St Louis Blues on The Hockey News

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Brandon Saad continues to quietly produce for the St. Louis Blues.

The forward was at it again in a 6-3 loss against the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena on Thursday.

Blues player of the game vs. Predators: Brandon Saad (1:28)

Saad scored his 26th goal of the season, a beauty from the slot in the first period for his sixth goal in the past seven games, putting him one off the team lead. He is thriving right now playing with Robert Thomas and Jake Neighbours and was a force in the game, a game in which the Blues peppered Juuse Saros with 47 shots.

Saad conceivably could have had two or three more goals after a team-high six shots on goal on nine attempts' he was a plus-1 in 17:24 for the game.

"I thought 'Jakey' and 'Saader' played great," said Thomas, who set up Saad to tie the game 1-1 in the first. "They created a lot of space and were open. They made some good plays and made a lot of looks. Pretty frustrating result."

Saad has eight points in his past seven games and 19 points (13 goals, six assists) in the past 24 games.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- It's happened on multiple occasions the past several games, but for the St. Louis Blues, it's another important tilt on Thursday against the Nashville Predators.

The Blues (40-31-4) play their first game, as crazy as it sounds in April, at Bridgestone Arena today at 7 p.m. (HULU, ESPN+, ESPN 101.1-FM) against the Predators (43-28-4) with the chance to pull within four points of Nashville for the first wild card in the Western Conference.

Morning skate report vs. Predators (4-4-24) (1:49)

"When this game was circled on the calendar, a month ago or whatever, you felt like this game was going to have meaning," Blues captain Brayden Schenn said. "It just kind of feels that way: Blues-Nashville, late season. It's a chance to go four back on them and put a little heat on. Both teams are going to be ready and it's going to be a hard, physical game."

That's what the Blues have to be prepared for, a hard-nosed, physical, in-your-face matchup.

Nashville already owns two wins against the Blues this season, 8-3 on November 24 and 5-2 on Feb. 17 that fueled the Predators' 18-game point streak (16-0-2).

"I think of regardless of where they were in the standings, I think for us, it would be an important game," Blues interim coach Drew Bannister said. "Looking at where we are and of course L.A. where they are and Nashville has lost a few games here but they also won 14 or I don't even know what it was, I stopped counting after 14. They had a pretty good run there and for us, it's just taking care of our game, it's a tough place to play and we're going to have to goin there and play very well."

At the moment, the Blues trail the Los Angeles Kings by five points for the second wild card and the Predators, who have lost three straight since their point streak, by six points; each team has seven games remaining.

"They're a physical hockey team," Bannister said of the Predators. "They're big, their forwards lean on you, so you have to be ready for that tonight. We're going to have to bring an edge to our game and certainly playing direct hockey is going to be one big part for us.

"(Nashville plays) physical around our net, so there's going to be a lot of traffic, a lot of pucks go to our net. We're going to have to do a real good job of boxing out, controlling sticks and collapsing to our net front because they create a lot of offense by screens, deflections, rebounds, so there's going to be a lot of bodies there (tonight)."

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Looks like Kevin Hayes will be in the lineup tonight after the veteran forward missed practice Wednesday with the flu.

Hayes was on the ice for the morning skate.

"He seemed fine. It's more 24-48 hours," Bannister said of Hayes. "That's kind of what we saw over the past few weeks with certain guys that had it. I think once he gets in the game, the adrenaline gets going, he'll be fine."

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One change on defense seems imminent with Matthew Kessel being re-inserted into the lineup for Marco Scandella, who played on Monday in a 3-2 overtime win against the Edmonton Oilers.

"I think right now, going in there, it gives us a lefty-righty combination," Bannister said. "Tucks is going to stay in the lineup. We thought he played hard for our team. He's going to get an opportunity to play here again and I think we're going to need him going into Nashville. It's a tough place to play and they play a heavy game.

"I don't have a problem with his physicality. It's one of the strengths to his game. He plays a heavy game down low and around the net. I don't foresee that being an issue with his game. It's the puck movement, playing direct, keeping things simple, not over-handling the puck with him."

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The Blues' projected lineup (could see another tweak or two):

Brandon Saad-Robert Thomas-Jake Neighbours

Alexey Toropchenko-Pavel Buchnevich-Jordan Kyrou

Kevin Hayes-Brayden Schenn-Kasperi Kapanen

Sammy Blais-Zach Dean-Nathan Walker

Nick Leddy-Colton Parayko

Torey Krug-Justin Faulk

Tyler Tucker-Matthew Kessel

Jordan Binnington will start in goal; Joel Hofer will bethe backup.

Healthy scratches could include Zack Bolduc, Marco Scandella, Scott Perunovich and Nikita Alexandrov. Oskar Sundqvist (torn right ACL) is out for the season.

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The Predators' projected lineup:

Filip Forsberg-Ryan O’Reilly-Gustav Nyquist

Jason Zucker-Colton Sissons-Anthony Beauvillier

Mark Jankowski-Tommy Novak-Luke Evangelista

Cole Smith-Michael McCarron-Kiefer Sherwood

Roman Josi-Ryan McDonagh

Spencer Stastney-Luke Schenn

Jeremy Lauzon-Alexandre Carrier

Juuse Saros will start in goal; Kevin Lankinen will be the backup.

Healthy scratches include Jaret Anderson-Dolan, Cody Glass, Tyson Barrie and Dante Fabbro. The Predators report no injuries.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Jordan Binnington knows the drill.

When the St. Louis Blues goalie enters an opposition's building, he will hear the serenades; he will hear the chants, and in essence, he will need to stay focused on the task at hand.

Blues player to watch vs. Predators: Jordan Binnington (1:39)

The Blues and Predators play in a huge Central Division tilt on Thursday night at Bridgestone Arena, and if the Blues (40-31-4) are to have a chance at winning the game here, their goalie will need to be on his game.

Nashville, which has lost three in a row after putting together a 16-0-2 stretch, will be hungry and will want to play fast and physical, which means they will want to put the Blues under siege and if that's the case, Binnington will have to be their best player.

Binnington is 5-3-1 with a 2.50 goals-against average and .915 save percentage in 10 games against the Predators with two shutouts, and he will have to be on top of his game in a building that will be loud tonight and one that will do its best to try and heckle and throw the Blues' netminder off his game.

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- Tyler Tucker admitted things haven't been easy.

The St. Louis Blues defenseman has been showing up for work daily readying himself to make an impact, but when his name wasn't up on the board in the lineup for large swaths of the season, it tested the mettle.

Blues defenseman Tyler Tucker (left) got into a second-period fight with Oilers forward Evander Kane on Monday.

Jeff Le-USA TODAY Sports

Having played just 19 games this season, Tucker got in on Monday for the first time since March 5.

"Obviously you want to be out there helping the team," Tucker said Wednesday. "Just trying to stay positive. Obviously I'm not the only one going through it. Having someone else kind of in my shoes to talk about it or work through it together has helped. It's been a grind, but obviously just trying to stay positive and work through it."

Tucker will be in the lineup again when the Blues (40-31-4) begin a three-game road trip with a critical one right off the hop against the Nashville Predators (43-28-4)Thursday at 7 p.m. And to be playing in meaningful games now is the reward for putting in the time and work in practice.

View the original article to see embedded media.

"I'm just trying to work hard every day, be positive, create energy for the guys that are playing," Tucker said. "If you're playing, be positive for yourself and go in with the right mindset."

Blues interim coach Drew Bannister said he wanted some "pushback" on the third defensive pairing going into a Monday game against the Edmonton Oilers, a game the Blues won 3-2 in overtime, and Tucker -- along with Marco Scandella -- provided some bite on the back end of the blue line.

"I thought both of them (did)," Bannister said. "I thought 'Scandy' came in and played a hard game for us too. I thought we were heavier in our back end. But certainly 'Tucks' rose to the occasion there against a big man. I'm proud of what he did, and that's not an easy job to do either.

"I think he has played a hard game to be honest with you. There were games going back, whether it was Edmonton, previously I think even Columbus he stepped up for his players. But I think at this time of year and where we're going into, we're going to need that in our lineup and he certainly doesn't back down from anybody."

Tucker ignited the fire when he dropped the gloves in the second period taking on Evander Kane. The Blues got a power play out of it and Brayden Schenn scored to tie the game 1-1 at the time. It came after Tucker finished a good, solid check in the d-zone.

"Certain times in the game, I felt like we had a long delay, I felt like we were sitting there for a few minutes," Tucker said. "I wasn't really looking for it. It just kind of happened. It's always nice, but we were fortunate enough to get a power play out of it.

Blues defenseman Tyler Tucker (75) has played in just 19 games this season.

Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports

"I was just trying to finish my check. Obviously we made a good play getting out of the zone. I felt like he kind of ripped my helmet off. Good for him to take the extra two, good for us to capitalize on it."

