in and peel paint off the walls.

"We honestly weren't that frustrated with our first period," Neighbours said. "You take three penalties and give the best power play unit in the league a lot of looks, that's going to obviously take away a lot of momentum, but I thought our start was good. Five-on-five, we were good. I thought we controlled most of the game and when you give them power plays, you're going to get in trouble and gives their top guys confidence, get them feeling the puck and you don't want to do that. Obviously came in here, regrouped, had a great second."

The Blues started playing in the Oilers' zone, starting with the puck and spending the first 1:09 in Edmonton's side of the ice when Neighbours tied the game, which fueled a four-goal second to help St. Louis take control.

"I don't know (what changed), maybe we found our legs," Binnington said. "We started playing predictable, we were more disciplined. We stayed out of the box. We played a good, overall game. It's nice to be back home and feeling good."

2. Crucial Binnington saves -- Let's face it, without Binnington, the Blues are talking about a second straight loss.

But when the game was tied, he made two highlight-reel saves on Zach Hyman within 72 seconds of one another late in the first to keep the game tied, then he stopped Derek Ryan with consecutive saves on a shorthanded breakaway early in the second to keep the game tied 2-2.

"Binner was outstanding," Blues interim coach Drew Bannister said. "... He made some huge saves for us. ... Binner was outstanding when we needed him."

No question the Blues fed off that energy that Binnington provided to the team and to the building.

"It's nice to get some big saves there, some fun saves," Binnington said. "That goal in the last minute (of the first) kind of sucked, but we came in here and responded big coming out in the second period obviously. It was good to see."

 "That game could easily have been 4-, 5-1," Thomas said. "We got into a track meet with them and that's what you need from your goalie. He kept us in that game and gave us a chance going into the second."

Neighbours added, "I didn't even know how to react. I didn't stand up, I didn't bang my (stick), I didn't know what to do. It's become normal for him at this point. All of us expect to see it. We obviously can't rely on it. When there are breakdowns, he's obviously there."

3. Limiting the damage from the Oilers' top skill guys -- Yes, Connor McDavid had three assists, following Thursday up after his six-assist performance Tuesday against the Detroit Red Wings, and Leon Draisaitl scored a power-play goal, but the Blues limited the damage to the Edmonton top guns.

McDavid finished a minus-2 and had just three shots on goal; Draisaitl had the goal on just two shots, and Hyman was a minus-3 in the game with an assist. 

"At least he didn't get six points. We'll take that as a win," Thomas joked about McDavid. "... We're coming along. I think we're trending in the right direction. We're coming together as a team and playing the right way. If you look at the last four games, everyone's chipping in, different lines stepping up, carrying the weight every night. That's what you need coming down the stretch and playing these big games, you need everyone involved and it's nice to see it coming together."

ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Blues didn't feel like they had to peel any paint off the walls.

There wasn't a sense of panic.

Blues player of the game vs. Oilers: Jake Neighbours (1:43)

"We honestly weren't that frustrated with our first period," Blues forward Jake Neighbours said. "You take three penalties and give the best power play unit in the league a lot of looks, that's going to obviously take away a lot of momentum, but I thought our start was good. Five-on-five, we were good. I thought we controlled most of the game and when you give them power plays, you're going to get in trouble and gives their top guys confidence, get them feeling the puck and you don't want to do that. Obviously came in here, regrouped, had a great second."

Neighbours was especially good; the forward fueled another comeback win, 6-3 against the high-flying Edmonton Oilers on Thursday at Enterprise Center, with a goal and two assists in a four-goal second period.

His early goal sparked the comeback after being down 2-1 and his tenaciousness and relentless play around the net helped the Blues (29-22-2) overcome a 2-1 deficit in the first period, one in which goalie Jordan Binnington made two highlight-reel saves on Oilers forward Zach Hyman within 72 seconds of each other late in the period to keep the game close enough for the comeback.

"I didn't even know how to react," Neighbours said. "I didn't stand up, I didn't bang my (stick), I didn't know what to do. It's become normal for him at this point. All of us expect to see it. We obviously can't rely on it. When there are breakdowns, he's obviously there."

And when Binnington was there, Neighbours and Co. rose to the occasion. 

Neighbours now has three multi-point games (four goals, three assists) the past four games and continues to grow his confidence.

"I thought Jakey was great tonight," Blues interim coach Drew Bannister said. "We had a tough game in Toronto, everybody, and I thought all the guys responded properly. They came to play, all of our guys, and Jakey was one of them. All those guys stepped up."

