St Louis Blues on The Hockey News

On a night where most of his teammates took the night off, Alexey Toropchenko continued to make his case for the St. Louis Blues.

Blues player of the game vs. Maple Leafs: Alexey Toropchenko (2:00)

The big Russian was at it again with grit, hard work, determination, being a net front presence, forechecking, skating ... you name it, Toropchenko was doing it.

He was rewarded with his ninth goal of the season, tipping in a Nathan Walker shot, that gave the Blues a chance at the time, but it was all for naught in a dreadful 4-1 loss against the shorthanded Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday.

When it was evident the Blues (28-22-2) weren't going to get much of anything from their top-end players, it was Toropchenko and linemates Walker and Oskar Sundqvist who provided some semblance of o-zone time for a forechecking game.

Toropchenko once again (deservedly) logged over 15 minutes (15:10), led the Blues with three shots on goal (he had 20 percent of their season-low 15 for the game!), and a team-high seven hits warrants Toropchenko far and beyond the player of the game in a losing effort.

Toropchenko's line and Jordan Binnington (28 saves, including two breakaways and two at point blank range) were the only reason the Blues stood a chance.

The St. Louis Blues will look to continue to be road warriors when they close out a three-game trip on Tuesday against the likely Morgan Rielly-less Toronto Maple Leafs (26-16-8) at Scotiabank Arena (6 p.m.; BSMW, ESPN 101-1.FM).

Morning skate report vs. Maple Leafs (2-13-24) (3:12)

The Blues (28-21-2), who are a season-high seven games over .500, will be looking for their sixth straight win on the road after coming out of the All-Star break with wins against the Buffalo Sabres (3-1) on Saturday and Montreal Canadiens (7-2) on Sunday. They are also 7-1-0 in their past eight games to put them into a tie for the first wild card in the Western Conference with the Los Angeles Kings with 58 points (the Kings have a game in hand).

The Blues are coming off matching their second-best offensive output of the season when they put up seven against the Canadiens, matching their most recent high of seven against the Chicago Blackhawks in a 7-5 win Dec. 23. Their season-high is eight goals in an 8-2 win against the Colorado Avalanche on Nov. 11.

It's been a rather workman-like stretch of games, aside from the 1-0 clunker against the Columbus Blue Jackets before the break, for the Blues, who have outscored their opposition 22-12 in winning the past five road games and moving a game over .500 (13-12-1) for the first time this season.

The lineup isn't expected to change, but the Blues did not hold a morning skate, and interim coach Drew Bannister will speak at 4 p.m. (CT) prior to puck drop.

The Blues arenot expected to face Rielly, with the Leafs' top defenseman having what was supposed to be an in-person hearing from the league's Department of Player Safety for the following cross-checking incident at the end of a 5-3 loss against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday: 

The Battle of Ontario is alive. pic.twitter.com/3C37BeSCb6

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) February 11, 2024

The in-person hearing is going to be virtual with a snowstorm hitting the New York metropolitan area on Tuesday, as of this writing (which will be updated), it is not yet known how many games Rielly will receive for a suspension. The Maple Leafs visit St. Louis on Monday, so depending on how many games Rielly gets, the Blues may avoid him entirely this season.

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Some stats:

* Blues captain Brayden Schenn, after going without a point in a career-most 12 straight games, is a point-per-game player the past 13 with five goals, eight assists and has a point in 11 of the past 13.

* Blues center Robert Thomas has 13 points (two goals, 11 assists) the past eight games.

* Blues forward Jordan Kyrou has three goals the past two games, four in the past three and has 13 points (eight goals, five assists) the past 12 games that started with a hat trick Jan. 11 against the New York Rangers.

* Blues defenseman Torey Krug set a Blues franchise record for most assists (five) and points (five) in a game on Sunday while also establishing a personal career high.

* Blues forward Jake Neighbours has three goals and four points the past two games.

* Blues forward Pavel Buchnevich has seven points (four goals, three assists) the past six games.

* Blues goalie Jordan Binnington is 7-2-1 with a 2.09 goals-against average and .930 save percentage since Jan. 4.

* Since Jan. 20 when they started their 7-1-0 run, the Blues have the most wins in the NHL, are tied with the Tampa Bay Lightning for second-most goals per game at 3.63 (Dallas, 3.88), they're third in goals against (2.00), they're second in  power play efficiency at 37.5 percent (Florida, 41.7), and they're sixth in penalty kill efficiency at 90.0 percent. 

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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-Matthew Kessel

Marco Scandella-Calle Rosen

Jordan Binnington is projected to start in goal; Joel Hofer would be the backup.

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

- - -

The Maple Leafs' projected lineup:

Matthew Knies-Auston Matthews-Mitchell Marner

Tyler Bertuzzi-John Tavares-William Nylander

Noah Gregor-Max Domi-Nicholas Robertson

Pontus Holmberg-David Kampf-Ryan Reaves

TJ Brodie-Timothy Liljegren

Simon Benoit-Jake McCabe

William Lagesson-Mark Giordano

Ilya Samsonov will start in goal; Dennis Hildeby will be the backup.

The healthy scratches could include Max Lajoie and Bobby McCann. Joseph Woll (lower body), Calle Jarnkrok (knuckle), Martin Jones (undisclosed) and Conor Timmins (mono) are out. Morgan Rielly likely begins serving a suspension tonight.

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My St. Louis Blues player to watch against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday is defenseman Nick Leddy.

Player to watch vs. Maple Leafs: Nick Leddy (2:29)

OK, it's not a splashy selection here, but in looking at Leddy's past eight games, at the very least, he's played over 20 minutes in each one; he has just one minus game (minus-1) in those games but has been a contributor offensively jumping into the rush with six points (one goal, five assists). 

We all know what Colton Parayko means and who he will be on the ice against tonight when Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and John Tavares and company are out there, but Parayko needs that steadying presence with him, and 'Steady Leddy' has provided it.

He and Parayko will likely see 20-plus minutes again against the Maple Leafs, whether it be even strength or on the penalty kill and will be key to limiting Toronto's chances should the Blues want to extend their road winning streak to six and winning an eighth game in nine.

Leddy has 15 points (three goals, 12 assists) in 26 career games against Toronto.

Another strong start, continued success on specialty teams, another road win. Who are these St. Louis Blues anyway?

Well, they're the ones that don't seem to want to leave the conversation when it comes to the Western Conference playoff race after a 7-2 drubbing of the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre on Sunday to extend their road winning streak to five in a row and seventh win in eight.

Blues-Canadiens three-period takeaways (2-11-24) (3:52)

There were plenty of superlatives to come from helping the Blues (28-21-2) move seven games over .500 for the first time this season, including defenseman Torey Krug with a career-high five points (all assists) and setting a Blues record for most points and assists from a defenseman to highlight the day.

Let's jump into those three-period takeaways:

* First Period -- How would the Blues come out playing the second of back-to-back games? That was the question coming in. Well, the Canadiens also played on Saturday (a 3-2 home loss against the Dallas Stars), so neither team had the excuse of one well rested and waiting for the opponent that played the day before.

It couldn't have gone better for the Blues when Alexey Toropchenko set the tone for the rest of the afternoon when he scored a beauty of a goal 25 seconds in for a 1-0 lead taking a puck up ice, powering around defenseman Jayden Struble with a puck through his legs and eluding former Blue Jake Allen's poke-check and sliding the puck home.

Holy Moly Torpo! 👀 #stlblues pic.twitter.com/n6qBxfo3I5

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) February 11, 2024

That goal had to get the Blues psyched up, and Kasperi Kapanen had a chance to make it 2-0 just 2:17 in, but he had no legs left on a breakaway attempt and fired a shot from the top of the right circle that Allen handled quite easily.

But Colton Parayko decided to make it 2-0 anyway when he's able to score on a clapper from the blue line with Brayden Schenn doing a near fly-by that caught the eye of Allen and disrupting the Canadiens goalie at 5:05.

86mph+ #stlblues pic.twitter.com/vy4YlPX0A7

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) February 11, 2024

Things then got really interesting when Sammy Blais was assessed a five-minute major and game-misconduct for boarding Montreal defenseman Jordan Harris at 5:18 on a play that went awry behind the Canadiens net as Blais was trying to finish a check. However, Harris was either losing an edge and going down early and Blais couldn't hold up and caught the d-man in the back of the head, and it was evident Harris was injured on the play; he would not return.

Officials reviewed it and stuck to the call, and the Blues had to kill a five-minute power play up 2-0, and they did it really well, but Nick Suzuki scored on a cross seam pass from Juraj Slafkovsky at 10:23, or five seconds after the penalty expired to make it 2-1.