They'll need more of that pushback for sure, especially Thursday. Tucker and Matthew Kessel will be the pairing in a heavy game with plenty of meaning.

"That's what's expected of me and 'Scandy' for sure," Tucker said. "I've played like that for a while now and he's had a lengthy NHL career and has played like that. Very happy how we played and would obviously like to keep going and keep pushing."

Related: Jimmy Snuggerud spoke with Brayden Schenn before decision to return to school was made

Related: Jimmy Snuggerud to return to Minnesota for junior season

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- Brayden Schenn wasn't there to be persuasive for Jimmy Snuggerud, but he was more than happy to be a sounding board if needed.

That's more or less the conversation between the St. Louis Blues captain and the franchise's first-round pick (23rd overall) in the 2022 NHL Draft that took place within the past few days before Snuggerud announced on Wednesday that he would return to the University of Minnesota for his junior season.

Jimmy Snuggerud dons his Blues Jersey after being taken with the 23rd pick in the 2023 NHL Draft at Bell Centre in Montreal. 

Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

The Blues were more than ready to welcome the forward and sign him to an entry-level contract if he chose to leave school after being eliminated in the Sioux Falls Regional championship game, 6-3, against Boston University, but for the time being, Snuggerud, 19, wants another crack at a National Championship after falling short his freshman season.

"I talked to him on the phone before the last game," Schenn said. "I drove to the rink. He's represented by the same agents with [Ben] Hankinson and [Chris] McAlpine. The phone call wasn't a pitch or anything. It was just more so talk to him and welcome him to the Blues if he wants to come. There's not much I can say. I'm not trying to persuade a kid or anything like that. That's not my job. He'll probably go back to college, dominate another year and be more ready.

View the original article to see embedded media.

"Whatever he feels is good for his development. I haven't really watched him play, I don't know where he's at. That's really for Doug [Armstrong] and the management team to pick and choose what they think is best. I'm a junior (hockey) guy, so I don't have the college experience or playing college hockey, feeling if you're ready or not. For me personally, you want to try and make it to the NHL as fast as possible and that's kind of the way I approached it as a young guy, but it's different now. The college game's different. It's still good hockey. Whether he feels like he's ready or not, it's another year from now and I'm sure he'll just be more ready."

Snuggerud had 21 goals and 13 assists in 39 games but only three goals the final 15 games. Was the this decision weighing on his mind? Probably and likely affected his play.

"It's just a high stress situation where a young kid and doesn't know what to do," Schenn said. "Obviously he wants to play in the NHL, no doubt about that. At the same time, I'm sure he's enjoying what he's doing with his buddies there, being a star of Minnesota. There's obviously a lot of back and forth. At the end of the day, if he feels that's his best decision, that's no problem with that at all."

A decision Blues interim coach Drew Bannister also understood.

"He's still, correct me if I'm wrong, he's 19 years old," Bannister said. "I think it comes down to the player and doing what he thinks is best for him and certainly education is ... I came from junior hockey. We pushed education on our players. Anything can happen to these players. One day they're playing hockey and the next, they can have an injury that they're not able to play. Being able to get your education from a good school like that and be able to play hockey, I can certainly understand the decision that he made, but at the end of the day, it's not my department."

Related: Jimmy Snuggerud to return to Minnesota for junior season

ST. LOUIS -- Snuggy Watch is over. At least for now.

The anticipated decision of St. Louis Blues 2022 first-round pick Jimmy Snuggerud has been made on Tuesday, and the forward has decided ... to return to the University of Minnesota for his junior year.

There was some traction that Snuggerud, 19, would leave school after the Gophers were eliminated in the Sioux Falls Regional championship game against Boston University, potentially making his NHL debut Thursday against the Nashville Predators.

Jimmy Snuggerud (81), a 2022 first-round pick by the St. Louis Blues, announced he was returning to the Minnesota Golden Gophers for his junior season on Tuesday.

Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

But in a bit of a surprising decision, not so surprising to others, Snuggerud decided on at least one more year at the school rather than turn pro.

"I am excited to announce I'm coming back to the University of Minnesota next season," Snuggerud said in a Golden Gophers release. "It was a tough ending to this season, and I feel like we have some unfinished business to accomplish. I am committed to this team and excited for the opportunity next year with the Gophers. I watched Brock Faber come back for his junior year and I feel like I can take the same path as Brock to the NHL, and help the Gophers win a national championship."

The Blues remained mum on the decision, but they were hopeful to sign the two-year star of Minnesota and not being too concerned with burning a year of an entry-level contract off this late in the season.

But they fully support the decision.

"After talking to Jimmy and his family the past couple days, the organization fully supports his decision to commit to another season at the University of Minnesota," Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said in a team release. "We look forward to watching his continued development towards becoming a solid contributor for the St. Louis Blues in the future by playing a lead role for the Golden Gophers against top college competition next year."

Snuggerud's freshman season produced 50 points (21 goals, 29 assists) in 40 games, and although he scored the same amount of goals this season (21), his point production dipped to 34 in 39 games this season. He did help Team USA to a gold medal at the U20 World Junior Championship in Sweden, producing eight points (five goals, three assists) and a plus-7 rating in six games.

So the Blues, barring a change of heart like Logan Cooley had before signing with the Arizona Coyotes after committing to another season, will have to wait at least one more year.

Related: Colton Parayko, Laila Anderson still share their bond since Stanley Cup run in 2019

Related: Blues player of the game vs. Oilers: Brayden Schenn

Related: Oilers-Blues takeaways: Schenn scores twice, Saad pots game-winner in 3-2 OT win against Edmonton; St. Louis gets back to playing hard-nosed, in-your-face against skilled players, led by McDavid, Draisaitl

ST. LOUIS -- Snuggy Watch is over. At least for now.

The anticipated decision of St. Louis Blues 2022 first-round pick Jimmy Snuggerud has been made on Tuesday, and the forward has decided ... to return to the University of Minnesota for his junior year.

There was some traction that Snuggerud, 19, would leave school after the Gophers were eliminated in the Sioux Falls Regional championship game against Boston University, potentially making his NHL debut Thursday against the Nashville Predators.

Jimmy Snuggerud (81), a 2022 first-round pick by the St. Louis Blues, announced he was returning to the Minnesota Golden Gophers for his junior season on Tuesday.

Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

But in a bit of a surprising decision, not so surprising to others, Snuggerud decided on at least one more year at the school rather than turn pro.

"I am excited to announce I'm coming back to the University of Minnesota next season," Snuggerud said in a Golden Gophers release. "It was a tough ending to this season, and I feel like we have some unfinished business to accomplish. I am committed to this team and excited for the opportunity next year with the Gophers. I watched Brock Faber come back for his junior year and I feel like I can take the same path as Brock to the NHL, and help the Gophers win a national championship."

The Blues remained mum on the decision, but they were hopeful to sign the two-year star of Minnesota and not being too concerned with burning a year of an entry-level contract off this late in the season.

But they fully support the decision.

"After talking to Jimmy and his family the past couple days, the organization fully supports his decision to commit to another season at the University of Minnesota," Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said in a team release. "We look forward to watching his continued development towards becoming a solid contributor for the St. Louis Blues in the future by playing a lead role for the Golden Gophers against top college competition next year."

Snuggerud's freshman season produced 50 points (21 goals, 29 assists) in 40 games, and although he scored the same amount of goals this season (21), his point production dipped to 34 in 39 games this season. He did help Team USA to a gold medal at the U20 World Junior Championship in Sweden, producing eight points (five goals, three assists) and a plus-7 rating in six games.

So the Blues, barring a change of heart like Logan Cooley had before signing with the Arizona Coyotes after committing to another season, will have to wait at least one more year.

ST. LOUIS -- The biggest question coming into Monday's game against the Edmonton Oilers for the St. Louis Blues is how do they respond after being embarrassed on home ice against the NHL's worst team on home ice just 48 hours ago.

The Blues' 4-0 loss against the San Jose Sharks at Enterprise Center on Saturday was marred by so much lethargic, poor play, particularly in the second period, that had the boo-birds out loud and clear for the Blues with their season seemingly on the line each and every game.

Oilers-Blues takeaways (4-1-24) (6:20)

But this is so Blues, exactly who they are and who they've been all season: show up with valiant performances against the top-tiered teams, become invisible for the most part against opponents they should handle.

Such was the case again on Monday when Brayden Schenn scored twice, Brandon Saad netted the overtime game-winner, and Jordan Binnington did Jordan Binnington-like things with 35 saves in a 3-2 win against Connor McDavid and Co.

With the win, the Blues (40-31-4) are 8-2-1 in their past 11, guaranteed themselves a winning season and pulled within three points of the Los Angeles Kings for the second wild card in the Western Conference after the Kings dropped a 4-3 decision against the Winnipeg Jets on Monday. Los Angeles, which has eight games remaining, does have a game in hand.

