St Louis Blues on The Hockey News

It had to be better for the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday.

A repeat of that dreadful first period Saturday against the Detroit Red Wings couldn't have been in the cards again, right?

Three keys in Blues' 4-2 loss against Jets (2-27-24) (3:15)

Well, it wasn't quite as glaring, but the mistakes were there once again, they were chasing the game after allowing three more goals in a 4-2 loss against the Winnipeg Jets at Canada Life Centre on Tuesday.

The Blues (30-26-2), who were swept in the season series against the Jets, losing all three by a combined 13-6, have been outscored 7-1 the past two first periods and were chasing the game once again 

Winnipeg is one of the stingiest teams in the NHL and that's not a team the Blues could afford to do that against.

Let's jump into the three keys:

1. Mistakes magnified in first period again -- It wasn't as porous as Saturday in Detroit, but the Blues were mistake-prone in the opening 20 minutes and it cost them again.

Even after captain Brayden Schenn got into a heated scrap with fellow captain, Jets forward Adam Lowry, it didn't take long for the Blues to fall behind instead of using that as a motivating factor when their leader leads by example.

Case in point on the first goal, the Jets were able to drive the zone and collect two loose pucks off shot attempts without the Blues getting to one of them, then Sean Monahan was somehow able to get into a soft spot in the slot while defensemen Torey Krug and Justin Faulk, who returned after missing 12 games with an upper-body injury, were both drawn down too deep towards their net, then Faulk made an attempt to block the shot but in essence, screened goalie Joel Hofer on the play, and the Blues were chasing again.

When Brenden Dillon scored from the point, Mark Scheifele won a face-off with Kevin Hayes in the Blues' zone, but as they tried collapsing on the puck, Jake Neighbours and Kasperi Kapanen each obstructed Hofer's view of the shot, and it's 2-0 midway through the first.

Pavel Buchnevich got the Blues back in the game when he scored to make it 2-1 just 40 seconds after Dillon's goal at 10:50, Winnipeg's third goal by Blues killer Kyle Connor was a killer.

With possession, Kapanen, who had another poor game to follow up Saturday's third-period benching in Detroit, instead of getting a puck in deep and going to work, tried making a play to Brandon Saad and the puck was picked off just inside the Jets zone.

The problem was the Blues' D was making a change, and in essence, Connor was off to the races while Colton Parayko and Marco Scandella were trying to get into the play, and nearly did. But Connor's shot from the left circle got through Hofer, a shot I felt he should have saved, made it 3-1.

But it was more preventable mishaps that had the Blues down after 20 once again.

2. Poor puck management -- There's no in between with the Blues when it comes to managing the puck. They're either really good, or they're really bad.

It wasn't egregious Tuesday, but it wasn't good enough. 

Pucks weren't on the tape regularly, they were in double digits in defensive zone turnovers again, and against the Jets, they make teams pay for puck management issues.

The Blues missed the net 18 times in the game, which is too many, and that stems from poor puck management and lack of zone time when they miss the net as often as they did.

3. Need to bear down on scoring chances -- The Blues did outshoot the Jets 38-32 for the game, and the volume was there, including a 75-61 Corsi-for advantage. 

But they just didn't bear down enough on their prime scoring chances, either missing the net, as mentioned above with the 18 missed shots, or not pouncing on rebounds left by Jets goalie Laurent Brossoit.

Brossoit left a big rebound on Buchnevich's goal in the first and left a number of others, but the Blues just didn't bury the chances they did get against a very stingy side.

The St. Louis Blues should have learned their lesson the last game when they came out porous and flat in a lopsided loss against the Detroit Red Wings.

It was more of the same on Tuesday in a 4-2 loss against the Winnipeg Jets, the Blues' fifth in seven games, but for captain Brayden Schenn, he was seeing it before the first period breakdowns would begin.

Blues player of the game vs. Jets: Brayden Schenn (2:23)

Schenn, my player of the game, squared off with Jets captain Adam Lowry, who is listed at 6-foot-5, 210 pounds, or four inches and 11 pounds heavier and with a longer reach that Schenn, who by the way held his own quite nicely in the tussle at 6:53 of the first period that forced Lowry to head to the locker room for unknown reasons, perhaps for some repairs of some sort.

But it wasn't long after that when the Blues (30-26-2) started making mistakes, fell behind 3-1 and were chasing a game they were close to catching at one point but would not do so.

As for Schenn, he created a nice, solid forecheck that created a turnover and resulted in a Brandon Saad goal at 9:03 of the second period to cut the Winnipeg lead to 3-2.

Schenn finished with a plus-1 (the only plus player for the Blues on the night) with three shots on goal and was 50 percent (5-for-10) in the dot.

He should be commended for trying to light the spark his team needed, but as usual, his teammates didn't back up their captain, which also warrants a valid question: why does Schenn seemingly always need to be the guy to light a fire when necessary?

That's a debate for another time, but for Tuesday, he's my player of the game.

Even though hypotheticals can go a number of different ways, let's play one here anyway as the St. Louis Blues (30-25-2) open a back-to-back set against the Winnipeg Jets (36-15-5) today at 7 p.m. (BSMW, ESPN 101.1-FM) at Canada Life Centre.

Morning skate report vs. Jets (2-27-24) (2:57)

When the Blues hosted the Nashville Predators on Feb. 17, a win would have put the Blues six points ahead of the Predators, a pretty good hill to climb in the chase for the Western Conference wild card.

But a 5-2 loss in that game set the Predators on a blazing trail of five straight wins, they pulled within two points of the Blues on that day, and 10 days later, the Blues are now chasing Nashville, four points behind the Predators, tied in points (62) with the Minnesota Wild, and one point ahead of the Seattle Kraken and Calgary Flames.

The Blues have lost four of six games after Saturday's embarrassing 6-1 loss against the Detroit Red Wings and now go into a two-game stretch here against the Jets and Edmonton Oilers, then get the red-hot Wild in town on Saturday.