It was noted on the Bally Sports Midwest broadcast the Blues had nobody in the penalty box, thus nobody could come off the bench immediately. And it's a first for me to see something like that happen, but the rule is explained below: 

OK, here's more clarity on this. #stlblues pic.twitter.com/GDaQ7rnmt7

— Lou Korac (@lkorac10) February 11, 2024

The Blues were playing well despite only being up 2-1, and they would go to their first power play when Struble was whistled for hooking Toropchenko at 15:13 after Allen made a big save on Toropchenko driving the net on a quick shot.

However, Jordan Kyrou would score the first of two goals just seven seconds into the man advantage when he popped in a rebound at the net at 15:20 to make it 3-1after Robert Thomas won a face-off and shot a puck through traffic with bodies in front.

Jordan Kyrou only needed six seconds of PP time to light the lamp. #stlblues pic.twitter.com/dqXfAFl53A

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) February 11, 2024

There would be another late power play for the Blues when Suzuki was called for slashing at 18:12.

But the Blues finished strong, up 3-1 and up on the shot clock 15-8, getting eight of the final nine shots on the period.

* Second Period -- The middle frame was an issue for the Blues on Saturday in Buffalo, and it wasn't much better on Sunday, and this is when Jordan Binnington would be called into action, making two early saves; one on Cole Caufield 29 seconds in and another on Slafkovsky at 1:10.

Jordan Binnington doing Jordan Binnington things.@pncbank | #stlblues pic.twitter.com/bX26KqsSqP

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) February 11, 2024

The Blues were having issues in their zone and turning pucks over in all three zones, but Binnington was sharp with 13 saves in the period.

Oskar Sundqvist and Kaiden Guhle were called for penalties at 5:11, Sundqvist getting an extra minor for embellishment and tripping, while Guhle called for tripping, but the Blues didn't allow a shot on goal killing that minor.

Toropchenko seemed to have his rocket legs going in this game and nearly scored again but Allen gloved the in-tight chance at 11:39.

Slafkovsky was called for holding at 13:13, but the Blues were unable to extend the lead.

Binnington made a huge save with his arm on Joshua Roy moments before Nathan Walker was able to extend that lead to 4-1 at 17:49 when Walker, coming in fresh off the bench, scored from the slot through a screen that Allen didn't see.

We celebrate in the endzone, too. #stlblues pic.twitter.com/V38DUNZbZJ

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) February 11, 2024

Late penalties came when Michael Pezzetta was called for holding at 19:27, then Joel Armia and Krug received matching minors at 19:39, Armia for cross checking and Krug for slashing.

The Blues led 4-1 and had a 25-21 edge in shots. 

* Third Period -- Thomas put the game away with the second power-play goal of the game and second goal within the first minute of a period (31 seconds) when they won another face-off, Nick Leddy pulls the puck to the middle of the ice, feeds Thomas, and he wires another wrister through traffic to make it 5-1.

Enjoy another power-play goal, this time from Robert Thomas. #stlblues pic.twitter.com/VN2R4oemqx

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) February 11, 2024

Montreal got one back when Armia, in the right place, got a piece of David Savard's shot from the high slot at 3:06 that made it 5-2.

Initially, Brandon Saad was awarded a penalty shot when he was tripped by Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson at 6:43, but officials looked at it on review and made the tight call that Matheson first got the puck before the trip, this negating the penalty shot.

But it didn't matter as Jake Neighbours would score his third goal in two games out of the break, guess where, standing at the net and getting a piece of a shot put to the net at 7:14 to make it 6-2.

This is why you never give up on a puck. #stlblues pic.twitter.com/nKaayuMTEu

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) February 11, 2024

A Brayden Schenn tripping penalty 11:40 produced no shots for the Canadiens again, making the PK a perfect 3-for-3 on the day.

Kyrou's second of the game and 100th of his NHL career was a wonky one. He made it 7-2 at 15:33 when his shot from the slot caromed off the back boards, off Allen's skate and into the net with Pavel Buchnevich hovering.

Jordan Ky-two. #stlblues pic.twitter.com/kCtksbiFWh

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) February 11, 2024

The ending was unnecessary, but Buchnevich and Struble each received 10-minute misconducts, sending each to the showers early, and then Neighbours completed his Gordie Howe Hat Trick when he fought Johnathan Kovacevic at 19:00. 

A Gordie Howe hat trick for Jake Neighbours. #stlblues

📺: Bally Sports | 📱: Bally Sports app pic.twitter.com/DpICpUgOPm

— Bally Sports Midwest (@BallySportsMW) February 11, 2024

In the end, it was a complete-game win for the Blues, who conclude the trip Tuesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

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Imagine where the Blues would be had their special teams -- particularly the power play --had been cooking like this early in the season?

Things have been going smoothly in those departments as of late, and they got a little bit of everything on a fun Sunday afternoon in blasting the Montreal Canadiens, 7-2 at Bell Centre in the prelude to Super Bowl LVIII.

Three keys in Blues' 7-2 win against Canadiens (2-11-24) (2:59)

The Blues won their fifth straight on the road, seventh in eight overall and moved seven games over .500 for the first time all season (28-21-2).

Plenty of skaters padded their stats on this afternoon, including defenseman Torey Krug, who set not only a career-high with five points (all assists) but also established a Blues record for defensemen in assists and points in a game; Robert Thomas added to his team lead with four more points (one goal, three assists); Jake Neighbours added a Gordie Howe Hat Trick to his resume; Jordan Binnington, despite the lopsided score, was rock solid in a 30-save performance, and Jordan Kyrou added two goals to reach 100 in the NHL.

Let's jump into those three keys to another solid victory:

1. Winning special teams -- It doesn't get any better for the Blues when they win the special teams battle 3-0.

It's the first time this season they've score three times in the power play, and since interim coach Drew Bannister has taken over 22 games ago (15-7-1), the Blues rank sixth in the league hitting at a 27.5 percent clip.

Their penalty kill, which is 15th since Bannister took over and still has some work to do, was exceptional again, limiting the Canadiens just two shots in going 0-for-3, including killing off a five-minute major to Sammy Blais in the first period.

Montreal had each of its two shots on that major, so the Canadiens got no shots on each of their two remaining power plays.

For the weekend, the Blues went 5-for-9with the man advantage and 6-for-6 on the kill. That'll net you two points on most nights. 

2. Strong start in back-to-back games -- Bannister had been harping on starting strong in games.

It was a decent start on Saturday in a 3-1 win against the Buffalo Sabres, but Sunday was just exceptional.

The Blues were on the front foot early and got a lead 25 seconds in on Alexey Toropchenko's goal and had two just past the five-minute marker. 

Despite allowing a goal to Nick Suzuki five seconds after the Blais major expired, and more of that is explained in the three-period takeaways, the Blues continued to push and got a big goal from Kyrou that set the wheels in motion for their power-play success.

3. Gaining another road result -- Since losing 5-2 against the Washington Capitals on Jan. 18, the Blues have outscored the opposition 22-12 away from Enterprise Center, and Sunday's road result was their best yet, winning the special teams, as mentioned above, winning the 5-on-5 game (4-2), playing in the opposing team's end for two-thirds of the game at the very least, with the exception to the second period, and getting good goaltending to supplement the team game.

The Blues found a way to race out to a lead on Sunday leaving little doubt, even when the game got to 2-1, and improved their road record to 13-12-1 when at one point, they were 5-10-1. 

Yep, we'll own up to it. Alexey Toropchenko made this writer eat his words from Saturday.

Blues player of the game vs. Canadiens: Alexey Toropchenko (2:41)

After shoveling a prime scoring chance wide against the Buffalo Sabres, I posted on 'X' the following:   

Imagine if Alexey Toropchenko's hands with the puck matched his work rate, how good he could be. #stlblues

— Lou Korac (@lkorac10) February 10, 2024

Nothing said here was wrong. I've seen Toropchenko lots with prime scoring opportunities that he hasn't converted on simply because the hands haven't caught up with the work rate, or work ethic, which are second to none on this team.

Well, Toropchenko gave a 'hold by beer' moment with a beautiful goal, which set the tone for a touchdown afternoon on Super Bowl Sunday in a 7-2 rout of the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre.

Sure, Torey Krug had a career-high five points (all assists) and set a Blues record for most assists in a game, Robert Thomas had four points (one goal, three assists), Jake Neighbours had himself a Gordie Howe Hat Trick, but playing the second of back-to-backs on the road, needing to get some pep in the step, I thought No. 13 was an engine for the team that filtered throughout the lineup.