"A good response by the team and the group. Everyone dug in tonight," Schenn said. "They're a good team with the high-end skill and we had to bring our 'A' game and best effort tonight. It's a good response for sure and now it's time to dig in and keep in pushing forward."

Let's jump into the takeaways from this game and the key points that led the Blues to victory:

* Oilers get the early jump -- It looked like a hangover by the Blues in the early going of this one. Edmonton had its skating legs, and the Oilers were hounding the Blues in their zone and eventually got the lead on a Mattias Ekholm one-timer from the blue line through traffic against the Blues' fourth line at 7:05 of the first period for a 1-0 Edmonton lead.

It was fourth line against fourth line and Edmonton's won it on a puck retrieval behind the Blues net and movement along the left wall to Ekholm, who used three bodies, including teammate Mattias Janmark as a screen to beat Binnington.

An Ek Bomb to get things started 💣 pic.twitter.com/IsHsUEhiHg

— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) April 2, 2024

* String of reviews go Blues way -- The Blues were able to benefit from a string of reviews, including a goal waved off that Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored at 6:11 of the second period that would have made it 2-0.

The Blues challenged got goaltender interference, and Oilers forward Zach Hyman did skirt Binnington's stick, but it was believed here the goal wouldn't get overturned, but upon review, it in fact was overturned back to 1-0.

"We just felt that [Hyman's] path through 'Binner's, I guess it was his blocker side, that opened 'Binner' up where he wasn't able to be able to recover and with his goal stick to be able to make that save," Blues interim coach Drew Bannister said. "That was our thought process there."

* Turning point in the game -- It happened for the Blues two games ago when Nathan Walker fought Joel Hanley of the Calgary Flames and they responded accordingly, it happened again on Monday when defenseman Tyler Tucker, playing his first game since March 5 (13 games) got into a fight with Oilers forward Evander Kane at 6:37 following a clean check along the o-zone boards.

Kane took exception, but the only thing he did was earn himself an extra minor for unsportsmanlike conduct and the Blues capitalized when Schenn blew a one-timer past Stuart Skinner from the right circle to tie the game 1-1 at 8:15.

"That's a great teammate," Schenn said. "His job hasn't been easy this year. He hasn't played a whole lot, but when he does, he does his job. He's feisty, he's fighting tough guys and that's what he needs to do. Solid effort by him."

In his 500th game as a Blue, Brayden Schenn comes up big and ties the game. #stlblues pic.twitter.com/knBWxeixX4

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

The Oilers also challenged the play, for goaltender interference, with Alexey Toropchenko at the net front, and the forward did try to tip the shot past Skinner and may have caught a piece of the Oilers goaltender but the review did not take the goal down, deeming it to be legal, and Edmonton in essence was hit with a delay of game for the failed challenge.

* Key save -- The Blues had the power play again for the delay of game, then Leon Draisaitl was hit with the first of two tripping penalties at 9:04, giving the Blues a 5-on-3 for 1:11 that they failed to capitalize on, but Binnington came up with the first of several big saves, particularly that second period when he outwaited Draisaitl out of the box on a breakaway and kicked up the left pad on Draisaitl's backhand seconds after the penalty expired at 11:17.

They have Draisaitl on a breakaway but we have Binnington. #stlblues | @pncbank pic.twitter.com/6rmAJq5ags

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

"He's a high-end talent," Binnington said of Draisaitl. "Once he went to the backhand, it was kind of a waiting game. Luckily I think he ran out of an angle there and got my pad on it.

"That's the game, right? It's a little bit of a chess game inside the game. Obviously he's a good player, right?" 

* Schenn on the mark -- The newly-formed like of Schenn, Kevin Hayes and Kasperi Kapanen had an affect on the game, particularly from an offensive standpoint, and the line produced the go-ahead goal at 1:44 by Schenn to give the Blues a 2-1 lead.

Hayes threw a backhand trying to get it out of the zone and it hopped past Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard springing Kapanen and Schenn on a 2-on-1, Kapanen saucing a pass to Schenn for a one-timer from the slot.

Have yourself a game, Schenner! #stlblues pic.twitter.com/M6fPqnWG0z

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

* Oilers push the intensity, tie the game -- With a 2-1 lead, the Oilers would make a push, but the Blues were doing a good job handling the game and executing accordingly with a one-goal lead, but you can only keep stars Connor McDavid and Draisaitl down for so long, and that dynamic duo struck to tie the game 2-2 after a puck was rimmed around into the Blues' zone, McDavid hustling to pick and strip Colton Parayko of the puck, going to his backhand and feeding Draisaitl for a one-timer down low off the right post at 14:35 of the third period.

A little McDrai magic to even things up 🪄 pic.twitter.com/nVbABePtpB

— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) April 2, 2024

The Oilers used McDavid and Draisaitl, each who extended his point streak to eight games, together down the stretch to try and finish the game in regulation but the Blues were able to extend to overtime, gaining a valuable point despite being outshot 34-28.

"After they scored the second goal there, we were on our heels a little bit," Bannister said. "We found a way to get through that period and get to overtime and get the extra point."

* Opportunistic Saad -- The Oilers won the draw, and with McDavid, Draisaitl and Bouchard to begin overtime, one had to think it would be tough for the Blues to see the puck again.

Not only did they see it, but uncharacteristically, they gave it right back moments later. Not a good recipe for success.

But when it appeared Jordan Kyrou was getting stripped from behind by Ryan McLeod from behind, the Oilers would be getting the puck back and a chance at an odd-man rush.

But as Schenn was coming off for a line change and  Saad coming on, McLeod trying to play the puck pushed it on Saad's stride, and he helped Saad have a breakaway off the right edge, and Saad scored his 25th of the season and seventh game-winner sliding a puck through Skinner's pads.

"A really lucky bounce actually," Saad said. "I thought I was back-checking there, kind of hit their d-man's top of his stick and got a good break.

"That's hockey. You get the bounces, you've got to capitalize and that's part of it, so we'll take it."

It was quite the response after that poor performance on Saturday.

"I thought it was a good response," Bannister said. "Quite frankly, when we've played a poor game, we responded pretty well in that instance, so I'm not surprised by the response. I thought we worked to get that game. It wasn't going to be an easy game and I thought our guys, we worked our way through it. I was proud of them in that sense because it was a tough game early on."

Related: Blues player of the game vs. Oilers: Brayden Schenn

Related: Colton Parayko, Laila Anderson still share their bond since Stanley Cup run in 2019

ST. LOUIS -- As captain, Brayden Schenn is the ultimate leader in the St. Louis Blues locker room.

And after that ugly, dismal 4-0 loss against the lowly San Jose Sharks on Saturday that put quite the hit on the Blues' playoff hopes, it was up to him to address it on Monday and move on to another game, one with a plethora of stars awaiting.

Blues player of the game vs. Oilers: Brayden Schenn (1:38)

"Busy day at the rink. Just leave it at that," Schenn said after scoring twice Monday in a 3-2 overtime win against the Edmonton Oilers, his 500th game with the Blues. "Obviously a lot of unhappy people with internally, in the locker room and as an organization. We're still in the fight, we're in the battle."

It's nice to see we got a response. There's no quit in this team. We understand we're going to need some help along the way, but it's nice to see guys aren't folding and keep on digging until the end."

Schenn came up with his third multi-goal game of the season and first since Nov. 30 against the Buffalo Sabres at the most opportune time, helping the Blues (40-31-4) move within three points of the Los Angeles Kings of the second wild card into the Western Conference after the Kings fell 4-3 against the Winnipeg Jets on Monday.

"A good response by the team and the group," Schenn said. "Everyone dug in tonight. They're a good team with the high-end skill and we had to bring our 'A' game and best effort tonight. It's a good response for sure and now it's time to dig in and keep in pushing forward."

Schenn was a plus-1 in 18:09 with four shot attempts, three hits and 80 percent (8-of-10) on face-offs. His line with Kevin Hayes and Kasperi Kapanen, which combined for two goals and three assists, was the catalyst.

"Yeah, for him to step up like that, scoring goals and timely goals, too, they were huge for us," said Blues forward Brandon Saad, who scored the game-winner in OT. "He's a big part of a our team, he's our leader, and that was nice to see."

ST. LOUIS -- It comes as no surprise, but the St. Louis Blues have put their lineup in a blender.

When the Blues (39-31-4) host the Edmonton Oilers (45-23-4) at 8 p.m. today (HULU, ESPN+, ESPN 101.1.FM), the forward lines will have a new look, and a new defensive pairing will jump into the lineup.