Neighbours is just feeding off the responsibilities and confidence.

"Yeah for sure," he said. "I'm being put in really good positions by my linemates, my guys around me, by my coaches. It's  my job, if I'm going to get those opportunities, to go out there and take advantage of it and do what I can with them. I feel good about my game."

 

ST. LOUIS -- The challenges will only continue to get tougher for the St. Louis Blues, who open a four-game homestand on Thursday against the red-hot Edmonton Oilers (31-17-1) at 7 p.m. (BSMW, ESPN 101.1-FM).

(2-15-24) Oilers-Blues Gameday Lineup (1:59)

The Blues (28-22-2) are looking to remain in the race in the Western Conference wild card and currently hold down the second one, tied with the first wild card Los Angeles Kings in points with 58 but L.A. has two games in hand.

The challenge for the Blues will be to try and lock down Connor McDavid, one of the top, if not the top, players in the league who is coming off a six-assist game on Tuesday against the Detroit Red Wings.

It's a challenge that the Blues have thrived on in the past, limiting the opposition's top-line skaters and tonight may be the greatest one with McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, Evander Kane, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and company.

"We're looking forward to the challenge," Blues center Robert Thomas said. "They're one of the top teams in the league and had a big streak there. They're playing really well and they've got a lot of weapons over there. It will be a good challenge for us.

"They're a team off the rush, they've been dangerous for many years. If you get into a run-and-gun game with them, it's not going to go in your favor. Just playing the way that's made us successful the last 10-12 games. It's something that we need to bring tonight to have a chance.

"Our line matches up well against many top lines. It's something that we look forward to every game is that challenge and trying to limit their offense as well as gets some goals for ourselves. It's a challenge that all three of us really take on and are excited for, especially for guys like McDavid and Draisaitl. Those are guys you want to play against as competitors. We're excited for that challenge."

Thomas and his linemates won't be on the ice every single time McDavid is, so it will be up to whoever it is to make sure they're defensively responsible when McDavid, who has 77 points (21 goals, 56 assists) in 47 games.

"Just speed, skill, the ability to make plays," Blues captain Brayden Schenn said of McDavid. "It's funny, it's not one guy that gets the job done, it's five-man groups that you have to be aware when he's on the ice. Guys like that, they're going to get chances, they're going to make plays. It's just on any given night how many can you limit them to. We're looking for the challenge tonight. Guys are always mentally ready to play when you've got two of the best players in the league coming into your building, especially when the team is, whatever they are, 18-2-0 their last 20 games.

"I think it's just more mentally ready to play. Mentally you know you can get embarrassed if you're not ready to play. When you have those top guys coming in, it just makes you that much more ready. These are the games that are always fun, they're always a challenge and you always have to bring your 'A' game to beat them."

Blues interim coach Drew Bannister wants the Blues to focus on the Oilers as a team, and not just one individual.

"I think we're preparing for their team. It's not just one player," he said. "There's a lot of good hockey players on that side. We're not going to approach it any different than if we're playing Colorado and how we played against [Nathan] MacKinnon. We're going to have to defend as a unit of five. We're going to have breakdowns, but we have to have layers to defend those players."

The Blues currently are in a logjam surrounding the playoff positions, two ahead of the Nashville Predators, three ahead of the Calgary Flames and Minnesota Wild and four ahead of the Seattle Kraken so every point is crucial.

"This is the fun part, the final 30 games when you're battling for the playoffs, when you're in a playoff spot and every game means so much," Schenn said. "You're going to do a little bit of scoreboard watching on the nights you're not playing. This is what you play for, the intense games, the games that mean lots down the stretch here. We're looking forward to this game, but just the week ahead with Nashville and Toronto."

- - -

Forward Alexey Toropchenko's solid road trip will earn the Russian a step up in the lineup.

Toropchenko, who has scored in back-to-back games, moves up from the fourth line and will play with Kevin Hayes and Brandon Saad tonight, and Nikita Alexandrov moves in to the fourth line in place of Sammy Blais.

"Going back to the Buffalo game the one shift where he drove that puck to the net across the crease but didn't score, he drew a penalty and then we were able to score on that power play and get the first goal of the game," Bannister said of Toropchenko. "And then opening shift in Montreal, same thing, drives it, takes it to the net and is able to score. I think I talked about it with 'Torpo', he's going to do a lot of his goal-scoring around the blue paint and he's a big body that skates well and plays direct. When he gets a step on the 'D,' we saw it in those two games, he can cut to the net really hard and can create chaos around the blue paint. I thought he was probably our best player in all three games. He got rewarded for going to the hard areas and doing the right things. He's a straight line player and he's easy to play with. He's very predictable. He gets in on the forecheck and he plays a heavy game.