His goal came 25 seconds into the contest, he continued to work hard, forecheck, create havoc and could have scored a hat trick himself had it not been for former Blue goalie Jake Allen robbing him twice on net front plays simply by driving to the net and being aggressive.

Toropchenko played 15:48, was plus-2, was tied for second on the team with four shots on goal, had a takeaway and a blocked shot for his efforts as the player of the game in the Blues' seventh win in eight games and fifth straight on the road.

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- Needless to say, Jake Neighbours was giddy.

Of course a first-timer would react in such a way, but the St. Louis Blues forward's fellow teammates that reacted to the news that the Blues would be the opponent of the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2025 Discover Winter Classic at Wrigley Field with positive vibes, just not as exuberant as Neighbours.

Scott Perunovich (48) and Brandon Saad (right) will get the chance to play in another outdoor game with the Blues at the 2025 Discover Winter Classic in Chicago against the Blackhawks at Wrigley Field.

Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

"I was pumped to say the least," Neighbours said. "That's a dream as a kid, you watch it lots, especially a kid in Canada, a lot of outdoor hockey and stuff like that. It'll be pretty cool. Wrigley Field's a pretty legendary spot. It'll be fun for us.

"I can't even really process it. I'm kind of still trying to figure out how to play hockey again right now, but it's super cool. It's going to be an absolute treasure to be going to that. Just really excited."

It will be the third time since 2017 for the Blues in the NHL's signature outdoor event, to be played at a date and time to be announced yet but will be on or around New Year's Day, 2025 at the home of the Chicago Cubs.

View the original article to see embedded media.

The Blues defeated the Blackhawks 4-1 at Busch Stadium on Jan. 2, 2017, then downed the Minnesota Wild 6-4 on Jan. 1, 2022, a game in which Jordan Kyrou was the showcase player with two goals and two assists -- all in the second period -- of that game at the home of the Minnesota Twins, Target Field.

"It was an awesome time playing in it two years ago and it was one of my most fun experiences and just a great event all around," Kyrou said. "... We get to play against our rivals in Chicago there. That'll be super fun and I'm kind of excited to see the jerseys as well, see what they come up with. I really liked our last ones.

"It's just such a big stage. Everyone's watching. Big crowd, outdoor feel, outdoor game. Just a lot of excitement going into that game."

It went down as the coldest game on record in NHL history for an outdoor game, with a puck drop temperature of -6 degrees Fahrenheit, -21 degrees Celsius.

"It was cold, but it's a unique day," said Blues goalie Jordan Binnington, who made 29 saves that night. "That's the only one I've ever played my whole life. It was special. Nice to get a couple years in between and we'll hit it again next year.

"... It's a good rivalry (with Chicago). It's good to have that one back. They're getting better every year. They've got some talent. It'll be nice to go up there and show them what we've got."

For captain Brayden Schenn, he didn't get to play in Minnesota because of injury, so this one will have more meaning for him.

"Love it," said Schenn, who played in the 2012 Winter Classic -- and scored -- with the Philadelphia Flyers in a 3-2 loss against the New York Rangers at Citizens Bank Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies. "It's the cliche thing, but it really brings you back to the childhood of playing outdoors and obviously a lot bigger stage than that. You only get so many in your career and very fortunate, lucky that I've been on teams to be able to play in them."

Despite the sub-freezing temperatures in Minneapolis in 2022, Blues fans were well-represented at the Winter Classic and will be once again in Chicago in 2025 with the short trip up Interstate 55.

Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

The fact that the NHL has gone back to the Blues to play in the in this event for the third time in the nine games, second in four, speaks volumes of not only the respect they get around the league, but of the Blackhawks, who value the rivalry and from TNT, who all have a say in who the opponent would be once Chicago knew it would host the event again.

"Blues organization's been around forever, it's historic," Schenn said. "Blues fans are always great. They really love the Blues and when you combine that with a rival like Chicago, it's great. It's great for the organization, it's well-deserved, it's an organization that's come a long way in a lot of years. I think it's viewed as a sneaky, good one around the league. Obviously it's not the Original Six, but it's just kind of right there with it. Pretty lucky to be selected to play in a game like that, especially the history that Wrigley Field has."

A true testament for the St. Louis Blues coming off the All-Star break in their first game in 10 days against the Buffalo Sabres is if they'd be able to shed the stinker they had in their previous game.

Blues-Sabres three-period takeaways (2-10-24) (3:27)

A 1-0 loss against the Columbus Blue Jackets was most certainly a stinker for the Blues and one interim coach Drew Bannister wanted to sit in the players' guts for days ahead.

But in wanting to park that game that ended a five-game winning streak, it was time to focus on the task at hand, and that's the first of the final 33 games of the regular season with the Blues right in the thick of the playoff race in the Western Conference.

It wasn't pretty at times, but they'll gladly take a 3-1 win against the Sabres at KeyBank Center on the shoulders of two Jake Neighbours goals and 33 saves from Neighbours' roommate Joel Hofer.

As teams start to scoreboard watch a little more now, the Blues, no matter what happens around the league on Saturday night, will enter Sunday's noon matinee against the Montreal Canadiens holding down one of two wild card spots (along with the Los Angeles Kings) and plenty of pursuers behind them.

Let's get into the three-period takeaways from the Blues' sixth win in their past seven games.

* First Period -- Let's face it, the Blues haven't had the best of starts to games often enough recently, and Bannister said that was one of the topics of discussion coming out of the break that they wanted a better start, especially against a team below them in the standings, which has been a problem.

They certainly got one, and nearly took a lead when Nathan Walker's attempt at the side of the net roughly four minutes in but his curl and tuck hit the back of Ukko-Pekka Kuukkonen's left skate, skirted all the way across the goal line and cleared by Sabres defenseman Owen Power.

It came after a close call at the other end that saw Hofer spring into action when the Sabres crashed the net for one of the few times in the game and former Blue Tage Thompson almost cashing in.

Recent call-up Calle Rosen was hit with the first penalty of the game when the defenseman was whistled for tripping at 6:12, but the Blues were able to get the first of three kills rather unscathed.

The Blues' fourth line, which was trending upwards in this game, and started it off well, drew the first power play of their own when Ryan Johnson was called for slashing at 11:47.

The Blues made the Sabres pay when Neighbours put St. Louis ahead 1-0 at 12:53.

It was a bit of a fortuitous play, one in which Robert Thomas found Pavel Buchnevich in the bumper slot, but the puck caromed off Buchnevich right to Neighbours at the net, and he swept the backhand into the top of the net.

Roofed it. #stlblues pic.twitter.com/lOSzmo2Vj3

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) February 10, 2024

Not long after, the Blues had to kill off another penalty when Oskar Sundqvist lifted a backhand clear into the stands for delay of game at 13:36, but Buffalo didn't have any dangerous looks on that man advantage either.

The Blues got out of the period up a goal and up on the shot clock 11-9 with a late push with some offense. 

* Second Period -- When the Sabres had good, sustained offensive zone time, it was usually when they won wall battles and retrieved pucks off shot selections.

The period opened up for them in that fashion and Kyle Okposo benefitted from a fortuitous bounce of his own to tie the game 1-1 just 51 seconds in.

The Blues had lost a couple wall battles that kept plays alive in their zone, Thompson was able to curl around Torey Krug down the righthand side and center a puck that hit Okposo, and in an effort to clear it out of danger, Matthew Kessel swept the backhand off Sundqvist's skate and into the net past Hofer.

It could have been a momentum swing, but it wasn't.

Jordan Kyrou quickly restored the Blues' one-goal lead to 2-1 when he was all alone in the slot and scored off Colton Parayko's rim from the right point around the boards that took a funny carom, off the side of the net to Kyrou in front, and he beat Luukkonen glove side at 4:32.

Jordan KyWOOOOO!!!! #stlblues pic.twitter.com/U9tYJLDP6u

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) February 10, 2024

The Blues aren't a penalty-happy team, but they had to go to the kill for a third time less than halfway through the game when Brayden Schenn was nabbed for slashing at 7:41.

This is where Hofer was called into action when he was able to sprawl and make a left arm save of a JJ Peterka wrister from the right circle to preserve the one-goal lead.

Calling it rn. This is the Save of the Game.@PNCBank | #stlblues pic.twitter.com/3elUmmvKoF

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) February 10, 2024

The Blues went to their second power play of the game when Zemgus Girgensons was called for hooking Kevin Hayes at 13:29, but there was not much happening for the Blues on this particular power play.