The standings matter, and the players are paying attention, as they should be. Yeah, giddy-up.

"Obviously right. We look at it every day," Blues forward Jordan Kyrou said. "We're right there fighting with like four, five teams right now. Pretty much we're in the playoff grind right now."

The Blues have, in recent months, responded well to losses, especially when those losses look as dreadful as the one on Saturday. They better be moving forward, but the narrative should be that if they want to stay in this race, there shouldn't -- and can't be -- any clunkers like the ones that have been there the past 10 games.

"I feel like we've responded well," Blues interim coach Drew Bannister said. "If you look at coming off both Toronto games where we didn't play well, we came out against Edmonton and played well. Nashville game we didn't play well, played well against the Islanders. Typically, when we haven't played well, especially against good teams and we played well, I expect that response again, and I'm sure if you ask the players, they're going to be ready for that game."

The theme on Monday at practice was coming right out of the gates and battling with some heavy contact drills, working the walls, winning puck battles.

The Blues most certainly didn't have that when they fell behind 33 seconds into the game Saturday and were down 3-0 before the folks at Little Caesars Arena had the chance to settle into their seats. It was 4-0 by the end of the first period, and it was game over.

"We have to be more competitive right from the start," Bannister said. 'Starting that in practice sends a message of when it comes game time, when the puck drops, we've got to be ready to compete and battle for pucks.

"I thought the guys worked hard. It wasn't an easy day by any means, it wasn't a flow day. There was, if you were watching, a lot of forechecking drills, a lot of drills where there was contact. I thought the guys competed hard. That's something that moving forward that if we're going to have success, whether it's starting on time and making sure we're coming up with more pucks, winning wall battles and getting to our forecheck, we're more direct, can sustain more offense for us, more time in the offensive zone."

- - -

Blues defenseman Justin Faulk, who was activated off long-term injured reserve on Monday after missing 12 games with a lower-body injury, will return tonight and play alongside Torey Krug.

- - -

Let's see how the players that were benched in the third period on Saturday (Robert Thomas, Jordan Kyrou and Kasperi Kapanen) respond tonight. Bannister and Kyrou addressed it following practice on Monday.

Despite being benched on Saturday and playing a season-low 12:03, Thomas comes into the game with 21 points (three goals, 18 assists) the past 14 games, with only three of those games with zero points.

- - -

The Blues' projected lineup:

Pavel Buchnevich-Robert Thomas-Jordan Kyrou

Zachary Bolduc-Brayden Schenn-Jake Neighbours

Brandon Saad-Kevin Hayes-Kasperi Kapanen

Alexey Toropchenko-Oskar Sundqvist-Nathan Walker

Nick Leddy-Colton Parayko

Torey Krug-Justin Faulk

Marco Scandella-Scott Perunovich

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

Healthy scratches include Sammy Blais, Nikita Alexandrov and Tyler Tucker. The Blues report no injuries.

- - -

The Jets' projected lineup:

Kyle Connor-Mark Scheifele-Gabriel Vilardi

Nikolaj Ehlers-Sean Monahan-Alex Iafallo

Nino Niederreiter-Adam Lowry-Mason Appleton

Morgan Barron-Vladislav Namestnikov-Cole Perfetti

Josh Morrissey-Dylan DeMelo

Brenden Dillon-Neal Pionk

Dylan Samberg-Nate Schmidt

Laurent Brossoit will start in goal; Connor Hellebuyck will be the backup.

Healthy scratches include David Gustafsson, Rasmus Kupari and Logan Stanley. The Jets report no injuries.

The Hockey News Archive

Joel Hofer has talked about going to Canada Life Centre as a kid and watching the Winnipeg Jets as a fan.

A native Winnipegger, the 23-year-old goalie has faced his hometown team already, shutting them out on 33 saves last season at Enterprise Center, but this will be a different element.

Blues player to watch vs. Jets: Joel Hofer (2:18)

Hofer will face the Jets in his hometown for the first time today at 7 p.m. and there will be, and should be, a different feel for him.

The spotlight will be on him, family and friends will be in attendance, and under such circumstances, I expect Hofer to perform well and at the very least, give the Blues (30-25-2) a chance to win the game.

Hofer comes into the game 10-9-0 with a 2.91 goals-against average and .910 save percentage, and it seems when the microscope has been placed on him, he's come out smelling like a rose.

It's been no surprise that a Blues goalie has been asked to hold the fort together. And I expect nothing short of a solid performance once again.

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- Move over Vincent Trocheck, you have company.

The Saginaw Spirits of the Ontario Hockey League made sure of it when they retired the No. 22 worn by St. Louis Blues forward Brandon Saad.

The @SpiritHockey retire Brandon Saad's #22 🎥

The 2x Stanley Cup champion, who starred in Saginaw from 2010-2012, joins former teammate Vincent Trocheck as the only players to have their jerseys raised to the rafters at the @DowEventCenter 👏 pic.twitter.com/bgJLJCee2j

— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) February 24, 2024

The Spirits honored Saad on Friday prior to their game against the North Bay Battalion at the Dow Event Center with family and friends in attendance.

"It's a huge honor," Saad said on Monday. "It was fun to be able to get back there, a lot of memories. Obviously to see your number retired, it's a huge honor."

The timing was right for Saad to make an appearance for the first time since he last dressed for the Spirit in the second of two seasons playing there. The Blues were playing the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday and Saad was able to make the 1.5 hour drive north for the festivities.

View the original article to see embedded media.

"'Goose' [Spirit president and managing partner Craig Goslin] asked me to do it, but it's just finding a time to do it. It's an amazing experience. I got to have some of my family come down. Overall, it's just a great accomplishment."

Saad played two seasons with the Spirits from 2010-12 and registered 131 points (61 goals, 70 assists) in 103 regular-season games, and 29 points (11 goals, 18 assists) in 24 OHL playoff games in what he called two of the greatest years he's spent in hockey.

"Yeah, leaving home and maturing as a person and as a hockey player, playing that amount of games, having success, it's always part of the goal to becoming an NHL player, so I think it was a huge part of it," Saad said.