Morning skate report vs. Oilers (4-1-24) (2:34)

Brandon Saad has been elevated to the top line; Alexey Toropchenko's hard work continues to pay off and the forward moves up to play with Pavel Buchnevich in the middle again and with Jordan Kyrou; Brayden Schenn and Kevin Hayes reunite, and Zach Dean moves back in after being a healthy scratch, replacing Zack Bolduc.

"When you play as poorly as we did last game, we have to make changes," Blues interim coach Drew Bannister said. "Changes to players coming in and out of the lineup, changes to the lines. I think when you look at Edmonton and how they roll out four three or four good lines. They double-shift some of their top players and I think it's important for us down the middle to have strength."

The Blues are coming off that dismal and brutal 4-0 loss against the San Jose Sharks in a grossly missed opportunity to gain ground on the Los Angeles Kings, who fell to the Calgary Flames 4-2, on the Western Conference wild card chase.

"We made some adjustments from that game," said Toropchenko, who will also get in on the second power play unit at the net front. "We need to forget about this game and move forward because it will be a huge game tonight. These last eight games will be very important for us to make a push."

Forget it, yes, but not completely talk about what can't happen moving forward.

"There was a conversation," Bannister said. "Yesterday was a day off. You want to move past it, but you can't forget it either. We addressed it quickly and now we're moving forward to Edmonton in front of us here tonight."

- - -

Toropchenko continues to work his tail off, no matter the role, no matter the opportunity given, no matter the circumstances of a game.

He's a prime example of what it means to work hard for more opportunity but someone who puts the team success first.

"It's always a good feeling. First of all, I care more about whole team's success and just try to do everything that I can to help the team, protect my teammates and be a good guy," Toropchenko said. "Just put the work (in) every day to get better for those things. Just be patient with it and keep it going.

"Just go and play the same way that I always play. Nothing changes. Try to create for those guys (Buchnevich and Kyrou) more space and try to be first on the puck and stick around the front of the net like usual."

With Toropchenko and Neighbours, two young players that get the concept of working for your time, it's a good building block moving forward.

"Whether it's 'Torpo' or Jake, with our young players and the way they're playing, certainly those guys have deserved everything they've got," Bannister said. "He's earning more ice time on the PK and now he's getting opportunity on the power play.

"He's somebody that has success around the net. A lot of his goals are scored around there. He's brave, he's going to go to the hard areas, so there's absolutely no reason not to have him there and give him that opportunity. I think he deserves it."

And what is Toropchenko's net front role?

"Screen the goalie and make confusion," he said. "Give the opportunity to my teammates to shoot the puck because they will know that I will be there. It's hard to see behind me. ... I always like going to the hard areas and be hard to play against. I like to be a pain in the ass for the other team. Just give them (a reason) to start to be angry. If you are out of control, you start to play worse."

- - -

On the defensive front, Marco Scandella and Tyler Tucker are in, and Scott Perunovich and Matthew Kessel are out tonight on the third defensive pairing.

The reasoning?

"I think as a group, we have to play with more of an edge," Bannister said. "Putting [Tucker] and 'Scandy' in the lineup gives us that. We're looking for somebody on our back end to give us a little bit more pushback. I think 'Tucks' brings that and certainly 'Scandy' brings an edge to his game too. That's something that's been lacking in our game and we need to have more of that moving forward."

The Blues got Perunovich to the threshold of making him eligible to be a restricted free agent on Saturday with his 74th NHL game (reduced from 80 because of the 56-game COVID-19 season), but the defenseman has just one assist in his past 11 games, and for an offensive defenseman, more is needed.

"Scotty at times has played to Scotty's potential and I think as of late, we need more from him," Bannister said. "After a game like we played last game, we have to make changes. He's one of the players that has to be better for us. He's not the only guy either. What I know about Scotty is he can be a really good player for us and I think we need that more on a nightly basis from him and more consistency in his game and what he does well."

- - -

A pair of milestones will be a go for tonight, with defenseman Justin Faulk set to play in his 900th NHL game and Schenn will play in his 500th game with the Blues.

- - -

The Blues' projected lineup:

Brandon Saad-Robert Thomas-Jake Neighbours

Alexey Toropchenko-Pavel Buchnevich-Jordan Kyrou

Brayden Schenn-Kevin Hayes-Kasperi Kapanen

Sammy Blais-Zach Dean-Nathan Walker

Nick Leddy-Colton Parayko

Torey Krug-Justin Faulk

Marco Scandella-Tyler Tucker

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

Healthy scratches include Zack Bolduc, Matthew Kessel, Scott Perunovich and Nikita Alexandrov. Oskar Sundqvist (torn right ACL) is out for the rest of the season.

- - -

The Oilers' projected lineup:

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins-Connor McDavid-Zach Hyman

Adam Henrique-Leon Draisaitl-Corey Perry

Evander Kane-Ryan McLeod-Warren Foegele

Mattias Janmark-Sam Carrick-Connor Brown

Mattias Ekholm-Evan Bouchard

Darnell Nurse-Cody Ceci

Brett Kulak-Vincent Desharnais

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

Healthy scratches include Derek Ryan and Troy Stecher. The Oilers report no injuries.

ST. LOUIS -- Alexey Toropchenko continues to be held in high ground with the St. Louis Blues, and the forward will get ample opportunity on Monday to showcase himself more against the Edmonton Oilers.

Blues player to watch vs. Oilers: Alexey Toropchenko (2:04)

Toropchenko will move up in the lineup and start in a top six role, and will get time on the second power play unit as a net front presence.

Simply put, the 24-year-old gets it.

He's never been one to bask in his own glory. Instead, he's more focused on team success, which is his sole reasoning for playing.

He's the player to watch tonight against the highly-skilled Oilers and will get every opportunity to make himself known to the opposition.

"First of all, I care more about whole team's success and just try to do everything that I can to help the team, protect my teammates and be a good guy," Toropchenko said. "Just put the work (in) every day to get better for those things. Just be patient with it and keep it going."

Blues interim coach Drew Bannister has made a number of changes throughout the lineup, including boost Toropchenko up. He hasn't scored in the past five games but does have two assists after scoring in five of the previous 10 games. But he will get that crack tonight to dent the scoresheet in another important game.

ST. LOUIS -- Thinking back to Game 7 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final, there’s a lot one can recall: A Cinderella run by the St. Louis Blues to the playoffs, the team’s storybook ending, the final score, the on-ice celebration — the list goes on and on. Blues fans remember where they were when the team made history. One particular fan experienced the celebration with her friend at TD Garden in Boston.

Most Blues fans can remember Laila Anderson's special bond with the Blues, especially with defenseman Colton Parayko, a bond still in tact today. The two cheered, hugged, and lifted the Stanley Cup together and remain close to this day.

Colton Parayko (55) and Laila Anderson (bottom, right) celebrating on the ice at TD Garden in Boston after the Blues won the Stanley Cup against the Boston Bruins on June 12, 2019.

You can confirm their continued friendship by Laila’s Instagram bio reading 'Colton Parayko’s bff' or by the constant support they still show each other five years later.

When Laila, wearing No. 88, and the 14u AA Chesterfield Lady Falcons won the Missouri State Championship Blue Note Cup at the Centene Community Ice Center recently, Parayko reached out to his friend and let her know he was proud.

“I think it’s phenomenal that I got to be by his side on his big night and his big journey,” Anderson said, referring to the celebration at TD Garden. “And I think it’s really sweet that I can have someone like him in my corner during my big run.”

Although Parayko has never seen Anderson play live, he watches her highlights. One recent highlight was special for everybody to see: Laila scoring her first goal, in the semifinal game of the tournament. Anderson tucked away her first on a rebound, tying the game for her team, which they would go on to win and advance to the finals. After winning that final game, the two traded texts afterwards.

View the original article to see embedded media.

"I just told her I was happy," Parayko said. "It puts a smile on my face. ... Just a really cool story that she’s living."

Their story together began back when they met during Parayko’s rookie season, but the two became close in the Blues’ Stanley Cup championship run. At the time, Laila was a 10-year-old battling hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) and proved she was a fighter early on. Although Parayko tries to motivate and push her, he said, "I think that's in her. I think she does it already herself."

Thankfully, Laila received a bone marrow transplant and overcame the rare, life-threatening immune system disorder. She still receives yearly checkups with all the tests imaginable, just rounding out Year Four in October of 2023.

Laila Anderson (left) holds the Blue Note Cup 14U - Bantam B3 Championship Trophy.

Laila Anderson photo

Since the historic 2018-19 season, Laila has also continued to support her side of the friendship with the Blues star defenseman. The now 15-year-old posts for Parayko’s

birthday, attends Project 55 charity events and sends ‘good luck’ texts whenever the Blues are facing a big opponent. Laila has a superstitious hockey routine during big games so a quick text saying “I’ll be thinking about you tonight. I’ll be with you at the blue line,” reminds her friend she’s rooting for him.