In fact, Kyrou's goal was one of only four shots the Blues had in the period. They were outshot 15-4 but led going into the third.

* Third Period -- It would be a period of near-misses and one particular spectacular save from Luukkonen when he robbed Brandon Saad's backdoor redirection 3:13 into the period.

UPL! UPL! UPL! 🗣️

📺: @ESPNPlus ➡️ https://t.co/FmPv8M6v1l pic.twitter.com/42hFwwqeRT

— NHL (@NHL) February 10, 2024

Then the post-fest began for the Blues, who had numerous chances to extend the lead but couldn't when Kyrou pinged the inside of the left post at 9:48 walking down the slot after a nice puck retrieval from Pavel Buchnevich.

With Kessel and Peterka serving matching minors for roughing at 11:56, Hayes took his turn to ring the pipe when his one-timer from the right circle clanked the post at 15:42.

The key moment in the game came with 3:45 to play when Parayko was called for a double-minor high-sticking Jordan Greenway in the slot trying to clear a puck. But officials went to the monitor to review and after that review, wiped the infraction off the board altogether. 

Greenway was obviously cut on the right side of his nose, but they determined in an effort to play the puck, Parayko's stick was below the waist and that Greenway was crouched low.

Blues defenseman Colton Parayko (right) hits Sabres forward Jordan Greenway in the face with his stick late in the third period on Saturday. Parayko was initially called for a double minor for high-sticking but a review of the call wiped the penalty out due to Parayko's stick being below his waist.

Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

Imagine the Blues having to kill the remaining 3:45 trying to protect a one-goal lead? And at any point, the Sabres could have made it a 6-on-4 in search of the tying goal.

But they didn't have to worry about it, and Neighbours iced this one when he followed up and scored off Schenn's shot from the left circle at 18:03 to make it 3-1. 

Neighbours made a chip backhand off the boards and sprinted straight towards the net knowing Schenn was shooting off the pads for a rebound, which occurred.

That'll do it. #stlblues pic.twitter.com/UG9L79I3Fg

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) February 10, 2024

Look, it doesn't have to be a Picasso. It doesn't have to be a Rembrandt either.

All that matters is how you get the two points.

Three keys in Blues' 3-1 win against Sabres (2-10-24) (2:03)

For the St. Louis Blues, they don't have the star power that some teams do. They have high-caliber players, for sure, but there's no Connor McDavid or Nathan MacKinnon or Nikita Kucherov on their team. If it takes a mucking and grinding style of hockey to succeed, so be it.

That's what they got in their 3-1 win against the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center on Saturday. 

Jake Neighbours scored twice, Jordan Kyrou scored, and Joel Hofer was impressive in a 33-save outing to help the Blues (27-21-2) win for the sixth time in seven games and move for the second time this season to a season-high six games over .500.

Let's dive into the three keys to victory coming off the All-Star break:

1. Boring, predictable hockey -- Blues interim coach Drew Bannister spoke on this in the Gameday Lineup how the Blues have to play for each other out there and playing predictable by doing so.

Well, the fans want flash and dash, of course, but it's that time of year where if you're in a playoff race, you have to just be simplistic, and the Blues for the most part were.

There were no cutesy plays, guys trying to dingle and dangle with pucks. It was chip, get it in behind the defense and go to work, clogging up the neutral zone on defense and making it tough on the Sabres' high-end guys to make plays.

It could be enough to put you to sleep if sitting in the stands, but it's the way this roster is currently constructed to have success, and the players bought into it for this game. 

2. Winning the special teams -- The Blues' power play continues to climb that steep climb with another big specialty teams goal from Jake Neighbours, going 1-for-2, and the penalty kill was a perfect 3-for-3.

The Blues were as direct with the puck going to the net as they had been all season on that first power play and were rewarded for it, and the penalty kill, although spent some time in their end, bent but didn't break. Buffalo did have six shots on goal on their three power plays but there were some timely clears by Blues penalty killers, too. 

3. Playing a physical, forechecking, making ice hard style -- The Blues had 24 hits in the game, led of course by Sammy Blais with six, and a contributing factor in the physical nature was particularly in the defensive zone not allowing the Sabres, who have some big forwards, get to the net with any regularity. 

There were moments, of course, but it's safe to say throughout the course of the game, Hofer didn't have to deal with a whole lot of traffic in front of him, and the Blues made sure of it.

They didn't give the Sabres a lot of easy ice throughout the game, even when Buffalo had some good, sustained o-zone shifts, much of it was perimeter play.

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Let's just cut to the chase here: Jake Neighbours gets it.

It's a tough way to make a living in the NHL, but the 21-year-old isn't afraid, no matter the circumstances, no matter the cost, no matter the punishment he could potentially take.

Blues player of the game vs. Sabres: Jake Neighbours (1:49)

The 2020 first-round pick picked up where he left off pre-All-Star break by scoring twice on Saturday in a 3-1 win against the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center to kick off a three-game road trip.

Each goal came in typical Neighbours style too, providing a net front presence for a power-play goal in the first period and making a play, and continuing his effort to drive the net for a big third-period goal to put the game away.

Neighbours was a plus-1 in the game, and surprisingly to the eye when looking at the stat sheet, only played 11:38 in the game, but he led the Blues with five shots on goal, had a hit, a takeaway and a blocked shot while losing his only face-off. 

Some of the outlier stats may not show it, but Neighbours was a driver on the ice at both ends of the ice. 

Joel Hofer gave this a run for his money too, was sharp with 33 saves, but Neighbours gets the slight edge for player of the game.

Break time is over. It's time for the St. Louis Blues to prepare for the stretch run.

After taking eight days off during the All-Star break -- except for Robert Thomas, who was the Blues' representative -- to rest, recoup and refresh the bodies, the Blues (26-21-2) begin a three-game road trip starting with a Saturday matinee, the first of back-to-back day games, against the Buffalo Sabres (22-24-4) at noon (ABC, ESPN 101.1-FM).

Morning skate report vs. Sabres (2-10-24) (3:04)

The Blues have 33 games remaining in the regular season, and as the day begins, they hold the second wild card from the Western Conference. But it is a logjam of teams.

The Los Angeles Kings hold the first wild card with 56 points, and starting with them, there five teams within four points of each other, and the Blues and Nashville Predators each have 54 but the Blues have two games in hand.

Giddy up!

"There's no question, our backs are up against the wall right now," Blues interim coach Drew Bannister said. "We can't allow games that happen like Columbus to continue to happen. They can't pile up on us. Moving forward, all games are going to be important and teams are going to get tighter. It's going to be tougher to score. Defensively is going to have to be important for us, especially when we go out onto the road here not having any games under our belt coming off the break and other teams being able to play one or two games. There's not going to be any room for error for us."

The Blues were getting the job done with a season-high five wins in a row before a 1-0 clunker right before the break against the Blue Jackets, last in the Metropolitan Division that dropped the Blues' record against last-place teams to 3-4-0.

"I just think mentally last game, you're playing against those teams and you come out, it's a feel-out game," Blues captain Brayden Schenn said. "Mentally you've just got to be ready to play. We know where we're at right now. We're in a dogfight with four, five other teams to make that last playoff spot, right? Or last two anyway. Every game's important and you can't ease into it after the break. You have to come ready.

"We've played well against the good teams this whole year and for whatever reason, we just struggled against the teams below us in the standings. I think that's just a mental thing where you come out and you feel like you can ease into it and before you know it, you're down 1- or 2-0 and all of sudden, it's hard to get back into the game like that in the league like that. We'll be ready for those games. Buffalo, Montreal are below us in the standings and we have to come ready to play. You can't ease into it or feel it out just say, 'I'm going to see how the first period goes.' Just because you're coming off the bye week, you have to be ready to play instantly and if you're not, you're going to be down and it's hard to come back."

Bannister said he wanted the players to feel the lingering effects of such a poor loss, but now's the time to turn the page.

"Today it should be erased," Bannister said after practice Thursday. "We addressed it. Not with video. It's been over a week now that we played that hockey game, so we didn't address it as video, but we addressed it as a team. Those are areas of our game that we have to get better and we have to rise to the occasion obviously against a team like Columbus or any team for that matter. Those are games we have to win moving forward."

And the players know it.

"We're just trying to forget about that Columbus game," Blues forward Jake Neighbours said. "Obviously it's not something we're proud of, didn't have a great effort before the break. It would have been nice to come back with a bit of a streak, but in saying that, we were also playing some really good hockey before the break, last 10-game stretch. Getting back to that, guys are excited to be back, excited to play again and get back to winning some games.