Congratulations to Brandon Saad, whose #22 was retired by @SpiritHockey in a pregame ceremony this weekend. Saad is the second alum to have his number retired by the junior team. #stlblues pic.twitter.com/cGeDqzRP0l

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) February 25, 2024

Saad's banner was unveiled next to that of Trocheck, who currently is a center for the New York Rangers and who wore No. 89 in Saginaw.

"We're the only two and it's pretty cool and we're both Pittsburgh boys," Saad said. "It's pretty cool that we both get to have those up there together."

Saad has gone on and put up 482 points (243 goals, 239 assists) in 838 NHL regular-season games with the Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Colorado Avalanche and the Blues; he's got 111 points (59 goals, 52 assists) in 206 games in three seasons with the Blues.

"Just enjoy the ride and have some fun," Saad said of what he would tell this generation of Saginaw players looking to make it in the NHL. "At times it gets tough, but it's a great thing to be a part of is being a hockey player, whether it's junior or in the NHL. Just enjoy the ride."

The Hockey News Archive

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- Thinks went according to play for Zachary Bolduc.

Now the St. Louis Blues' 2021 first-round pick (17th overall) can focus on playing hockey.

In just his second NHL game, Bolduc scored against the Detroit Red Wings in a 6-1 loss.

The forward would have preferred it come in a win, but now Bolduc can move past the nerves, the anxiety, the anticipation of what that feeling feels like and settle in while learning on the fly.

Zack Bolduc's eventful week continues! Happy birthday, kid 🎉 pic.twitter.com/IEo6cbvfPo

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) February 24, 2024

"Feels good," Bolduc said Monday. "You always want to score your first goal as quick as possible. Pretty lucky I did it in two games. Now looking forward to winning important games coming up right now.

"I can just play my game now and try to help the team to win some games."

View the original article to see embedded media.

Bolduc scored in the slot against Red Wings goalie Alex Lyon.

"It was a 1-on-3. Just before that, [Nathan] Walker did a good play too to play a puck for 'Saader,'" Bolduc said. "They both did a really good play on that. I just went with the feeling and shoot where I think there was a hole there."

FIRST CAREER GOAL ALERT! Zack Bolduc with a birthday present for himself. What a moment! #stlblues pic.twitter.com/TNBr9SG43y

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) February 24, 2024

The messages were coming in left and right, including from his parents, who will be in St. Louis to see his first NHL game against the Minnesota Wild on Saturday.

"A lot of congrats," Bolduc said. 'Big day yesterday answering all day. (Parents) reached out and were so happy for me. They are really excited to come and see me play live."

Bolduc took advantage of Blues interim coach Drew Bannister shortening the bench in the third period after benching forwards Robert Thomas, Jordan Kyrou and Kasperi Kapanen and played 15:38, had five shot attempts, one hit and one blocked shot.

"I thought he played a good game," Bannister said of Bolduc. "He scored, but he did some good things. There were some mistakes in his game that he made as a young player, but I thought overall he played well. I thought he took advantage of his ice time that he got and it was a game that was easy because I thought he was doing good things. He was able to get a little more ice time and that's good for a young player like that to be able to play in those conditions (against) a good hockey team, contribute at least and get more ice time in situations where he can have success.

A souvenir that he'll keep forever. Félicitations @zack_bolduc! #stlblues pic.twitter.com/adrUb6BA2g

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) February 25, 2024

"I think he's still learning the game a little bit. There was times in practice today where I find him away from the puck a little bit more where he needs to support the puck and support his teammates a little bit more. That's just understanding the game and the situation, but I think overall when you look at the body of work over the last two games, he's done a good job of managing the game properly and being in the right spots and supporting his teammates. He's created some opportunities for himself offensively but hasn't hurt us defensively at all."

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- St. Louis Blues fans didn't take too well Monday when the team assigned defenseman Matthew Kessel to Springfield of the American Hockey League.

After all, the 23-year-old had made a favorable impression the moment he was recalled from the Thunderbirds on Dec. 30 to make his season debut against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

My thoughts on Blues assigning Matthew Kessel to Springfield (2-26-24) (4:29)

But when Faulk was activated off long-term injured reserve on Monday expecting to make his return after missing the past 12 games with a lower-body injury, the easiest course of action in order to create a roster spot was assigning Kessel to Springfield.

Kessel is waivers-exempt, and other candidates [Tyler Tucker, Nikita Alexandrov, Scott Perunovich] all need to clear waivers in order to get re-assigned, and with Kessel's play flatlining here recently, something not unexpected considering it's the defensive position and a young player learning on the go, the Blues made their choice.

At least for the time being. But that doesn't say Kessel, who had two assists in 22 games this season, won't be back. As a matter of fact, he will.

"We've asked a lot from him," Bannister said of Kessel. "He's been playing top four minutes. We've thrown him into the fire here and he's played exceptionally well, but you do see it. His game's kind of started to draw back a little bit, his patience with the puck. You like his physicality, but now, plays have to happen quicker off his stick.

View the original article to see embedded media.

"For him, it's an eye-opening situation where now we're in the midst of some really important hockey games and it's a battle every night, every shift, every game is important. They're tough minutes that he's played and you can kind of see him in his development. He's learning to be a pro, he's learning what it takes to become a pro and how hard it is to become a good pro. But when you look at the body of work that he did, we weren't putting him in as a five or six defenseman. He came in and had to play tough minutes against real good players, and I thought nights, he excelled for that. As a young player, I think the drop-off is a little bit expected, but you'd like to see a bounce back a little bit quicker with 'Kess.' I think moving forward here, just his play, sometimes it's good to just get a reset and watch and take a deep breath and get yourself back where he needs to be."

Kessel played 15 or more minutes in 20 of 22 games this season, mostly on a pairing with Torey Krug and was a minus-4, including a minus-3 in Saturday's loss.