As the Blue Note Cup tournament went on, Anderson made sure to update her friend throughout all the big moments.

"Whenever I get a text from her, it makes me happy or gives me a smile," Parayko said.

She raises his spirits just like he does for her. The two even occasionally get together for a couple of coffees, or "whatever she’s having there," according to Parayko, and the friends talk a little bit of hockey from time to time, too.

Anderson began playing hockey in November 2020, but the Blues defenseman thinks she’s loved the sport forever. Fans may think No. 55 inspired No. 88 to get on the ice, but Parayko says that was "all her."

“Hockey’s in my blood,” Anderson confirmed. Not only has she attended Blues games for as long as she can remember, hockey has been around her home life for a long time.

Laila Anderson (left) and her mom, Heather Anderson on the ice at TD Garden in Boston after the Blues won the Stanley Cup in Game 7 in June 12, 2019.

Hockey is a great thing to bond over; this similarity only brought their friendship closer. Parayko said it’s fun to have a bond with her.

“Obviously just fortunate to have that relationship with her," he said. "She's come a long way, and it really makes you happy and puts a smile on your face just to see what she's been through, where it's been, and how far she's come. Now she's playing hockey and winning tournaments. It's just exciting. Just super proud of her and happy for her."

Parayko and Anderson have created memories they will share forever.

“He’s taught me so much on and off the ice,” Anderson said. “I’m so grateful to have a role model like him.”

ST. LOUIS -- I seem to be running around in circles when it comes to this St. Louis Blues roster.

In December when I voiced my opinion on Craig Berube's ouster, I specifically pointed out that it wasn't the coach, it was a flawed roster. 

And going into the trade deadline, I thought I had buried them once and for all after a string of play that showed no willingness to management they deserved an opportunity to go for it.

And rightfully so, I praised this group just last week for scratching and clawing in a recent stretch of weeks to make themselves relevant in the Western Conference wild card race, surprisingly to me anyway, coming up with results against opponents I felt quite frankly were better than the Blues.

The San Jose Sharks celebrate a goal against the Blues on Saturday in a 4-0 win at Enterprise Center, San Jose's first road win 46 days, putting huge damage to St. Louis' playoff hopes.

Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Management wanted to see which side of the 50-yard line, something pointed out by general manager Doug Armstrong at the start of the season, the Blues could get to.

Well, that all was squashed in a three-hour period with a disgraceful, embarrassing, disparaging performance in a 4-0 loss against the lowly San Jose Sharks on Saturday in front of another loyal full house of 18,096 at Enterprise Center voicing their opinion of what they thought of that performance that was worthy of basically a whole lot of nothing.

Put a fork in the 2023-24 St. Louis Blues. They're done after that embarrassing 4-0 loss to the San Jose Sharks (6:12)

I'll go through the game here in a bit, but I feel like I'm going to have to take this full circle: it's not the coaching. It. Is. The. Roster. 

Period.

No ifs, no ands, no buts about it.

That performance tonight, particularly the second period, really was gutless.

When the flaws appear, they rear their ugly heads. Which begs the question of how can this happen? How does one play down to the competition, something interim coach Drew Bannister specifically said following the morning skate can't happen.

And in the first period, it appeared that the Blues (39-31-4) wouldn't stoop down to the record of where the Sharks (17-48-8) are. San Jose was 0-8-1 in its last nine games and outscored 44-20. The Blues had multiple Grade A scoring chances they didn't bury past Mackenzie Blackwood.

OK, it was 0-0, but they're allowing a lesser opponent to hang around. However, sticking to the same formula would eventually break the dam. Instead, they revert to a cast of skaters not worthy to compete at the former Ron's Roller Rink, let alone an NHL game. 

It was a comedy of errors.

The Blues came into the game trailing the Los Angeles Kings by five points for the second wild card. It could have been trimmed to three. Something very doable, after the Kings fell 4-2 to the Calgary Flames. But they couldn't beat a team outscored 288-153 against the rest of the NHL outside of the Blues.

So, with so much on the line, basically their season with so few games and every one mattering that much more and more, how can this happen? Brayden Schenn paused, fluttered his words a bit and was initially speechless.

"I don't have words for that. Trying to come up with something for you," he said. "But reality of it, I don't have an answer. It can't this time of year with the position we're in, with our team and where we are and how hard we fought to get to this position to let one slip against a team like that."

The captain was also asked if this was more telling that one game.

"I'm not sure how to answer that one either," he said. "I've got to talk about tonight. I don't know how to answer that."

He should, because this isn't the first time this has happened.

Remember that godawful display in San Jose on Nov. 16, a 5-1 loss then? But that's not all. Against three of the worst teams points-wise (San Jose, Chicago Blackhawks and Columbus Blue Jackets), who are a combined 63-133-25, the Blues are 2-5-0 and have been outscored 25-15, including 0-4-0 against the Sharks and Blue Jackets, outscored 19-3 in those games. Yikes. 

Oh by the way, the Blues became the first team to lose to the Sharks this season -- twice.

Congratulations.

"That's twice against them, Columbus and Chicago and the good teams don't do that," Schenn said. "That's how you get into the playoffs is by beating those teams. We've just been shooting ourselves in the foot with tough losses like that."

The Blues went from outshooting the Sharks 11-3 in the first period, with a huge advantage on offensive zone time (San Jose had a measly 39 seconds of it in the period) to being completely dominated and outshot 12-3 in the second period and being down 3-0.

Again ... how? With your season on the line.

"No question, in the first period, I thought we started well and we had our opportunities," Bannister said. "Then you go into the second period and we fell asleep. We weren't doing the same things that we were in the first, whether it was us getting frustrated early on in the game, where we weren't having a lot of success but we were doing things the right way. We just had to stick with it. Then we find ourselves in a hole. We turn the puck over. We get beat on a track and then we get a bad bounce, but we weren't working for those opportunities on our end, especially in the second period and then we're chasing the game from then. We have a team that's just defending in the third period. Now we have some chances, but we put ourselves in a deep hole there to climb out of."

I feel bad for Zack Bolduc because he's just getting his feet wet and learning on the fly, but he had a gaffe that led to the first goal. Colton Parayko's poorly-timed pinch led to a 2-on-1, and Robert Thomas showed absolutely no effort in casually putting his stick into space defending in the zone that could have broken a play up. Instead, it ultimately led to the second goal, and on the third, it was a fortuitous bounce for Chesterfield's own Luke Kunin, but the Sharks were making their breaks at that point.

Speaking of Thomas, where has be been the last half dozen games (one assist)? Truthfully, I couldn't tell if Pavel Buchnevich and Jordan Kyrou were wearing Blues or Sharks jerseys tonight with the blunders they had. Speaking of Kyrou, I'm not sure if he even understands what a one-timer from the circle on the power play is. I get the guy came into the game with eight points in the past four games but these are games the top players should dominate, and his disappearing act when games matter most seems to happen far too often.

These are three of the most important players on the roster that you didn't notice on the ice tonight unless it was for something they did wrong.

What would be so Blues is come in here on Monday and rip the Edmonton Oilers with Connor McDavid and Co. They've been doing it all season, beating the Dallas Stars (twice), Colorado Avalanche, Vancouver Canucks (twice), Oilers, Vegas Golden Knights, Kings (twice), Boston Bruins, Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, New York Rangers, Carolina Hurricanes ... all these playoff-bound teams. But they can't scrounge up enough effort to brush the Sharks aside, a team that had a whole seven wins coming in this calendar year.

I guess the Blues could somehow still pull this off. But really, do they deserve to with performances like this against the league's bottom feeders? Remember the listless effort losing to Columbus 1-0 right before the All-Star break? 

I get it's sports and everyone can beat anyone on any given day, but when this happens multiple times, fans rightfully have no faith on who you are and the product you bring with you.

And they certainly let the Blues know how they felt as they skated off the ice Saturday.

"It's a good city. We have passionate fans," Parayko said. "The fans show up for us every game and we appreciate that. We've got to make sure that we put our best out for them every game. Not saying that we're not trying but they want to see wins. It's frustrating for them and obviously it's frustrating for us. At the end of the day, they want wins and so do we."

The Blues feel like they can dip their toes in the water when it's convenient for them. But reality is, those are teams that aren't worthy to be part of the group competing for a Stanley Cup, and once and for all, the 2023-24 Blues have made themselves invisible far too often.

In all honesty, that 2-1 overtime loss against the Golden Knights last Monday may have been the final death knell for the Blues. Saturday likely was their burial.

ST. LOUIS -- When it comes to winnable games, there's no better one than for the St. Louis Blues (39-30-4) on Saturday when they host the San Jose Sharks (16-48-8) at 7 p.m. (BSMWX, ESPN 101.1-FM) in the third of a four-game homestand.