"The thing with 'Torpo', you're going to get an honest effort every night. He comes to work and play. He's an easy guy to move around and play with different players, but in the same sense, he's got to stay to his identity. Right now where he is and where he's been playing has worked for him and we'll continue to give him that ice time. He's been an important part of the PK too."

The fourth line, which has started the past three games, will likely do so again tonight and part of the energy brought by it was not only Toropchenko but also from Nathan Walker.

"He brings so much energy to the game, he drags guys in to the fight," Bannister said of Walker. "Similar player to 'Torpo' just a little bit shorter. But he plays a direct game, plays a heavy game, gets around the net, creates a lot of chaos. He's had a lot of success in the American League offensively. I don't know if it's quite translated here yet but he is still able to score. He plays a direct game that brings guys into the fight as a group. That's kind of what we're looking for early on in games from that group."

The 5-foot-9, 187-pound Walker is drawing attention for his clean check on former Blue Ryan Reaves, who is listed at 6-2, 228, a difference of five inches and 41 pounds, during Tuesday's game in Toronto.

"He put him on his butt there, but that's who he is," Bannister said of Walker. "He doesn't back down from anybody. I've never seen him back down from anything, whether it's a fight or a hit. He's the first guy to get pucks and he's the first guy to arrive on time."

- - -

An injury update, Blues defenseman Scott Perunovich will miss his fifth straight game with a lower-body injury, but he was on the ice for the morning skate Thursday, a good sign according to Bannister.

"I think it was a good day for Scotty," Bannister said. "I don't want to say that he's anywhere near playing for us, but that's a good step. I thought he felt real good being out on the ice; he wanted to do more at the end. I didn't stay on to watch him do more, but I think it was a good day for Scotty today."

Defenseman Justin Faulk, also out with a lower-body injury, was not on the ice.

"'Faulker's still just kind of continuing to rehab away from the ice," Bannister said. "We're not at a point or close to a point where we feel he's going to be on the ice, but it's kind of day to day with him at this point."

- - -

The Blues' projected lineup:

Pavel Buchnevich-Robert Thomas-Jordan Kyrou

Jake Neighbours-Brayden Schenn-Kasperi Kapanen

Brandon Saad-Kevin Hayes-Alexey Toropchenko

Nikita Alexandrov-Oskar Sundqvist-Nathan Walker

Nick Leddy-Colton Parayko

Torey Krug-Matt Kessel

Marco Scandella-Calle Rosen

Jordan Binnington will start in goal; Joel Hofer will be the backup.

Healthy scratches include Sammy Blais and Tyler Tucker. Justin Faulk (lower body) and Scott Perunovich (lower body) are out.

- - -

The Oilers' projected lineup:

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins-Connor McDavid-Zach Hyman

Evander Kane-Leon Draisaitl-Dylan Holloway

Warren Foegele-Ryan McLeod-Corey Perry

Mattias Janmark-Derek Ryan-Connor Brown

Darnell Nurse-Cody Ceci

Mattias Ekholm-Evan Bouchard

Brett Kulak-Vincent Desharnais

Stuart Skinner will start in goal; Calvin Pickard will be the backup.

The healthy scratch includes Sam Gagner. The Oilers report no injuries.

My St. Louis Blues player to watch on Thursday against the Edmonton Oilers is center Robert Thomas.

Player to watch vs. Oilers: Robert Thomas (1:21)

Thomas has faced and met challenges against the opposition's top-line players with success throughout the season, but this will be arguably his biggest going against the red-hot Connor McDavid and the Oilers, who are 18-2-0 the past 20 games, and McDavid is coming off a six-assist game on Tuesday against the Detroit Red Wings.

Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche has met the stiff tests Thomas has brought this season, and he is the lone skater that one can compare to McDavid, who will face the Blues for the first time this season.

Thomas also maintains his scoring while shutting down those opponents; he has 13 points (two goals, 11 assists) his past nine games and is a point-per-game player in his career against the Oilers with 12 points (five goals, seven assists).

All good things must come to an end at some point.

Blues-Maple Leafs three-period takeaways (2-13-24) (3:41)

For the St. Louis Blues, they came crashing down in a 4-1 loss against the shorthanded Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday.