"I don't think they're bad habits. I think it's just his decision making's got to be quicker," Bannister said. "I thought when he first came up, he played within himself, he kept things simple, he got pucks up to our forwards, he was hard to defend. Now, instead of making that first play that was available, I think he's looking to upgrade at times and seeing if there's the next play. That's when you get yourself in trouble because the game happens so quick. And when you turn the puck over, it's coming the other way, then you're forcing yourself to defend, you're playing in zone and you're getting worn down. I felt like over the last couple weeks, that was kind of creeping into his game more often than not."

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- Robert Thomas, Jordan Kyrou and Kasperi Kapanen were each on the ice for the St. Louis Blues on Monday for practice at Centene Community Ice Center just two days after being benched in a 6-1 thumping at the hands of the Detroit Red Wings.

Thomas and Kyrou each got a limited shift of less than a minute in the third period, while Kapanen didn't see the ice at all in the final 20 minutes.

Kasperi Kapanen (right) did not play a shift for the Blues in the third period of a 6-1 loss against the Red Wings on Saturday.

Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

Each player was back on his respective line Monday, with Thomas centering the top line with Kyrou and Pavel Buchnevich, and Kapanen was on right wing with Brandon Saad and Kevin Hayes.

Thomas and Kapanen didn't speak to reporters after practice Monday, but Kyrou addressed the benching and said there's an understanding between the players and interim coach Drew Bannister, who benched Buchnevich in a loss against the Tampa Bay Lightning earlier in the season and made defenseman Marco Scandella a healthy scratch.

"It was just a bad game overall by everyone," Kyrou said. "We just need to be better as a group. It's kind of like a message to everyone. It's playoff time, we've all got to be ready to play.

"I'm definitely more motivated for sure. It's the playoff hunt right now, so everyone's got to be on top of their games."

All three skaters finished the game with a season-low for minutes played, with Thomas playing 12:03, Kyrou 10:34 and Kapanen 8:48. The trio was a combined minus-5.

Robert Thomas: 12:03 ice time, minus-2, one minor penalty, 6./5 on face-offs, zero shot attempts.

Jordan Kyrou: 10:34 ice time, minus-2, one missed shot. #stlblues

— Lou Korac (@lkorac10) February 24, 2024

"I talked to each individual player, as I would," Bannister said. "I'm not going to leave that alone. I think it's on me to explain it in person, face to face with them and what the expectation was and what my thought process was. And just so we're clear, those three players weren't the only players that didn't show up in that game. You don't find yourself 4-0 behind or 6-1 after the game and think that 17 other players were playing to their expectation. We need, whether it's the top players or the players supporting them, to meet their expectations, and there's going to be nights where they're not at their best. That's just over an 82-game season. You're not always going to get a perfect game out of them. But as long as the effort's there and the commitment to play a team game and what we're trying to do here, then there won't be an issue. But we felt at that time and as a staff and myself that there was a message that had to be sent. So we set the bar, and moving forward, it's going to be the same. The expectations are if you're not going to meet the expectations, you're probably going to play less."

The Blues, who are currently on the outside looking in as far as the Western Conference wild card four points behind the Nashville Predators, were behind 3-0 less than six minutes into the game Saturday, including 33 seconds into it on Saturday with both Thomas and Kyrou on the ice when Patrick Kane scored.

Bannister spoke to each individual and allowed the air to come out on both ends of what the expectations are and now the expectation is for each player to respond accordingly. He feels they received the message accordingly.

"Very good. They're professionals," Bannister said. "Let's be honest, I've been there before, I didn't like it. I don't like being that person on the bench that doesn't get to be out there and compete with your teammates. They're not happy with the situation, but they understand it, and they understand that they need to be better for our team.

View the original article to see embedded media.

"They're all character players. Not one of them weren't disappointed in themselves. I guess I leave it that. They expect more from themselves and I have no question that they're going to do everything in their power to make sure that we're ready to start and they're going to be contributors in a positive way for our team."

Thomas and Kyrou are each the highest paid players on the team making an average annual value of $8.125 million and it goes to show the coaches aren't going to give free passes out with the team in dire straits for points.

"Just like you said, it's a message to everyone," Kyrou said. "Going forward here, we're in that playoff push, we're in that grinder now. We've all got to be dialed in and ready to go each game. Every game's huge for us right now."

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- Once the physical contact began, the writing was on the wall for St. Louis Blues defenseman Justin Faulk.

And not long after practice concluded Monday prior to a quick two-game trip to games Tuesday against the Winnipeg Jets and Wednesday against the Edmonton Oilers, the Blues announced that Faulk has been activated off long-term injured reserve from a lower-body injury and that defenseman Matthew Kessel had been assigned to Springfield of the American Hockey League to make room for the 32-year-old.

Faulk, who has missed the past 12 games when he was injured in a 4-3 win against the Calgary Flames, was paired at practice Monday at Centene Community Ice Center with Torey Krug.

View the original article to see embedded media.

"I think there's a good opportunity that we'll get him in one of the games, if not both of the games," Blues coach Drew Bannister said of Faulk after practice on Monday. "We'll see [Tuesday] how he's feeling after today. Today was probably the first full practice that he participated in where there was some contact and physicality. By all accounts, I think he felt pretty good coming out of it, but I think we'll wait and see how he feels tomorrow."

Faulk, who has 19 points (two goals, 17assists) in 40 games, also missed five games when he sustained a lower-body injury Dec. 29 against the Colorado Avalanche, then returned for five games before re-injuring himself.

Faulk has practiced for the past week, and Monday was his first full contact with the team.

It was over quickly.

The Detroit Red Wings wasted little time in putting the St. Louis Blues down for the count, and delivered the knockout punch before people could even get into their seats at Little Caesars Arena on Saturday.

Three keys in Blues' 6-1 loss against Red Wings (2-24-24) (4:36)

In a lethargic display, the Red Wings (31-20-6) had the Blues (20-25-2) down three goals within the game's first 5 1/2 minutes en route to a 6-1 beating.