"... It's obviously a big stretch of games. We've got to do more winning than losing if we want to get to where we want to get to and be in the playoffs and compete there this year. It's an exciting time. This is what you want as a player and as a team to play meaningful hockey down the stretch and we have that."

The Blues play the Sabres, Montreal Canadiens on Sunday afternoon and end it against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday, so they can't afford to come out of the gates lightly knowing who awaits them to end the trip.

"The games that we're going into here, these are games that we have to get points," Bannister said. "These are must games for us to one, start off the road trip the right way but certainly teams that are below us or even with us, those are games are games we have to be ready to play in from the start and put ourselves in a good position whether we're on home ice or on the road to give us success."

"Every game's huge for us," Blues forward Jordan Kyrou said. "We're in a tight race, we're in a tight division, a tight conference. Every game is legit big points for us."

It will be the difference between on the inside looking out or on the outside looking in.

"Every game is a huge game and every point matters," Blues goalie Jordan Binnington said. "Battle in these games now, learn how to win these hard games now and then later on, we'll know how to do it.

"There's a lot of teams in this league that are playoff teams. It's survival of the most resilient and relentless group. Hopefully before the break there we were building something special and we're continuing to do that.

"I think it's just being in the moment and whatever comes across our desk, handle it the best we can and we're going to have to step up. Everyone's going to have to step up in different ways and compete. We've just got to play together and help each other out there by playing predictable."

- - -

The Blues were able to get away and help the body heal for a week or so, and a number of them took to some warmer climates before returning to St. Louis.

"Took a little trip. Took a family trip to the Bahamas," Schenn said. "There were a bunch of us that went that way. It gives you a mental reset for sure and I think guys are excited to get back now."

"It was good to get away and be (home), but it's good to be back and be here," Binnington said, who hails from Richmond Hill, Ontario, roughly 30-plus minutes north of Toronto.

It's not the usual break in which typically in the past, it's been three days and right back at it. This one was much more appreciative by the players.

"Players love it. It gives you more than the three days to get away and really go somewhere," Schenn said. "It's a long season with players and families. Obviously it's a lot of moving parts. It's a chance for us to kind of have a little reset. Players enjoy it. I think they do a good job of it too where half the league is on bye week and half still plays and still keep fans engaged. It's important to have a break like that."

- - -

On the injury front, defensemen Justin Faulk and Scott Perunovich, each with lower-body injuries, are week to week and are not on the trip, but forward Kasperi Kapanen was activated off injured-reserve and will return after missing seven games with a lower-body injury.

Defenseman Calle Rosen, recalled from Springfield of the American Hockey League on Thursday, is expected to jump right into the lineup. 

Binnington is expected to get the start against the Sabres, which means Joel Hofer would get the nod Sunday against the Canadiens.

- - -

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-Matthew Kessel

Marco Scandella-Calle Rosen

Jordan Binnington is projected to start in goal; Joel Hofer would be the backup.

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

- - -

The Sabres' projected lineup:

Jeff Skinner-Tage Thompson-Kyle Okposo

Zach Benson-Dylan Cozens-JJ Peterka

Jordan Greenway-Casey Mittelstadt-Alex Tuch

Zemgus Girgensons-Peyton Krebs-Eric Robinson

Rasmus Dahlin-Henri Jokiharju

Owen Power-Connor Clifton

Ryan Johnson-Erik Johnson

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen will start in goal; Eric Comrie will be the backup.

Healthy scratches include Victor Olofsson and Jacob Bryson. Jack Quinn (lower body) and Mattias Samuelsson (upper body) are out.

The Hockey News Archive

My St. Louis Blues player to watch against the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday is forward Jordan Kyrou.

The Blues have 33 games remaining in the season, and they currently hold one of two wild card spots in  the Western Conference.

Player to watch vs. Sabres: Jordan Kyrou (1:21)

For them to maintain that stance and possibly even gain more traction, Kyrou needs to be a factor from an offensive standpoint more so than he's been. Especially from a goal-scoring department.

Kyrou has 37 points in 49 games this season, but he has just 14 goals after scoring a career-best 37 last season. 

If the Blues are going to be relevant in the playoff race down the stretch, Kyrou has to be one of the key contributors, and he's a point per game player against the Sabres in seven games (three goals, four assists). This would be a good spot to kick off the post All-Star schedule and get the Blues off on the right foot.

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- It was a little good news, bad news for the St. Louis Blues on Thursday and on Friday after they returned from their weeklong hiatus during the All-Star break.

First, the bad, and it's that the Blues will be a little shorthanded on defense with Justin Faulk and Scott Perunovich both listed as week-to-week with lower-body injuries, respectively.

Blues defenseman Scott Perunovich (48) joins teammate Justin Faulk with a lower-body injury and is listed as week-to-week. 

Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Faulk was injured in a 4-3 win against the Calgary Flames on Jan. 23 and has missed the past four games. The injury is not related to the lower-body injury Faulk sustained Dec. 29 against the Colorado Avalanche that forced him to miss five games.

"One thing I should clarify with Faulk and his injury," Bannister said Thursday. "This isn't a reoccurence of the previous injury. It's a new injury that he sustained in the Calgary game. We'll know more as we go forward, but I think with him and Perunovich, they're both going to be week-to-week right now."

Perunovich was injured on Jan. 28 in a 4-3 overtime win against the Los Angeles Kings midway through the third period and has missed one game.

View the original article to see embedded media.

There was hope that at least Faulk could skate during the All-Star break but that was not the case.

"It's disappointing," Bannister said. "He's a big part of our team, but while he was out in the first part, we played some good hockey, so we'll continue to do that and lean on guys moving forward and expect more from other guys.

"We always thought there would be a chance at maybe coming off the break that we would maybe have one or both in, but it's unfortunate that they come back and they're not quite ready to get themselves back on the ice. Certainly we're going to miss both of them, but like always, this is an opportunity for Calle Rosen and for [Tyler] Tucker to come in and be able to partake and give us good minutes. We're going to need these guys and other guys to step up."

Rosen was called up from Springfield of the American Hockey League on Thursday. There's more on him here and his return to St. Louis.

As for the good news, Kasperi Kapanen is on target to return to the lineup Saturday against the Buffalo Sabres at noon (ABC, ESPN 101.1-FM).

Blues forward Kasperi Kapanen (42) is scheduled to return against the Sabres on Saturday after missing seven games with a lower-body injury.

Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

The forward has missed the past seven games with a lower-body injury blocking a shot against the Philadelphia Flyers on Jan. 15.

"I think he looks really good," Bannister said Friday after practice. "I think he's good to go here pretty soon. Obviously with a game tomorrow, there isn't any skate, but from what I've seen over the last two skates, he looks ready to go."

Kapanen, who has 13 points (four goals, nine assists) in 42 games, was skating the past two days on a line with Brayden Schenn and Jake Neighbours.

Also, Robert Thomas was back on the ice and fine after leaving practice Thursday towards the tail end of it after the center caught a deflected puck off his head at a net front drill.

"I don't think there were any issues with him yesterday other than he took the puck in the side of the head there and rung his bell a little bit, but he seemed fine after practice," Bannister said.

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo.-- Calle Rosen wasn't going to sugarcoat it.

The defenseman, who played in an NHL career-high 49 games with the St. Louis Blues last season, had 18 points (eight goals, 10 assists) and led the team in plus-minus at plus-19, was disappointed when he didn't make the team coming out of training camp this season.

Calle Rosen (43) led the Blues last season in plus-minus at plus-19. The defenseman is projected to make his season debut Saturday in Buffalo.

Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

"I've been through it before. Obviously big disappointment after camp not getting the chance to start up here, but that's how it is sometimes," Rosen said Friday. "All I could do is go down there and play as good as I can and wait for my chance to get back here. Here I am now and I'm going to have to do what I can with the opportunity that comes.

"Happy to be here and I'm excited to get going."

Rosen is going to jump right into the lineup when the Blues (26-21-2) begin a three-game Eastern Conference road trip beginning Saturday against the Buffalo Sabres at noon (ABC, ESPN 101.1-FM) and will be paired with Marco Scandella playing the right side.

"Right side, left side doesn't make a difference to me," Rosen said. "I'm just happy to get out there and play again."

View the original article to see embedded media.

Instead of pouting, Rosen went to Springfield and contributed 25 points (two goals, 23 assists) in 44 games and played a leadership role with the Thunderbirds.