The Blues (28-22-2), who had their five-game road winning streak end and lost for just the second time in nine games (7-2-0), looked checked out from the beginning, and it's a head-scratcher as to why with the Leafs missing three of their biggest stars in defenseman Morgan Rielly (suspension) and forwards John Tavares and Mitchell Marner (each due to illness).

One would think that would be motivation enough to try and match wits with a lineup lacking star-studded quality it's had throughout the season.

The Blues' fourth line of Alexey Toropchenko, Oskar Sundqvist and Nathan Walker had spurts of energy and produced the lone goal that got the Blues back in it in the second period, and Jordan Binnington did his best to keep what looked like a disinterested group in front of him in it but there simply wasn't enough bite in their game of recent performances to warrant two points on this night.

Let's jump into the three-period takeaways from a forgetful night:

* First Period -- The Leafs were aggressive from the get-go, and players they brought into the lineup that likely wouldn't have played had the aforementioned three been available to play.

The Blues just seemed to be on their heels and fell back into some of the habits that got them in trouble in prior poor starts.

Bobby McCann, who was one of those players to step into the lineup, made it 1-0 at 5:33 on a sequence where Nick Leddy had a chance to clear a puck along the wall and couldn't, then McCann was able to skate off the wall with it and got little resistance from Brayden Schenn, curled to the net and whipped one in tight past Binnington.

It looked like Binnington had a chance to maybe get his stick down and seal off the puck from getting to the crease, but it came off the side netting and may have disrupted the play, while Colton Parayko, instead of challenging the play, stayed in the slot protecting it.

Toronto kept coming and the Blues, who seemed discombobulated, with and without the puck, avoided a quick 2-0 deficit when Tyler Bertuzzi was alone in the slot but pushed his shot wide of the net.

Bertuzzi had another chance at 11:42 but Binnington stopped the Leafs forward on a breakaway.

But the deficit grew to two when William Nylander scored off a fortuitous bounce trying to center a pass off the stick of Matthew Kessel at 16:25 to make it 2-0.

The Blues had possession of the puck in the offensive zone, but Jordan Kyrou turned it over that led to a sequence of Nylander trying to center a puck that hit Kessel and skirted past Binnington on the short side.

Auston Matthews, who had a quiet night that didn't really matter, nearly added to his NHL-leading 42 goals but he also fired a shot high and wide with 1:44 remaining in the period, and the Blues got out of it down 2-0 and outshot 10-3.

* Second Period -- There were no penalties in that first period, but Toropchenko's forecheck created a power play for the Blues when he was interfered with by Max Domi at 3:08, and the red-hot Blues power play had an early opportunity.

However, the best chance came from the Leafs when Noah Gregor was stopped by Binnington on a shorthanded breakaway at 3:52.

The power play fizzled, but Toropchenko and his linemates didn't and they got the Blues right back in the game when Toropchenko was able to tip home Walker's wrister from the right circle at 5:36 to make it 2-1.

Tipping culture might be out of control but we'll always take a good tip from Alexey Toropchenko. #stlblues pic.twitter.com/2AVR8EUeaw

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) February 14, 2024

The Blues were able to move a puck up the ice, cycle it below the goal line, retrieve it and Kessel, who earned his first NHL point, got the puck to Walker, who used Toropchenko's screen to try and get a shot off, but Toropchenko was able to redirect it past Ilya Samsonov.

It provided a bit of life for the Blues, and Brandon Saad nearly tied it but his close-range backhand was gloved by Samsonov at 7:50.

Another glorious chance to knot the game back up came after Matthew Knies was called for hooking at 10:50, but the Blues' power play, which had been on a heater as of late because of directness with the puck, was anything but direct and another chance fizzled; they had one shot on two power-play opportunities in the game.

Toropchenko and Oskar Sundqvist created a turnover and ensuing 2-on-1with Sundqvist with the puck, but he waited too long to try and make a play around a sliding Mark Giordano and nothing came of it.

Toronto got its first chance on the power play when Parayko was whistled for slashing with 1:56 remaining, but the Blues got to the end of the period only down 2-1 after Binnington sprawled and made a great glove save on Domi in tight with 1:19 remaining.

Jordan Binnington is like a video game cheat code. #stlblues pic.twitter.com/wZHOuixtAv

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) February 14, 2024

The Blues entered the third being outshot 18-11.

* Third Period -- The Blues haven't seemed to mind being in these situations in the recent past, playing in a one-shot game, but there just wasn't any pushback.