There was plenty of ugly to go around for the Blues, who have not dropped four of their past six after winning seven of eight and by the end of the day, could be on the outside looking in on the Western Conference playoff chase with just 25 games remaining.

Jordan Binnington, who was pulled after the first period, and Joel Hofer, were each made sacrificial lambs in a game in which the Blues just didn't come ready to play for a noon local time puck drop.

The lone bright spot was Zack Bolduc's first NHL goal in an otherwise forgettable morning and afternoon in Motown in front of a national television audience on ABC.

Let's get into the three keys of this loss:

1. Not ready from the drop of the puck -- The Blues must have missed when the puck was dropped because it was evident from the word 'go,' that they were not ready for this game.

They started the fourth line, which they've done regularly the past handful of games or so, but it couldn't get a puck in deep, and after a quick line change, the Red Wings were off to the races against the flat-footed Blues, and nemesis Patrick Kane made it 1-0 just 33 seconds into the game, and it was a prelude of things to come.

2. Poor puck management/turnovers -- The Blues didn't seem to get the message after Thursday's 4-0 win against the New York Islanders when interim coach Drew Bannister spoke after the game, and Brayden Schenn on Friday, of getting into a track meet once the game was 3-0. 

It was odd-man rush after odd-man rush for the Red Wings in the early going, and goals by Michael Rasmussen and former Blue Robby Fabbri, despite the lucky bounce on Kasperi Kapanen's attempted clear off Fabbri and in, were goal Nos. 2 and 3 and essentially put the game out of reach because of the Blues' inability to put a singular pass together and/or get pucks in to establish any sort of forecheck to try and slow the game down.

Bannister said postgame the Blues had 20-24 turnovers in the first period(!) alone, and against good, skill, rush players, it was a recipe for disaster, and the result speaks volumes.

3. No-show from top players -- Bannister made the decision to bench top-end players Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou for all but one shift in the third period; Kasperi Kapanen was parked on the bench for the entire third period.

Thomas has been on a scoring tear as of late (21 points on three goals, 18 assists the previous 13 games), but he and Kyrou were on the ice and caught out of position and unaware of their defensive duties on Kane's opening-minute goal, and that top line turned the puck over in the offensive zone that led to an odd-man rush for the second goal at 4:21.

Brayden Schenn missed what looked like a slam-dunk goal at the end of the Blues' first period, and it just seemed like from start to finish, the top-end guys did not bring their best in an important game.

And for the second time this season, Bannister has made an example out of the top-end guys who don't perform up to standards; he benched Pavel Buchnevich earlier this season in a 6-1 loss against the Tampa Bay Lightning.  

Drew Bannister has been down this road before, and it's one the St. Louis Blues interim coach would rather not drive down.

But he was down that pathway on Saturday when Bannister benched his two highest-paid players, forwards Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou, for all but one shift in the third period, and kept forward Kasperi Kapanen on the bench for the entire third period of a 6-1 loss against the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena on Saturday.

View the original article to see embedded media.

Thomas and Kyrou each was a minus-2 in the game and each logged a season-low in ice time (Thomas, 12:03; Kyrou, 10:34). Each played a 39-second shift from 7:15 to 7:54 and never hit the ice again.

Thomas took a slashing penalty that led to a Red Wings 5-on-3 for 1:13 that the Blues killed; he had no shot attempts in the game.

Thomas came into the game with 21 points (three goals, 18 assists) the past 13 games.

Kyrou had just one shot attempt. 

Also, Kasperi Kapanen logged a season-low 8:48 and didn't see the ice in the third period with just one shot on goal; he has just three assists in the past 14 games but hasn't scored in any of those games. Kapanen's last goal came Dec. 29 at Pittsburgh. 

Check out Bannister's comments on the situation below:

“Certainly we need better from all of our group, we need better from our best players if we’re going to be able to win hockey games on the road.”

Brayden Schenn, Zack Bolduc and Drew Bannister speak to the media after today’s game in Detroit. #stlblues pic.twitter.com/xn2UFORLCD

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) February 24, 2024

Zack Bolduc made his NHL debut on Thursday in a 4-0 win against the New York Islanders on Thursday and even though he only played 9:57, the 2021 first-round pick didn't look out of place.

Bolduc comes into the NHL with the mantra of being a scorer, and in his second game, he was the lone bright spot (among skaters not a goalie) when he scored his first NHL goal in a 6-1 drubbing at the hands of the Detroit Red Wings.

Blues player of the game vs. Red Wings: Zack Bolduc (2:06)

Joel Hofer, who replaced starter Jordan Binnington after the first period, had just made a terrific save at the left post on Christian Fischer, and the Blues (30-25-2) were off to the races the other way, and Bolduc found himself alone in the slot after Brandon Saad dug the puck out of the corner following a soft chip by Nathan Walker and delivered the pass before Bolduc scored on a solid wrister past Alex Lyon at 12:28 of the first period.

FIRST CAREER GOAL ALERT! Zack Bolduc with a birthday present for himself. What a moment! #stlblues pic.twitter.com/TNBr9SG43y

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) February 24, 2024

Bolduc finished with 15:38 ice time; he was an even plus-minus, had five shot attempts (two on goal), one hit and one blocked shot and is worthy of player of the game honors.

It's two games, long way to go for the 17th overall pick in 2021. He's going to have ups and downs, just like any kid getting his feet wet in the league, but he'll always remember his first NHL goal ... and on his 21st birthday.

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- Zachary Bolduc felt the nerves at peak maximum as he was walking through the tunnel knowing the moment had arrived.

The 17th pick in the 2021 NHL Draft knew he'd be skating out onto the Enterprise Center ice for the pregame warmup ahead of a matchup against the New York Islanders on Thursday alone, and he had to just soak it all in.

Zachary Bolduc, a first-round pick by the Blues in 2021, made his NHL debut on Thursday against the New York Islanders.

Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

"I was excited, I was stressed, I was proud," Bolduc said Friday. "A lot of emotion.

"That stress after my first shift was gone. I'm pretty happy to have the chance to play that game yesterday and really looking forward to the next game."