"It was good," Rosen said. "I kind of played a leader role down there. Definitely is a big part why I am here again. It's been good. I've been playing with some confidence, playing good hockey down there. But you just wait for the call to come and it did, happy to be here."

He played well under interim coach Drew Bannister and should make the smooth transition again not only playing for a coach he knows but players as well.

"He was a big part of two going back two years when we went to the (Calder Cup) finals and how he played and it translated to him obviously being here full time," Bannister said. "This year, he's the same player at that level. He's an elite defenseman, one of the best, if not, the best defensemen in the American Hockey League when he's playing his game. Just the things that stand out to me is how he can transport pucks, get back to pucks and get them back up to our forwards quickly in transition. His ability to skate, it's a high level where he can get back to pucks but he can defend with his feet and his stick really well.

"He knows the guys and he's been with the organization going on three years now. I think it's an easy transition for him to come in and the transition from Springfield here, what we do down there and him coming up here, there shouldn't be any road bumps for him. He's going to fit in and I'm sure he's going to compete and play well for us."

ST. LOUIS -- There is something to be said for the St. Louis Blues being involved in a Winter Classic again.

It was announced by broadcasting rightsholder TNT (done by Chicago Blackhawks rookie Connor Bedard) that the Blues and Blackhawks will be the league's featured outdoor game in the 2025 Discover NHL Winter Classic at Wrigley Field.

Date and time will be announced at a future date.

For the Blues, it will be their third entrant into the event in nine times since hosting the Blackhawks at Busch Stadium in 2017 and second time in four games after playing the Minnesota Wild at Target Field in 2022.

The Blues and Blackhawks drew a 1.5 rating and 2.6 million viewers for the 2017 Winter Classic, according to Nielsen ratings.

Lou Korac photo

"In part, it is a statement about how the league thinks about our team and if you will, the brand that the Blues bring and it's power," Blues president and CEO of business operations Chris Zimmerman said Wednesday morning at Enterprise Center. "And it's our ability to bring audiences to a national television stage that obviously has to be one of the objectives. It says something about where we stand in terms of how the league looks at us as an entity that can help carry the league because this is a national platform for us."

Zimmerman, who joined the Blues in 2014, was ecstatic when he got the news the Blues would be Chicago's opponent and from an organizational standpoint, was more than grateful.

"Getting the news about the Winter Classic was incredibly exciting," Zimmerman said. "I actually had a text exchange with Steve Mayer (chief content officer and executive vice president) from the NHL last week when I found out and I gave him one of the more exuberant responses within the text to that news. This event is one of the best events, certainly one of the best regular season events for the league, an event in a game that our players love to do and all of those things. Our fans obviously have responded, whether it's playing at Busch Stadium or going up to a very cold Minneapolis. This is going to be pretty cool to get to Wrigley (Field)."

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There is (and already has been) criticism that the NHL continues to go back to the same teams when it comes to holding outdoor games, particularly this, it's featured game; what have the Blues done to deserve to be in another game; why are the Blackhawks in another game (their sixth overall)? For the Blues, it will be their third and for the Blackhawks, it will be their fifth in the Winter Classic, but the league values rivalry games, fan participation, which will be easily accessible for both sides being connected to Interstate 55, and really important, TV ratings, which have been on the decline the past four years. The 2024 Winter Classic between first-timers Vegas and Seattle set an all-time low of 1.1 million viewers.

"There are a number of constituencies going into that decision," Zimmerman said. "You have the league and the network. It's their event, so you start there, but then obviously the facility and the home team. We're really at the end of that chain. There's some lobbying going on. I would tell you that the Blackhawks, who are obviously a key stakeholder in this decision, for them, they really saw the value of the Blues-Blackhawks rivalry, what that's meant over the years, what the Cardinals-Cubs rivalry means and so our ability getting into Wrigley, getting these two teams there and taking and creating a new stage of that rivalry, particularly as they're having some generational change (is) pretty cool.

Jordan Kyrou (left), Scott Perunovich (middle) and Robert Thomas (right) will each get the opportunity to play in their second Winter Classic, respectively, in 2025 against the Blackhawks at Wrigley Field.

Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

"Getting the opportunity to getting onto Wrigley Field, Bedard will be (two) years into his career, we've got guys advancing and their careers evolving, I just think that that's the chance on that stage to really boost it. Often rivalries come from regular season play or those great playoff rounds, but I think that having this game and the way the guys feel about this game, I think all those things are going to be valuable.

"Even as a road team we play a role in the marketing and the success. How we, St. Louis, shows up, will be a part of it. Among the things I have zero concern is how St. Louis will show up. Tickets will be in high, high demand. There's right around 41,000 seats at Wrigley, so a little but less than Busch Stadium. In a rivalry and an opportunity that's not going to come around again, so if you ever get an opportunity to see the Blues and the Blackhawks at Wrigley Field, it's in this event. It's a great opportunity for our season ticket holders. They first and foremost will be rewarded and have the opportunity to purchase tickets. If I have one concern, it will be getting every person who we'd love to have at Wrigley Field into the stadium."

The St. Louis Blues are going outdoors, again, according to reports.

The Blues and Chicago Blackhawks will face off in the 2025 NHL Winter Classic at Wrigley Field, the Chicago Sun-Times was first to report.

Reports indicate the Blues and Blackhawks will face off in the 2025 NHL Winter Classic. The Blues hosted and defeated the Blackhawks 4-1 in the 2017 Winter Classic at Busch Stadium (pictured).

Lou Korac photo

For the Blues, it will be their third outdoor game, all in the Winter Classic, and second against the Blackhawks, who they defeated 4-1 in the 2017 version at Busch Stadium on Jan. 2, 2017. The Blues also beat the Minnesota Wild, 6-4, at Target Field, in Minneapolis in the 2022.

The Blues and Wild faced off in the 2022 NHL Winter Classic at Target Field in Minneapolis.

Lou Korac photo

There could be an official announcement by the NHL as early as Wednesday, that the Blackhawks will host the game at the home of the Chicago Cubs, the second time Chicago would host the game there. They lost 6-4 against the Detroit Red Wings in the second-ever Winter Classic in 2009.

View the original article to see embedded media.

The game would feature Robert Thomas and perhaps 2022 first-round pick Jimmy Snuggerud for the Blues against Connor Bedard, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft.

Colton Parayko was the only Blues skater to play against the Blackhawks in the 2017 game; he is the lone Blue to play in each of St. Louis' outdoor games. 

There will be more information on this once it becomes available.

MID-SEASON AWARDS

ART ROSS TROPHY: Robert Thomas, 52 points in 48 games

The center has fully assumed the role as the No. 1 center and has thrived on it even though he's drawing all the top assignments from the opposition. He is projected to set career highs in goals (29), assists (60) and points (89).

ROCKET RICHARD TROPHY: Pavel Buchnevich, 17 goals in 46 games

Buchnevich is on pace to match his career-high in goals with 30; he's tied with Robert Thomas for the team lead with 17 and eight of them have come on special teams, including two shorthanded.

HART TROPHY: Robert Thomas

St. Louis' lone All-Star is tied for the most goals (17) and leads them in assists (35), points (52) and plus-minus (16) while averaging a career-high 20:56 time on ice.

NORRIS TROPHY: Colton Parayko

Parayko may be having his best season in St. Louis since he was paired with Jay Bouwmeester as the top shutdown pair in the Stanley Cup season of 2018-19. He won't get consideration for the Norris Trophy, but is by far the Blues' best.

View the original article to see embedded media.

VEZINA TROPHY: Jordan Binnington

Binnington continues to be the rock in net for the Blues for the sixth straight season and he's on a tear these days and a primary reason the Blues closed out their pre-All-Star run of 5-1-0 by going 6-2-1 in January with a 2.09 goals-against average and .930 save percentage.

SELKE TROPHY: Robert Thomas

There are a number of Selke candidates around the league that will get more consideration than Thomas, but from a Blues perspective, nobody draws tougher assignments on this team and is still able to contribute at a high level.

CALDER TROPHY: Joel Hofer

Hofer has come in and stabilized the Blues' goaltending situation and given them a solid 1-2 punch with Binnington. He probably deserves a better fate than the 9-8-0 record he has but does boast a 2.89 GAA and .909 save percentage.

MASTERTON TROPHY: Colton Parayko

Nobody exudes perseverance, dedication, sportsmanship more than Parayko, who rarely misses games and the only season he did in 2020-21, it was due to a herniated disk in his back and still continues to play top-end minutes for the Blues since he joined them in 2015-16.