The Blues, who are 7-1-1 in their past nine games, trail the Los Angeles Kings by five points for the second wild card in the Western Conference. They host an opponent that is 1-14-3 in their past 18 games, including winless in nine straight (0-8-1).

Morning skate report vs. Sharks (3-30-24) (1:25)

"We can't play down to our opponents here tonight and find ourselves in a position where we're hoping that we can win a hockey game," Blues interim coach Drew Bannister said. "We've got to put the hammer down here tonight and we have to be the better team from the first period right through the third."

The problem is for the Blues, who have this season played down to some of their opponents, including losing to these very same Sharks, 5-1, back on Nov. 16. But now is not the time to be picking to take a night off.

"Our mindset's we've got to win out. We've got to win all the games," Blues center Robert Thomas said. "That's our goal, whether you need them all or you can lose one or two. But our mindset's we've got to win them all.

"We're at a time of year where we know how important every point is and we need two points every night. There should be nothing else to look at."

What the Blues have to do is treat this as an opponent, not look at the standings and feel like it's a lesser opponent than some of the tough games they've persevered in this season.

"I think you need to take looking at the standings out of this," Blues forward Nathan Walker said. "As long as we can play a good 200-foot game and making sure we're controlling the puck at the lines and doing what we need to do in order to be successful.

"... You can obviously see there record, but at the same time, it's about us. If we don't grab these two points and miss out by one, we're going to be shooting ourselves in the foot. We need to make sure we come out hard tonight and play the way we know how we can play."

- - -

Blues forward Sammy Blais will return to the lineup tonight, his first game since March 9 against the New York Rangers and it will be just his second game in 19.

Blais will jump in on the fourth line with Walker and Kasperi Kapanen and replace Zach Dean. Blais has just a goal and six assists in 45 games this season; he hasn't had a point since getting an assist Dec. 23 against the Chicago Blackhawks.

"I know it's been a little whole since Sammy's played," Bannister said. "Since we've come off the road, he hasn't been in our lineup. For Sammy, and I've talked to Sammy, when he's first on the forecheck, he's very effective to us. After that, he's got to move his feet and be available and get up and help his linemates and needs to be able to forecheck and keep pucks alive. When he does that, he's very effective. He plays a heavy game. I want to see him hold onto pucks, use his shot and get to the net, be really hard, go to the hard areas and help our team out in those areas where he can really be effective."

Walker will be the center on that line tonight.

"I've played him at times in the middle, not started him there, but I've used him at the end of penalty kills and thrown him out with different people," Bannister said. "Very versatile in what he does and very detailed in his game, whether it's on the wing or center so I have no problem putting him in that position."

- - -

Joel Hofer will get the start in goal, his first game since beating the Ottawa Senators, 5-2, on March 21.

Hofer has won his past three starts and has a 1.67 goals-against average and .952 save percentage.

- - -

The Blues' projected lineup:

Pavel Buchnevich-Robert Thomas-Jake Neighbours

Brandon Saad-Brayden Schenn-Jordan Kyrou

Zack Bolduc-Kevin Hayes-Alexey Toropchenko

Sammy Blais-Nathan Walker-Kasperi Kapanen

Nick Leddy-Colton Parayko

Torey Krug-Matthew Kessel

Scott Perunovich-Justin Faulk

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

Healthy scratches include Marco Scandella, Zach Dean, Nikita Alexandrov and Tyler Tucker. Oskar Sundqvist (torn ACL) is out for the season.

- - -

The Sharks' projected lineup:

Klim Kostin-Mikael Granlund-Fabian Zetterlund

Justin Bailey-Luke Kunin-Filip Zadina

Thomas Bordeleau-Nico Sturm-Kevin Labanc

William Eklund-Ryan Carpenter-Mike Hoffman

Mario Ferraro-Kyle Burroughs

Marc-Edouard Vlasic-Calen Addison

Henry Thrun-Jan Rutta

Mackenzie Blackwood will start in goal; Devin Cooley will be the backup.

Healthy scratches include Givani Smith and Jacob MacDonald. Matt Benning (hip), Ty Emberson (laceration), Alexander Barabanov (lower body) and Vitek Vanecek (lower body) are all out.

ST. LOUIS -- Jake Neighbours continues to produce and is elevating those around him.

Just ask St. Louis Blues forward Pavel Buchnevich.

Blues player to watch vs. Sharks: Jake Neighbours (1:24)

"He's a young guy that wants to learn every time, listen and do it," Buchnevich said. "It's easy to play (with him). It's good to see from young guys. He's made a big jump this year. You can see he works every day in practices and in the gym every time. It's paid off and I'm really happy for him."

Neighbours continues to shine and will look to do the same on Saturday when the Blues (39-30-4) host the San Jose Sharks (16-48-8).

Neighbours had a goal and an assist in a 5-3 win against the Calgary Flames on Thursday giving the forward nine points (six goals, three assists) the past eight games, including his team-leading 26th goal and 20th in the slot/high danger area.

Since his recent jump up to the line with Buchnevich and Robert Thomas, he's shown his value no matter where he plays in the lineup and can do so again here tonight.

ST. LOUIS -- Jake Neighbours had the perfect description when describing Nathan Walker.

"He's small, but he's a tough little booger," Neighbours said.

That "tough little booger" continues to make a name for himself in St. Louis for the Blues, and he continues to endear himself to this fan base.

It took Walker, 30, nine years to finally get himself a one-way contract where he's paid like an NHL'er, and it's for the league minimum ($775,000). If Blues fans are looking for the bang for the buck, Walker fits the description to a tee.

Thursday night was another example of where someone that can pack as much wallop (5-foot-8, 187 pounds) into every ounce that one's body can bring.

It was evident at the time trailing 201 to the Calgary Flames, losers of four straight, the Blues needed a boost.

Walker recognized it, and he pounced on it. For the second time in as many seasons, defenseman Joel Hanley faced Walker's pit bull-like wrath. A fight at 3:19 of the second period, and Walker got his money's worth.

Nathan Walker gets the #stlblues fired up! 👊

📺: Bally Sports | 📱: Bally Sports app pic.twitter.com/XWXKDeDO5y

— Bally Sports Midwest (@BallySportsMW) March 29, 2024

It was uplifting for his linemates, and it was certainly uplifting for the bench.

"It gets the building going and it's important that you follow that up with a good shift and keep the momentum, keep the crowd into it," Neighbours said. "It's a great job by him getting us going. We were a little stale, a little flat. He brought some energy into the building and into our team."

The Blues took full advantage.

Neighbours was scoring eight seconds later tying the game 2-2. It was the fuel that finally lit the fire.

View the original article to see embedded media.

"He's a high-energy guy," Neighbours said of Walker. "He brings it every single night and brings a lot of emotion and energy to our team. When you see him go out there and do something like that, it gets you going, gets your legs going a little bit more and brings adrenaline up. Guys don't say too much. It's kind of you just continue to play and give a tap on the shin pad or whatever it is. It's obviously big for him to step up and do that.

"... I think it's he wants to scrap with guys more than the other way around. Guys probably undermine him because he's small. ... He knows what he's doing in there. He's good at it."

But is it really that big? Is it really that surprising? Probably not to his teammates, and probably not to those that have watched him in a Blues uniform the past three seasons.

It's no surprise Walker is a fan favorite.

Aussie Aussie Aussie ... Oi Oi Oi.

"It's huge. It's momentum," Blues forward Pavel Buchnevich said. "'Walks', everybody loves him. If you ask anybody on the team, he's the most (liked) guy on the team. He's funny, always great attitude. Just happy for him. He did a great fight, small guy. He brings energy every day. Just happy to see he has success too."

Walker is a fourth line guy, which means he'll be on the ice anywhere normally from 8-12 minutes per night. And when he can chip in the occasional offense (six goals, five assists in 36 games this season), it's just an added bonus.

But he's there to forecheck, battle and bring any kind of energy possible.

Nathan Walker (right) celebrates a goal scored with teammate Scott Perunovich against the Colorado Avalanche on March 19.

Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

"You saw him do that in the Minnesota game here at home," Blues interim coach Drew Bannister said. "He brings a lot of energy. He's a guy that goes out on the ice and does everything he can to help the team succeed and that was another part of the game that I thought he brought a lot of energy to our bench when we needed it. It was a big part of the game for us."

Walker is signed through the 2025-26 season at the league minimum. He's making the most money he's ever earned currently and probably grateful to be doing so. The Blues are sure glad they have him, and when he was recalled from Springfield on New Year's Day, it not only was a new year for him but a new lease on not going back to Springfield.

And that should be a permanent fixture moving forward. Walker has earned it. He's the perfect example of persistence paying off after toiling in the minors most of his career. 

Not bad for a guy who's first four contracts were two-way deals.