Bolduc, 20, didn't make an immediate impact on the scoresheet for the Blues in their 4-0 win, but he finally got a taste of life in the NHL after being recalled from Springfield of the American Hockey League on Wednesday.

"I think I did pretty well," Bolduc said. "With at the excitement and stress that game brought to me, so I'm pretty happy with the way I played. I'm lucky I played with 'Schenner' and 'Neighbs'. They made my job a lot easier. It's fun to put that one in the back pack and look forward."

Bolduc logged 9:57 ice time and had one shot on goal and even was able to get 1:35 of power-play time at the end of the game to get his feet wet even more.

It was a tough game to gauge for him with the two teams playing specialty teams for much of the game, a surprise since they are two of the least-penalized teams in the NHL.

View the original article to see embedded media.

"Both teams got five penalties, so it was hard to get some rhythm through that," Bolduc said. 'But I think I did a good job. I kept myself in the game. I made a few turnovers, but all in all, I think I did well my first game."

Blues interim coach Drew Banister even said as much in the postgame that Bolduc had to sit for longer stretches because of the special teams play.

"Yeah, that was a hard game for him to play in," Bannister said. "I think we had 10 penalties over both teams. But I thought he showed a lot of maturity. It's a tough game to play in for a young player.

"It's hard to understand when you're a young player playing in your first NHL game. It's an emotional game and there's a lot of work that goes into getting to this point, being able to step on the ice with other National Hockey League players and a lot of sacrifice by families. So it's an emotional game and I thought he did a real good job to keep himself engaged in the game and us trying to find him some ice time to reward him for that. But I thought overall, he played very well."

Bolduc was put in situations where he was playing with Brayden Schenn and Jake Neighbours, along with Kevin Hayes and Brandon Saad.

"It was a weird game, hard game just with penalties and the flow and stuff like that, but he worked hard," Schenn said. "You can tell he was excited out there. There's definitely something there. He's big, he's got skill, he's got poise. One game and keep on working. One thing about him is he's very receptive, willing to learn and just loves being around the guys.

"I think the biggest thing is pace, moving your feet, especially when he has speed and he's able to score goals, it's that next level of trying to find the openings. If you watch the top-end scorers in the league, they're always moving their feet or trying to find holes. He has the ability to be that one guy one day."

And by being put in right situations, it meant offensive zone draws.

"Drew told me that he was going to put me in good situations," Bolduc said. "I'm pretty lucky and have trust in my coach. It was pretty awesome.

"The guys are always at the right place at the right time. They're faster, smarter. It's harder, but it's easier at the same time, so it's going to be fun to build from that game. The pressure is coming quicker, you've got to shoot quicker, you've got to do everything faster. It was a good test and I'm really looking forward to the second game tomorrow."

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- The St. Louis Blues not only spent Thursday winning a hockey game, but they also spent it setting a franchise record as well.

So why after a 4-0 win in which they set a new team record for fastest three goals in 32 seconds, breaking the old record by four seconds, were they somewhat disappointed?

Hats reigned down on the ice at Enterprise Center on Thursday after Pavel Buchnevich (89) scored a hat trick for the Blues in a 4-0 win against the Islanders. 

Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

"To be honest with you, I didn't like the way we played after that," Blues interim coach Drew Bannister said after gaining the 3-0 lead in the second period. "I thought we got caught in a track meet. When we're in a game like that, we've got to be more disciplined with how we manage our game."

The Islanders began to push the pace, and in fairness, the Blues were getting some quality Grade A looks, but they were also passing up chances to shoot to score, over-passed and pucks would wind up getting behind players and allowing the Islanders to turn back into odd-man rushes.

Thanks to Jordan Binnington and his 38-save shutout, the lead never evaporated.

"We've just got to do a better job of not getting sucked into that and just taking care of pucks," Blues captain Brayden Schenn said. "Even though you have momentum and stuff like that, you play the right way, that game could end up 4-, 5-, 6-0, whatever. You know they're going to press and they're going to take chances offensively. When we do get leads, you have to be a little bit smarter definitely, but we had 'Binner' back there and he was great last night."

Smarter, as in boring. And even though fans that pay for tickets may not want to hear that, it's the right way to play for the Blues (30-24-2), who are in search of points in the standings, not style points.

View the original article to see embedded media.

"We're looking for two points right now," Schenn said. "If you're up in a game and you feel like you've got the momentum, you make the game as boring as possible and at the end of the day, we're looking for two points right now and that's all that matters."

Bannister said the Blues were dictating the play well enough when the game was scoreless. Then it all changed.

"They're going to push and they're going to hang behind and they're going to 'D' up and play a little bit more aggressive because they had to find a way to get themselves back in the game," Bannister said of the Islanders. "I thought the way we played kind of fed to that. We have to be more disciplined. I thought in the first period, not a lot of chances 5-on-5, but defensively we were pretty good. Then we came out in the second, and we played well. We did some real good things, but like I said, after that 3-0 goal, I thought we got caught in a track meet."

Maybe because the Blues know they have a backstop that can gloss over playing the risky game.

"He's been our backbone for years now, especially early on the PK made some big saves to keep it 0-0 and we kind of built off the momentum," Blues center Robert Thomas said of Binnington, who is 9-4-1 with a 2.21 goals-against average and .930 save percentage since Jan. 4. "At the end there, we've got to do a better job closing it out for him. He fought the whole way for us and we gave them too many chances at the end of the game. He was great all night."

The Hockey News Archive

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- It was imperative for the St. Louis Blues to close out a four-game homestand on Thursday with a 4-0 win against the New York Islanders because, now the fun really begins.

Or does it?

Morning skate report vs. Red Wings (2-24-24) (2:55)

Why? Because eight of the next nine games, most that lead into the March 8 NHL Trade Deadline, will be played away from Enterprise Center, including a Saturday morning tilt against the Detroit Red Wings (11 a.m.; ABC, ESPN 101.1-FM).