LADY BYNG TROPHY: Jake Neighbours

Neighbours has burst onto the scene this season with 15 goals and has ascended himself into a top six forward while playing a hard, gritty, physical game, and has only taken three minor penalties in 49 games.

The Hockey News Archive

Robert Thomas will team up with Connor McDavid at the 2024 NHL All-Star Game on Sunday at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.

Thomas will be surrounded by family, including his mom Debbie and dad Scott, and friends, who will be making the trek from nearby Aurora, Ont.

"Family, friends, cousins, uncles, aunts, and just like neighborhood friends," Thomas said. "Should be cool.

"Especially being in your hometown, it's pretty cool. I would trade the beach for it any day."

The 2024 NHL All-Star team captains and celebrity captains selected their respective rosters in the NHL Player Draft, part of NHL All-Star Thursday on Thursday. Each team made nine selections from the group of 36 All-Stars eligible for selection, completing the four, 11-player All-Star rosters of nine skaters and two goaltenders each.

View the original article to see embedded media.

McDavid, who is the captain, and Oilers teammate Leon Draisaitl along with celebrity captain Will Arnett, made the selection through the draft process:

Team McDavid/Arnett knows what's up 👏#NHLAllStar x #stlblues pic.twitter.com/HSb8Ip7V1T

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) February 2, 2024

The four teams will be competing in the 2024 All-Star Game, which returns as a 3-on-3 tournament on Saturday at 2 p.m. (CT) on ABC and ESPN+ in the U.S., Sportsnet, CBC and TVAS in Canada. Under tournament rules, the game will be divided into three 20-minute games.

The winners will meet in the final game for a winner-take-all, $1 million prize.

With Thomas and McDavid, there's Draisaitl, David Pastrnak of Boston, and Sam Reinhart of Florida among the team, which will be coached by New York Rangers coach Peter Laviolette with Arnett as the celebrity captain. 

Thomas is making his first All-Star appearance; he leads the Blues in assists (35), points (52) and plus-minus (plus-16) and is tied with Pavel Buchnevich in goals (17).

Here are the four teams:

Team McDavid (All-Star appearance)

F 13 Sam Reinhart, FLA (1st)

F 14 Nick Suzuki, MTL (3rd)

F 18 Robert Thomas, STL (1st)

D 26 Rasmus Dahlin, BUF (3rd)

F 29 Leon Draisaitl, EDM (5th) (A)

F 38 Boone Jenner, CBJ (1st)

F 48 Tomas Hertl, SJS (2nd)

F 88 David Pastrnak, BOS (4th)

F 97 Connor McDavid, EDM (7th) (C)

G 37 Connor Hellebuyck, WPG (4th)

G 72 Sergei Bobrovsky, FLA (2nd)

Head Coach: Peter Laviolette, NYR (4th)

Celebrity Captain: Will Arnett

Team Hughes (All-Star Appearance)

F 6 Brock Boeser, VAN (2nd)

F 7 Brady Tkachuk, OTT (4th)

F 9 J.T. Miller, VAN (1st)

F 40 Elias Pettersson, VAN (4th) (A)

D 43 Quinn Hughes, VAN (2nd) (C)

F 63 Jesper Bratt, NJD (1st)

F 77 Frank Vatrano, ANA (1st)

F 81 Kyle Connor, WPG (2nd)

F 86 Nikita Kucherov, TBL (5th)

G 35 Thatcher Demko, VAN (2nd)

G 39 Cam Talbot, LAK (2nd)

Head Coach: Rick Tocchet, VAN (2nd)

Celebrity Captain: Michael Bublé

Team Matthews (All-Star appearance)

F 9 Filip Forsberg, NSH (2nd)

F 9 Clayton Keller, ARI (4th)

F 13 Mathew Barzal, NYI (3rd)

F 16 Mitch Marner, TOR (3rd)

F 16 Vincent Trocheck, NYR (2nd)

F 34 Auston Matthews, TOR (5th) (C)

D 44 Morgan Rielly, TOR (1st) (A)

F 88 William Nylander, TOR (1st)

F 93 Alex DeBrincat, DET (2nd)

G 29 Jake Oettinger, DAL (1st)

G 31 Igor Shesterkin, NYR (2nd)

Head Coach: Jim Montgomery, BOS (2nd)

Celebrity Captain: Justin Bieber

Team MacKinnon (All-Star appearance)

D 8 Cale Makar, COL (3rd) (A)

F 11 Travis Konecny, PHI (2nd)

F 20 Sebastian Aho, CAR (3rd)

F 22 Oliver Bjorkstrand, SEA (1st)

F 23 Elias Lindholm, VAN (1st)

F 29 Nathan MacKinnon, COL (5th) (C)

F 43 Tom Wilson, WSH (2nd)

F 87 Sidney Crosby, PIT (6th)

F 97 Kirill Kaprizov, MIN (3rd)

G 1 Jeremy Swayman, BOS (1st)

G 40 Alexandar Georgiev, COL (1st)

Head Coach: Rick Bowness, WPG (1st)

Celebrity Captain: Tate McRae

ST. LOUIS -- Let's face it, earlier in the season, the results for the St. Louis Blues would be pretty cut and dry. They were either winning big or losing big, and those results would be telling early enough in hockey games.

The Blues were either getting the brakes blown off them, or they were blowing the brakes off their opponents.

It was pretty simple.

Blues defenseman Colton Parayko (55) said St. Louis has to keep pushing forward if it wants to remain in the Western Conference playoff chase.

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But even with the 1-0 stinker of a game against the Columbus Blue Jackets Monday to close out the schedule prior to the All-Star Game, which will be played on Sunday in Toronto, the Blues (26-21-2) have at least found themselves in the fight more frequently from start to finish, and it's a strong reason why they were able to reel off five straight wins before their last loss, and against good, quality opponents.

"We're putting ourselves in a position that we're not out of games," Blues interim coach Drew Bannister said. "We're always in games I find right now, and I think that's a belief where we get ourselves into games that we get into the third period, whether we're tied, ahead or down by one that we have an opportunity to come out of this with a win or points at least.

"The things we can control are things we're starting to meet the standards on that, whether it's a mindset with our group. We're starting to see results with that. I think with results comes confidence and belief within the core group and the team."

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The Blues did start the season with back-to-back shootout games, but then one-goal affairs were far and few between. In fact, over the course of the next 27 games, the Blues played in a total of three one-goal games, and for what's considered a one-goal league, maintaining a competitive edge from start to finish was not in the cards.

"It just seems lately that we're doing the right things to come back," Blues forward Jake Neighbours said. "I think earlier on in the year maybe we'd get a bit individual and try things that we don't tend to do usually to try and get ourselves back in a game. Now we just invest in the process, play the right way. You do that, goals are going to come."

When the Blues beat the Dallas Stars 4-3 in overtime on Dec. 16, it started a string of 10 one-goal results in 19 games. As the season moved towards the halfway point, teams were starting to understand the value of games, the value of points and the value of where they are in the standings in relation to playoff positioning.

"If you look at the standings, we all know how close it is," Blues defenseman Colton Parayko said. "I think it's obviously been a good stretch for us here, a good push coming up into the All-Star break. As long as we just keep building as a group, keep believing in here, I think we're going to be good. It's been a good little stretch here for our group and just got to keep pushing forward."

The Blues are 11-2-2 in one-goal games this season, and while it doesn't do a Blues fan's nerves much good, they do tend to perform well when games are under pressure. In other words, they're comfortable being uncomfortable.

"You have to be comfortable, especially if you want to make the playoffs," Blues captain Brayden Schenn said. "Whether you're up one or you're down one, you've got to feel comfortable in those games."

And that's happening now because of, "belief and playing the right way," Schenn said. "I think early on in the year whether it was going our way or it wasn't going our way, we weren't sticking to the structure in the program. Even though we had a good game plan in place, it felt like guys were kind of doing their own thing. I think when you stick to the team structure and guys are getting rewarded offensively and you're winning hockey games, it makes guys just want to buy in more. That's what you're seeing right now."

It used to be 1-0 deficits would turn into 2-0, then 3-0 and so forth, and they'd be out of the fight early. On their recent road trip that saw the Blues win all three in Calgary, Vancouver and Seattle, although it's not ideal, they didn't allow themselves to get pushed out of 3-1 deficits, winning each 4-3.

"It's more of a mentality than anything," Blues forward Jordan Kyrou said. "We're playing really strong as a team. We always have each other's backs out there. We're playing together on the ice. That builds character, and we've shown a lot of resiliency these past couple games.