Related: Blues player of the game vs. Flames: Zack Bolduc

Related: Flames-Blues takeaways: In game where coach felt like St. Louis lacked energy, Blues found a way to grind out 5-3 win behind Buchnevich two goals, Neighbours goal, assist

ST. LOUIS -- If it were earlier in the season or perhaps against an opponent that wasn't slumping, this might have been one of those games the St. Louis Blues didn't come away with two points.

Flames-Blues takeaways (3-28-24) (5:24)

But the Blues willed themselves, despite some crazy moments in the third period in which they definitely benefited from a no-goal call, then were able to win a challenge due to off-side and were able to find a way between those plays to score themselves. 

In the end, it was a 5-3 win against the slumping Calgary Flames Thursday at Enterprise Center that pushed the Blues (39-30-4) to their seventh win the past nine games (7-1-1) but with just nine games remaining, they failed to gain any ground on the Vegas Golden Knights for the second wild card in the Western Conference, trailing by six points.

"It's tough to play catch-up this time of year, but at the same time for us is control (what we can control) and taking it one day at a time, one game at a time," said forward Brandon Saad, who scored his sixth game-winner of the season in the third period. "We'll see how it plays out."

Let's look at the key plays and get into the takeaways from a rather wild game in which the Blues swept the season-series against the Flames (33-34-5), who have lost five in a row and have been outscored 21-9. 

* Bolduc gets Blues going -- The game didn't have too much flow to it early. Neither team had much bite, but once the Blues broke the ice, it was Zack Bolduc doing it.

His second NHL goal at 13:02 of the first period made it 1-0 on a beautifully crafted goal that started with goalie Jordan Binnington bypassing a defenseman to lay a puck off to. He recognized three Flames forwards were pinching in deep, split two of them and found Bolduc for a transition play. Bolduc found Alexey Toropchenko with speed along the right side, and instead of doing one of his drives around the edge and taking it with power to the net, Toropchenko pulled up the brakes, slotted Bolduc cutting to the middle of the ice and the 2021 first-round pick slid a backhand through Flames goalie Dustin Wolf.

"You can see his confidence is coming," Neighbours said of Bolduc. "He's starting to get more comfortable in the room and obviously at the speed of play the game's played at here. He looks good. He makes good plays, he's a strong skater. He's obviously got a great shot and he's a ball of energy too. He's always got a smile on his face and bringing energy to the rink. He's only going to become more comfortable. I remember it wasn't too long ago I was in his same shoes and somewhat I'm still trying to figure it out. It's a learning process; he's doing a great job of it.

"He can shoot. His release, how hard it is, usually pretty accurate. It's just about him getting spaces where he can get it off where guys can find him and he can be a shooter. You can tell tonight he was starting to find that a little bit more, get himself into areas where he can get the puck and get it on net. I thought he was good."

Come for the Zack Bolduc goal, stay for the Jordan Binnington assist. #stlblues pic.twitter.com/uJbUgJ63Tn

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) March 29, 2024

* Flames have an answer -- Those immediate shifts following a goal are ones coaches want their teams to clamp down on.

It was somewhat problematic for the Blues in this game, and it happened when Andrei Kuzmenko scored the first of his two goals that tied the game 1-1.

It was not a strong play by defenseman Justin Faulk, who had himself a tough game when he was stripped from behind curling around the right side of his net and Kuzmenko scored a beautiful shot from in tight, roofing a puck over Binnington at 13:48, or 46 seconds after Bolduc's goal.

FILTHY!! pic.twitter.com/wmqH9ljERZ

— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) March 29, 2024

* Flames take advantage of the net front -- The Blues just didn't seem sharp with the puck in the game, and when Brayden Schenn high-sticked Rasmus Andersson along the Flames bench, it put Calgary on the power play and the Flames took advantage.

Jonathan Huberdeau tipped home a MacKenzie Weegar point shot past Binnington to give the Flames a 2-1 lead at 18:37 of the first.

The Flames had two forwards in front of Binnington, and Faulk, the lone d-man down low, was on the wrong end of boxing out anyone and gave either Huberdeau or Kuzmenko the chance to redirect the puck coming at the net.

Perfect deflection 👀 pic.twitter.com/wJFtWkn81B

— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) March 29, 2024

* Saad had chance to salvage opening period -- Saad had multiple scoring chances in this game, including a breakaway in the waning seconds of the first but shoveled a backhand just off the tip of Wolf's glove and high, so the Blues trailed a rather inconsistent period 2-1, and they usually haven't been good this season (7-19-1 coming into the game) when trailing after one.

* Enter Nathan Walker -- Nathan Walker isn't asked to go out and dominate a game, but the forward is asked to provide energy.

At 5-foot-9, 187 pounds, he can pack quite a wallop when confronted, and when he fought Flames defenseman Joel Hanley at 3:19 of the second, winning the bout quite handily, it was a momentum-shifting sequence.

"It gets the building going and it's important that you follow that up with a good shift and keep the momentum, keep the crowd into it," Neighbours said. "It's a great job by him getting us going. We were a little stale, a little flat. He brought some energy into the building and into our team."

* Blues used fight as momentum -- It's exactly what Neighbours said had to happen, and the he took full advantage of it when Neighbours potted his team-leading 26th of the season on the eve of his 22nd birthday to tie it 2-2 at 3:27, or eight seconds after Walker's fight.

Robert Thomas won the o-zone face-off, went to the net, and Colton Parayko's wrister got through, Thomas tipped the puck for are bound and on the doorstep, Neighbours scored his 20th high-danger goal.

"Set face-off play," Neighbours said. "They kind do whatever they want, I go to the net. It was a good shot. 'Tommer' got a stick on it and it bounced right to me."

WOOOOOO!!!! #stlblues pic.twitter.com/DnfpeR1eud

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) March 29, 2024

* Kadri high stick costly for Flames -- A Blues fan's nemesis from his days with the Colorado Avalanche, Nazem Kadri high-sticked Scott Perunovich near the Flames bench and drew blood, also drawing a double minor at 5:26, and although the Blues didn't capitalize in the front half, Buchnevich put the Blues ahead 3-2 at 8:54 on a wrister from the left circle, his first in 14 games.

BUUUUUUUUUCH! #stlblues pic.twitter.com/vxnAM3q3Is

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) March 29, 2024

"I feel better. I wish I score last game, but it's hockey," Buchnevich said. "We got win today and hopefully we keep chasing playoff."

* More net front issues -- Kuzmenko scored his second of the night at 16:15 to tie the game 3-3 on another missed coverage play down low.

The Flames were able to work the puck to the slot and Kadri flipped a backhand towards the goal, and Kuzmenko was alone there to tip it past Binnington.

"I think it started with our puck play," Bannister said. "We were too slow doing things. It caused us issues having to play more in the d-zone. I just thought our decisions were too slow. There was too much separation from where the puck was turned over to us starting to defend. There's no question they were able to get under us pretty easily tonight. That's something we have to get better at. And our D have been pretty good at cutting plays off as of late. That's something moving forward, we're going to have to be better at protecting our net front, making sure that we collapse and do a better job for our goaltending."

Andrei TWO-zmenko 😤 pic.twitter.com/R6ys6OHCnl

— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) March 29, 2024

It would come down to a third period for the Blues to salvage a must-two points.

* Now the fun begins -- The third period seemed to be played at a frenetic pace. 

The play was moving back and forth, and Calgary thought it had taken a 4-3 lead when Kuzmenko thought he had a hat trick at 1:11, but officials waved off the goal for high sticking.

Kuzmenko was at the net front, again, another issue on this particular night, knocking down a point shot and pushing the rebound in.

That was the first break the Blues got, because it seemed like it was a play the officials could have allowed to happen and then look at afterwards, but they immediately waved it off to keep it a 3-3 game.

Saad has been money with either game-tying or go-ahead/game-winning goals, and he struck again at 2:04 to give the Blues a 4-3 lead when Yegor Sharangovich turned the puck over behind his net, Jordan Kyrou got it and fed Saad for a quick shot, his fourth straight game with a goal.

This goal makes us so Haappy. #stlblues pic.twitter.com/uOdLPGiHoP

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) March 29, 2024

"They just seem to be going in. I think the belief and how we're playing confident as a group, obviously playing with some good players there. Getting the opportunities and it's nice to finish them.

"It was just a good forecheck by 'Schenner'. They had pressure on the puck and 'Rouzy' ended up with it. I just kind of found open ice and he made a great pass to me in the slot."

The Flames had another goal overturned when Andersson's wraparound 15 seconds after Saad's go-ahead goal would have tied the game 4-4, but the Blues challenged  the play for off-side and it was clear the puck had left the zone before the Flames tagged up and it was overturned easily.