The Blues (30-24-2) are heading into a stretch of some ultra tough games while holding down the final wild card spot in the Western Conference.

It will be their first matchup against the Red Wings since Craig Berube was fired following that 6-4 defeat on Dec. 12 and replaced by interim coach Drew Bannister.

"Detroit's playing well right now," Blues captain Brayden Schenn said. "They're feeling it, and then you look at the other piece to that road trip with Winnipeg (Tuesday) and Edmonton (Wednesday), all three tough games. It's going to take playing together, playing as a team. The little details really matter, especially on the road. That's the little things, like not turn over pucks or creating momentum for one another on the road. Little things become important. Little things become a big thing this time of year winning hockey games the last 25 games of the year."

The Blues have won seven of their past 10 away from home, and they'll have to continue that trend when they make a pit stop for a March 2 home date with Minnesota, then head right back out for an Eastern swing through Philadelphia, the Islanders, New Jersey, New York Rangers and Boston.

"We didn't start very good on the road, but it's getting better," Schenn said. "We're playing harder on the road. We had a good stretch right there before the All-Star break. It doesn't have to be fancy on the road. Just got to get gritty and keep it simple. That's the way to be effective on the road."

That's why winning Thursday was important to finish homestand 2-2-0.

"Yeah, we've got a lot of road games coming up," said Blues center Robert Thomas, who had three assists Thursday. "We wanted to end this homestand on a high. We did a good job doing that."

- - -

The Blues practiced Friday before heading off for the Motor City, and nothing changed from a lineup standpoint.

Jordan Binnington, who blanked the Islanders on 38 saves Thursday, is projected to get the start.

Defenseman Justin Faulk (lower-body injury), who is on long-term injured reserve, skated for the fourth straight day, including third with the team.

- - -

The Blues' projected lineup:

Pavel Buchnevich-Robert Thomas-Jordan Kyrou

Zachary Bolduc-Brayden Schenn-Jake Neighbours

Brandon Saad-Kevin Hayes-Kasperi Kapanen

Alexey Toropchenko-Oskar Sundqvist-Nathan Walker

Nick Leddy-Colton Parayko

Torey Krug-Matt Kessel

Marco Scandella-Scott Perunovich

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

Healthy scratches include Sammy Blais, Nikita Alexandrov and Tyler Tucker. Justin Faulk (lower body) is out on long-term injured reserve.

- - -

The Red Wings' projected lineup:

Alex DeBrincat-Dylan Larkin-Patrick Kane

Michael Rasmussen-J.T. Compher-Lucas Raymond

David Perron-Andrew Copp-Joe Veleno

Robby Fabbri-Christian Fischer-Daniel Sprong

Jake Walman-Moritz Seider

Ben Chiarot-Jeff Petry

Olli Maatta-Shayne Gostisbehere

Alex Lyon will start in goal; James Reimer will be the backup.

Healthy scratches include Klim Kostin and Justin Holl. Ville Husso (lower body) is out.

Brandon Saad seems to have a penchant for getting into hot and cold streaks for the St. Louis Blues.

Fortunately for them these past few games, the temperature gauge seems to be rising.

Blues player to watch vs. Red Wings: Brandon Saad (1:57)

Saad once again seems to find himself in the conversation of scoring at above or near 20 goals per season, and after scoring against the New York Islanders for the third time in the past four games, the forward finds himself with 16 goals on the season and on the verge of joining the 20-goal club again.

Saad, who scored in a 6-4 loss against the Red Wings on Dec. 12 in coach Craig Berube's final game before being fired, needs to be a threat offensively with the Blues' continuance of searching for depth scoring. 

He's playing on a line with Kevin Hayes and Kasperi Kapanen, and is finding ways to contribute on the power play and this could be another spot to give the Blues much-needed offense against the Red Wings on Saturday.

ST. LOUIS -- Zachary Bolduc had his moment on Thursday.

The 17th pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, like many others in his shoes, took the ice for his NHL debut with a solo pregame lap:

Zachary Bolduc gets the solo lap for his NHL debut #stlblues ... pic.twitter.com/Uvi5If2ZxO

— Lou Korac (@lkorac10) February 23, 2024

He then faced his coach with the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League who was named New York Islanders coach earlier this season, Patrick Roy.

No, Bolduc didn't get shot out of a cannon in a 4-0 win against the Islanders on Thursday at Enterprise Center, but the forward did get that first taste of life in the NHL.

Bolduc, who was recalled from Springfield of the America Hockey League where he had 23 points (eight goals, 15 assists) in 48 games with the Thunderbirds this season, did manage to play 9:57 with one shot on goal.

"Yeah, that was a hard game for him to play in," Blues interim coach Drew Bannister said. "I think we had 10 penalties over both teams. But I thought he showed a lot of maturity. It's a tough game to play in for a young player. 

"It's hard to understand when you're a young player playing in your first NHL game. It's an emotional game and there's a lot of work that goes into getting to this point, being able to step on the ice with other National Hockey League players and a lot of sacrifice by families. So it's an emotional game and I thought he did a real good job to keep himself engaged in the game and us trying to find him some ice time to reward him for that. But I thought overall, he played very well."

View the original article to see embedded media.

Bolduc played just 2:20 in the first period and got in four shifts because of the amount of power-play time for each team.

There were eight minutes of power-play time in the period and Bolduc wasn't going to get on the ice in special teams moments, not until late in the game.

What the Blues did with him was alternate him on lines, going between playing with Brayden Schenn and Jake Neighbours and then sliding down with Brandon Saad and Kevin Hayes.

"Yeah, I just tried to keep him involved as much as I can," Bannister said. 'I didn't plan on us having to kill five penalties or being on the power play five times. I think there were going to be opportunities, whether it was offensively or if he was sitting too long to try to put him on the other line with Schenn and [Kasperi] Kapanen ... they kill. I felt comfortable with Hayes and Saad, the way they were playing, that I could use him in that situation."

Bolduc did get in on the late power play in the third period when the game was already out of hand, but it is just the start for him. He didn't seem overwhelmed, which is a nice starting point.