"I think we go down one or two goals now, our mindset's not like, 'Aw, damn, we're probably going to lose this game.' It's like, 'We're going to bring it back, we're going to win this game, we're going to tie it up and bring it to overtime and win it.' We're finding ways to win, we're being resilient. We're going to continue to do that."

And it's all happened against quality opponents.

The Blues finished January 8-4-1 including wins against Vancouver (twice), Carolina, New York Rangers, Seattle, Calgary, Washington and Los Angeles. They also took Boston to overtime.

"I think it's just an attitude thing," Parayko said. "After you get a big win like that in Calgary, just in a sense of, 'This is us, this is how we play. We can beat any team.' If we're behind, we have the chance to play that way and sticking to our system. Just playing our style the whole way through. If we play our style, we give ourselves a good chance to win. Obviously you're not going to win every game, but if you do play that way, we give ourselves a good chance to win."

Forward Jake Neighbours (63) said the Blues have invested in the process, not letting their emotions get too high or too low and are competing in games from start to finish more often lately.

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The Blues, who don't play again until Feb. 10 when they begin a three-game road trip against the Buffalo Sabres, are currently in the second wild card from the Western Conference with 54 points, tied with the Nashville Predators with two games in hand, two points ahead of the Kraken with a game in hand and two points behind the Kings for the first wild card.

So sticking with the process might be beneficial, and coming out of the gates strong with 14 games remaining until the March 8 trade deadline will tell general manager Doug Armstrong plenty of which direction he may want to go in.

"I think we're just investing in, kind of the longball type of game, not letting our emotions get too high or too low," Neighbours said. "If we go down one, we're able to battle back. Obviously down two, we've been able to come back a couple times in the past little bit. I think it's just a resiliency within us and just trying to stay within our emotions, not get too high, not get too low."

ST. LOUIS -- Here's the thing: nobody expects perfection. Nobody expects 82-0-0. It's impossible.

But for the St. Louis Blues, what stood between a five-game winning streak into six and feeling good about themselves heading into the All-Star break was simply a solid effort against the lowly Columbus Blue Jackets at Enterprise Center on Tuesday.

Blues defenseman Tyler Tucker (left) tried to ignite his teammates with a fight with Blue Jackets forward Mathieu Olivier in the second period on Tuesday night.

Jeff Le-USA TODAY Sports

Interim coach Drew Bannister spoke in the morning of not looking ahead and focusing on business on Tuesday night.

Here's what he said when I asked him about being focused on an opponent, the first one they've faced this month, that's below them in the standings:

"I just think we've come too far, we've worked too hard to get ourselves to this position to not be ready for tonight," Bannister said. "It shouldn't matter who we're playing. Our break ends after the game here tonight, so we've got to make sure that we're ready to start."

Well, that message apparently was either never relayed, which I have a hard time believing, or the players just didn't take another lower opponent seriously, which has been evident already this season.

In the end was a 1-0 loss against the Blue Jackets, who came into the game last in the Metropolitan Division, wipes away what the Blues (26-21-2) had just done the past week and a half. I say that only because of the fashion in which they lost this game.

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And when I say this isn't the first time they were no-shows against some of the lesser opponents, they are now 3-4-0 against the four last place teams from each division, including the Blue Jackets, Ottawa Senators, Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks, who all have a combined record of 62-115-18, good for a robust .318 winning percentage.

Yikes.

Aside from Jordan Binnington, who allowed just one goal on 22 shots, it was hard to pick anyone on this night that stood out and could be classified as a difference maker.

This was a team that was in a dead-heat race, and still is, for a spot in the Western Conference wild card. They came in tied with the Los Angeles Kings and Nashville Predators tied with 54 points. A win guarantees you're in that position with 10 days to think about how far you've come for another 10 days until the next game Feb. 10 at Buffalo.

Instead, "I think this one's going to sit there for a while," Bannister said.

It won't taste as good as an Imo's Pizza, I can tell you that. It'll sit in their stomachs more like a can of pickled beets.

It was evident from puck drop that nobody was interested in skating, nobody was interested in "playing for one another," which has been echoed in the locker room this month, it was evident effort was lagging severely. Columbus came to play a hockey game. The Blues were more concerned with their flight times to whatever beaches they'll be on Wednesday.

Passes weren't crisp, they weren't in sync. Shooting pucks seemed like a foreign concept. 

Plain and simple, the Blues got exactly what they deserved on Monday.

"Yeah, we did," Bannister said. "We didn't play well enough to win a hockey game here tonight, no question about that.

"The first period, we weren't skating, we weren't engaged at all. The second period I thought we started to skate a little bit more, but we were playing cute hockey and cute hockey doesn't win at this level.

"Everybody was a passenger tonight. There was no one that really stood out and led the way and got us going."

The Blues didn't get their 10th shot of the game(!) on Elvis Merzlikins, who did make a tremendous save on Jake Neighbours 1:18 into the third period with a right pad save, until early in the third period.

This is a Blue Jackets squad that was playing the last of a five-game road trip, an arduous one, and one that couldn't put a game away -- and really hasn't all season long -- to save their souls.

Tyler Tucker, who hasn't played since Dec. 21, tried to ignite a fire with a second-period fight with Columbus tough guy Mathieu Olivier.

Columbus had just one win when the game was tied this season heading into the third period. Even as poorly as the Blues played through two periods, they still had the chance to salvage two points with a semblance of effort in the third period.

It didn't come until it was too little, too late.

"Not surprised by the result of how we played, but surprised by how we reacted and started the game and played the game, no question," Bannister said. "I don't know. The break's the break. The break (starts) after the game. We had a hockey game here to play and it was two important points and we let it slip away."

All it took was one breakdown and mistake and it was a deficit apparently too much to overcome.

The Blue Jackets scored the lone goal at 4:11 of the third period after the Blues entered the Jackets zone with Robert Thomas, who along with his linemates Pavel Buchnevich and Jordan Kyrou were poor the entire game, spinning along the right wall. He sees Kyrou trying to get to the middle of the ice, yet tried to force a puck into the middle of the ice with no one there, defensemen Torey Krug and Matthew Kessel were lagging back at the blue line, it gets picked off and Columbus was off to the races. Defenseman Zach Werenski split the two defensemen, fed Dmitri Voronkov for a one-timer from the slot and it was 1-0.

"The entry. We had guys pulling up when we should have been driving to the net to open up the plays that we're coming late and it would have opened up, but for some reason, we decided to pull up just inside the blue line instead of finishing routes to the net," Bannister said. "... We weren't together as units of five. We weren't skating. From the start, we didn't skate, so there wasn't support around the puck and we weren't able to establish a forecheck because we weren't skating."

I should say I'm shocked given the results -- not so much performances -- of late by the Blues, but I'm really not. We've seen this result against poor teams before.

Again, I give full marks to the Blue Jackets (16-24-10), who defeated the Blues 5-2 on Dec. 8 in Columbus, for showing up to play a hockey game.

Unfortunately, their counterparts thought this would be a walk in the park when they have no business looking past anyone but continue to want to learn the lesson the hard way.

"We obviously didn't have our best game," Blues forward Brandon Saad said. "... "We kind of seemed out of sync out there but I think it goes back to the willingness and competing and getting around the net. I think we just played too perimeter soft hockey and they competed hard."

Nathan Walker (right) and the Blues had little to nothing against the Blue Jackets and defenseman Jake Bean (22) and goalie Elvis Merzlikins on Tuesday night in a 1-0 loss.

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"I thought we had a slow start," Blues center Kevin Hayes said. "Things have been going well here and I thought we waited too long and it came back to bite us. Those are important points."

You're not going to win them all, but in the grand scheme of things, Blues have now left eight points on the table against those last-place teams. Imagine how four or five, maybe six of those points would look now. And tonight was a microcosm of why this team will hang around and tickle Blues fans' fancy long enough but is more than likely destined to be on the outside looking in again.

It's a prime example of GM Doug Armstrong watching and realizing that making a move/moves won't make this compiled roster good enough to not just get in the playoffs but make a deep run. Armstrong is never about just getting in, and I don't think they're good enough to even do that.

When you can get up for the top-tiered teams like the Blues have throughout this month to put themselves in a good position, then soil the bed against teams they should beat, as Bannister said, cute hockey doesn't win at this level.

I just don't get how you can get up to play the Vancouver Canucks, the Carolina Hurricanes, the New York Rangers and even the Boston Bruins of the words but not the Columbus Blue Jackets. Those points mean exactly the same. These Blues players somehow don't seem to get that.