"Honestly, personally, I didn't know what was going on," Neighbours said. "It was kind of crazy how they couldn't review the one, then we score, they tie it, it gets disallowed. Kind of just a weird one. I've never seen it before, but obviously we came out on the right side of the lead. From that point on, we had to wake up and play the right way and hold that lead."

* Hold the lead, they did -- The Blues seemed to clamp things down better holding the 4-3 lead, and after Toropchenko initially missed a chance to put the game away, Buchnevich did with an empty-netter at 18:45 to seal the win at 5-3. And Binnington picked up his second assist of the game on the play.

"When I look at the game overall, I thought we looked physically and mentally tired with some of the plays that we were making," Bannister said. "They got us in trouble and not to make any excuses, but you can see it kind of going through the room and you can see the effects today with the lack of energy. We still found away to win the hockey game and it's an important two points for us. Those are games maybe when you look back, when we struggled a few weeks back on the road, we were finding ways to lose games. We found a way to win a game here tonight."  

Related: Blues player of the game vs. Flames: Zack Bolduc

ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Blues won their seventh game in the past nine on Thursday, 5-3 against the Calgary Flames, but in the words of interim coach Drew Bannister, "I thought we looked physically and mentally tired with some of the plays that we were making."

When the Blues (39-30-4) looked lethargic against a team that came in with four straight losses, there was one player that brought energy, brought the intensity and got the ball rolling with a beautiful backhand goal was Zack Bolduc.

Blues player of the game vs. Flames: Zack Bolduc (1:38)

Bolduc, who was the Blues' first-round pick in 2021, had 15:24 minutes of ice time  on Thursday and finished off a nice play by Alexey Toropchenko to make it 1-0 at 13:02 of the first period with two hits, a takeaway and a blocked shot in the game.

When the Blues ultimately ended up trailing 2-1 at the end of the first period, Bolduc had the motor going creating good, solid, sustained offensive zone shifts and nearly had a second goal from the high slot when he took a pass and let go his wrister just off the mark.

"You can see his confidence is coming," Blues forward Jake Neighbours, who had a goal and an assist, said of Bolduc. "He's starting to get more comfortable in the room and obviously at the speed of play the game's played at here. He looks good. He makes good plays, he's a strong skater. He's obviously got a great shot and he's a ball of energy too. He's always got a smile on his face and bringing energy to the rink. He's only going to become more comfortable. I remember it wasn't too long ago I was in his same shoes and somewhat I'm still trying to figure it out. It's a learning process; he's doing a great job of it.

"He can shoot. His release, how hard it is, usually pretty accurate. It's just about him getting spaces where he can get it off where guys can find him and he can be a shooter. You can tell tonight he was starting to find that a little bit more, get himself into areas where he can get the puck and get it on net. I thought he was good."

The news wasn't great for the Blues, who found out the grim news that Oskar Sundqvist tore the ACL in his right knee and will miss the rest of the season, needing surgery and have a reevaluation timeline of six months.

Sundqvist, who had 21 points (six goals, 15 assists) in 71 games this season, now faces yet another long-term recovery for the second time in three years; he tore his left ACL against the San Jose Sharks in 2021 on a collision with then-teammate Kyle Clifford.

Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist injured his right knee in a 2-1 overtime loss against Vegas on Monday. The Blues got the grim results that Sundqvist tore the ACL in his right knee and will need surgery, missing a minimum of six months. 

Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

"It's sad news," Blues forward Alexey Toropchenko said. "He's a very important part of our team. So unlucky to get hurt, especially at that time of the year. It's a game. It's hockey. Anything could happen to anybody, so we just need to move forward and put everything together to get wins."

Blues interim coach Drew Bannister said the team was prepared for it to be a lengthy injury, hoping it wouldn't be the worst, though. 

View the original article to see embedded media.

"Unfortunate. Certainly we were waiting for some tests," Bannister said. "We knew there was going to be some time involved, but obviously we were hoping for the best and we got the worst news for the team and for him. Obviously disappointed for himself. He was a big part of the team, the organization and what he does, both on and off the ice. We're going to miss him here for the time being, but it's important for him now to moving forward, just get rest, make sure he takes care of what he has to take care of and get himself ready for next season."

But you hear it all the time and it's come to fruition again: one player's misfortune turns into another player's opportunity, and such is the case for Zach Dean, the 30th pick in the 2021 NHL Draft of the Vegas Golden Knights, who was traded to the Blues on Feb. 27, 2023 for Ivan Barbashev.

Zach Dean, the 30th pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, will play in his second NHL game on Thursday against the Calgary Flames.

Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports

Dean will be playing in his second NHL game after making his debut March 21 against the Ottawa Senators.

"Getting in the lineup, it's good for me, especially down the stretch," Dean said. "It sucks. That's not kind of what you want to hear coming out of that (Sundqvist injury), but that's a part of game. Now I'm getting in and I'm just excited, and it's going to be a fun one tonight." 

Related: (3-28-24) Flames-Blues Gameday Lineup

Related: Blues player to watch vs. Flames: Brandon Saad

Related: Sundqvist to miss rest of season with torn right ACL

Related: Jake Neighbours watching, learning, trying to follow in footsteps of Matthew Tkachuk, Zach Hyman regarding net front presence

ST. LOUIS -- No margin for error.

That's the mantra for the St. Louis Blues these days with 10 games remaining in the regular season.

The Blues (38-30-4) will entertain the slumping Calgary Flames (33-33-5) at 7 p.m. today (BSMW, ESPN 101.1-FM) in hopes of keeping their flickering playoff hopes alive.

They trail the Vegas Golden Knights by six point for the second wild card in the Western Conference.

The tell tale for the Blues, after Monday's dis-hearting 2-1 overtime loss to the Golden Knights, will be how they respond now knowing they have to bag two points pretty much from here on out and need help down the stretch.

"We've got to put ourselves at a good number," Blues center Robert Thomas said. "I think if you look at historically, right around 96 points gets you in. If we go 8-2, we're right there. Obviously things change year to year, but putting yourself in a good spot is to keep yourself motivated."

Added center Kevin Hayes, "Game by game, try and get two points every night. We put ourselves in the position, that's all we can do is try and go on a run here. It's never fun trying to depend on other teams, but it's the situation we're in."

The Blues, 6-1-1 in their past eight games, have certainly put themselves in a situation of at least being in the fight, but the task becomes that much more tougher.

"We've lost to some good teams, we've beat some good teams," Thomas said. "Every game (recently), I feel like we've deserved to win. Obviously that doesn't happen, but as a motivated thing, you keep putting yourself in those spots to win. If you look at the last eight games and you go 6-1-1, if you keep putting yourself in that position, then good things will happen."

Blues interim coach Drew Bannister choses to look at the day at hand. The Blues host Calgary, Vegas plays at Winnipeg and is hoping for the best.

"Six can become four very quickly," Bannister said. "At the end of the day, we can control only what we can control and we have to win hockey games. The ball's in our court right now and our main objective is Calgary (tonight) and winning a hockey game and we'll see what happens from there."

- - -

Torey Krug, who took the ice for an optional morning skate Thursday, will be a game-time decision according to Bannister.

Krug missed practice Wednesday with the flu.

"The energy levels are kind of where you would expect after coming off the flu," Bannister said. "He went out for a quick skate; he'll take warmup and then we'll make a decision at warmup time with him."

- - -

The Blues' projected lineup:

Pavel Buchnevich-Robert Thomas-Jake Neighbours

Brandon Saad-Brayden Schenn-Jordan Kyrou

Zack Bolduc-Kevin Hayes-Alexey Toropchenko

Nathan Walker-Zach Dean-Kasperi Kapanen

Nick Leddy-Colton Parayko

Torey Krug-Matthew Kessel

Scott Perunovich-Justin Faulk

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

Healthy scratches include Marco Scandella, Sammy Blais, Nikita Alexandrov and Tyler Tucker. Oskar Sundqvist (torn right ACL) is out.

- - -

The Flames' projected lineup:

Jonathan Huberdeau-Yegor Sharangovich-Andrei Kuzmenko

Connor Zary-Nazem Kadri-Martin Pospisil

Andrew Mangiapane-Mikael Backlund-Blake Coleman

A.J. Greer-Kevin Rooney-Matt Coronato

Oliver Kylington-Rasmus Andersson

MacKenzie Weegar-Daniil Miromanov

Nikita Okhotiuk-Brayden Pachal

Dustin Wolf will start in goal; Jacob Markstrom will be the backup.

Healthy scratches could include Walker Duehr, Dennis Gilbert, Joel Hanley and Dryden Hunt. Dan Vladar (hip) is out.

Related: Sundqvist to miss rest of season with torn right ACL

Related: Jake Neighbours watching, learning, trying to follow in footsteps of Matthew Tkachuk, Zach Hyman regarding net front presence

Related: Blues player to watch vs. Flames: Brandon Saad