There was an early 2-on-1 again in which Schenn and Jake Neighbours had an opportunity, but once again, no shooting mentality and no decisive play as Schenn had a puck roll off his stick and waited too long to try and get a puck around a sliding defenseman, and once again, no shot off an odd-man rush.

Sammy Blais took a careless tripping minor at 4:59 in the offensive zone to put the Blues' PK back on the ice, but it got the job done.

The slow dagger came when McMann spun and scored from a sharp angle in the left circle to make it 3-1 at 8:02.

Binnington seemed to leave himself vulnerable on the play by over-extending himself and going down early and leaving the area over his left shoulder exposed, and that's where McMann was able to whip the wrist shot into that far, top corner, after Binnington initially had a puck on his stick but nobody to give it to or move it out of the zone, so it stayed in the Blues' zone and eventually, in the net.

Binnington was able to make another strong save, this time on Nick Robertson at 13:55 in the slot area to keep it a 3-1 game.

"I cannot believe that save by Jordan Binnington." -@JamieRivers08 #stlblues

Watch on the Bally Sports app, brought to you by @BommaritoAuto. pic.twitter.com/jsmzMwTIWQ

— Bally Sports Midwest (@BallySportsMW) February 14, 2024

There was just little to nothing in the way of offense, even with Binnington pulled and McMann, who came in with two goals, scored into the empty net when he banked in an empty-netter with 1:39 left to seal his first NHL hat trick and seal Toronto's 4-1 win.

The Blues were outshot 32-15 in the game, their lowest output of the season.

“We know we have to be a whole lot better than we were tonight.”

Hear from Brayden Schenn, Matthew Kessel and Drew Bannister following tonight's game vs. Toronto. #stlblues pic.twitter.com/Syrrn1d7sN

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) February 14, 2024

Trying to extend their road winning streak to a perfect six-pack, the St. Louis Blues came up with a thud on Tuesday.

Three keys in Blues' 4-1 loss against Maple Leafs (2-13-24) (3:34)

There wasn't much to harp positively about from a 4-1 loss against the Toronto Maple Leafs, who were playing without three of their best players (more on that below) at Scotiabank Arena.

The Blues (28-22-2), who closed out a three-game road trip winning two of three, dropped just their second game in the past nine (7-2-0) but missed out on a golden chance to pass the Los Angeles Kings into the first wild card from the Western Conference (each is tied with 58 points).

Without much to say on a dud of a game, let's get right into the three keys why this one went south in a hurry:

1. Taking a depleted opponent lightly -- The Leafs knew they'd likely be without No. 1 defenseman Morgan Rielly, who received a five-game suspension for the cross-checking incident towards the end of a 5-3 loss against the Ottawa Senators and Ridly Greig on Saturday. But they were also left without two of their top forwards in captain John Tavares and Mitchell Marner, each who missed the game with illness.

I can't speak for the players in the room, but it sure looked like they thought they'd get an easy game without three of the Leafs' top five players and thought they'd get an easy night.

Well, it turned out to be an easy night -- for the Leafs.

For the players that stepped into the lineup, Bobby McMann being one of them, those are players who want to prove their value to the organization, and McMann, who came into the game with two goals in 37 games, scored his first NHL hat trick in a game-high six shots on goal.

The Blues seem to find themselves in these valuable-lesson kinds of games far too often.

2. No energy leads to bad decisions, execution -- Yes, the Blues played back-to-back games on Saturday and Sunday, and yes, they practiced on Monday. But they didn't have a morning skate and went more than 30 hours without being on the ice.

There just did not seem like there was much energy, if any at all, from the majority of the skaters, especially the top-end guys in the lineup. 

It led to poor puck decisions, indecisiveness, lack of tape-to-tape plays, no shooting mentality and most importantly, a lack of winning puck races. When all that comes into play, there was no forecheck and the Blues were forced to defend most of the game, and they didn't do that very well as a five-man unit either. 

3. A poor start -- As mentioned above, a lack of fire, especially to start this game, put the Blues behind the Eight-ball 2-0 and they were chasing most of the night.

The first goal came off a lack of clearance, then allowing McMann to come off the wall with the puck to the crease area to jam one in early, and although the second Toronto goal came off a fortuitous bounce for William Nylander, it came off a Jordan Kyrou offensive zone turnover that triggered the sequence.

The Blues were outshot 10-3 in the period and could have been down more than just two.

The Hockey News Archive