ST. LOUIS -- Without a whole lot going on against the New York Islanders on Thursday, the St. Louis Blues decided to alter the record books in their favor.

They opened up the Islanders quickly, swiftly and often, a blitz of three goals in 32 seconds, which established a franchise record for quickest goals in a 4-0 win on Thursday.

Three keys in Blues' 4-0 win against Islanders (2-22-24) (2:42)

"It happened pretty quick," Blues interim coach Drew Bannister said. "Obviously it worked out well for us. Put them in a difficult position, kind of chasing the game from there. To be honest with you, I didn't like the way we played after that. I thought we got caught in a track meet. When we're in a game like that, we've got to be more disciplined with how we manage our game."

That's where Jordan Binnington came into play with a 38-save performance, his third shutout of the season and 15th of his career. With his win, Binnington tied Curtis Joseph for wins in franchise history (137) and helped the Blues (30-24-2) end a two-game slide.

"Yeah, we've got a lot of road games coming up," said Blues center Robert Thomas, who had three assists, all on Pavel Buchnevich's three goals. "We wanted to end this homestand on a high. We did a good job doing that."

Let's look at the three keys to the Blues getting back on track:

1. Record-setting scoring -- It came in the blink of an eye.

First, Brandon Saad's power-play goal at 4:38, then Buchnevich seven seconds later at 4:45, and and then Buchnevich again at 5:10, and it was all over but the curtains.

3 goals in 32 seconds.

That's a new franchise record. #stlblues pic.twitter.com/tVs1gAMhxQ

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) February 23, 2024

"We talked at the bench and I was thinking it's like a minute-something, but that was kind of a surprise seeing it was 32 seconds, a very short time," Buchnevich said. "Probably first time in my career that short time we score three goals. Good stuff."

2. Jordan Binnington saves -- There were a number of them. Take your pick.

Kyle Palmieri a little over two minutes into the game; then Anders Lee's breakaway just over a minute into the second, Palmieri again in almost the same, identical spot,just at the other end of the ice, and capping it off with Mathew Barzel's glove thievery late in the third.

Have yourself a night, Jordan Binnington. #stlblues
📺: Bally Sports | 📱: Bally Sports app pic.twitter.com/yQjNFxaiSe

— Bally Sports Midwest (@BallySportsMW) February 23, 2024

"You like when you get some action and when you've got to make some saves," Binnington said. "As a goalie, it was a fun game tonight when you're feeling it. It's one game, right? We're all happy right now, but we've got to stay focused."

3. Getting back on track -- It was crucial to level the homestand.

The Blues started it off well with a big 6-3 win against the Edmonton Oilers, but they looked lethargic at times in dropping the next two, 5-2 against the Nashville Predators and 4-2 against the Toronto Maple Leafs. 

This was a must-win game to remain in the second wild card from the Western Conference with the Predators breathing down the Blues' necks.

"It's one day at a time," Binnington said. "This league is too hard to get too high. I've experienced that. Just got to stay with it and just have that passion every day and remember what you're working for."

The Blues will now play eight of their next nine on the road, so they need to buckle up.

ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Blues just know when Jordan Binnington is on.

And it doesn't take 10-bell saves to know it.

"There's not many nights he has off," Blues center Robert Thomas said. "We expect that from him every night."

Blues player of the game vs. Islanders: Jordan Binnington (1:44)

Well, they got it from the goalie again on Thursday, this time putting in another scintillating performance in making 38 saves in a 4-0 win against the New York Islanders at Enterprise Center on Thursday.

Just ask Islanders forward Kyle Palmieri, who had a Zach Hyman-like night in being thwarted time and time again, like the Edmonton Oilers forward did a week ago today, in being denied on Grade A scoring chances.

Just 2:02 into the game, Mathew Barzal was in the offensive zone corner on a New York power play with Nathan Walker in the box for hooking just 45 seconds in. Barzal was eyeing down Palmieri parked at the top of the blue paint the entire time before pinpointing a pass there.

But Binnington would would make that save and a number of others that the Islanders thought they could score on, including robbing Palmieri from an identical position at the other end of the ice in the second period and Barzal with a glove save darting in alone in the third period. 

While the Blues were setting a franchise record scoring three goals in 32 seconds in the second period, Binnington was making 20 saves in the frame.

"Unreal. I'm surprised," Buchnevich said. "I see stats like three minutes left and 20 saves in the second period. Kind of a lot. Big game for us. We need that from him going forward to be a successful team."

It was one of those impenetrable nights.

"On a night like this, where Binnington’s playing good hockey and we're getting our chances, that's a one- or maybe two-goal thing, it's still possible," said Islanders captain Anders Lee, who was denied on a second-period breakaway. "But even at the end of the day, we still weren't able to get one by him. He played a pretty solid game."

Indeed.

"We did a good job on the special teams tonight and some big penalty kills, especially the early ones there getting some touches and making some saves, getting into the game right away," Binnington said. "We never looked back. It was good."

Since Jan. 4, Binnington is now 9-4-1 with a 2.21 goals-against average and .930 save percentage.

"It's one day at a time," Binnington said. "This league is too hard to get too high. I've experienced that. Just got to stay with it and just have that passion every day and remember what you're working for."

ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Blues scored the three fastest goals in franchise history in the second period of their game against the New York Islanders at Enterprise on Thursday.

Brandon Saad's power-play goal at 4:38 made it 1-0, then Pavel Buchnevich scored seven seconds later to make it 2-0, then Buchnevich made it 3-0 at 5:10, all against Semyon Varlamov to give St. Louis a 3-0 lead.

View the original article to see embedded media.

Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou each had assists on both Buchnevich goals, which now gives him the team lead at 21.

The previous record was 36 seconds in a 6-5 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning on April 15, 1993 when Kevin Miller scored at 19:38 of the first, Bob Bassen scored at 19:48 and Bassen scored again 14 seconds into the second period. 

The Hockey News Archive