(9-27-21) Stars-Blues Preseason Gameday Lineup

By LOU KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- The Blues will insert more regulars into the lineup today when they host the Dallas Stars in the second preseason game (7 p.m.; Bally Sports app, ESPN 101.1-FM).

Brayden Schenn, Ryan O'Reilly, David Perron, Torey Krug, Justin Faulk and Jordan Kyrou will be among some of the regulars making their preseason debuts and newly-acquired Pavel Buchnevich will make his Blues debut tonight.

"There's nothing like game action," Krug said. "To get in there, get your feet wet is important for everyone as part of the process to get ready for the season."

Prospects Scott Perunovich and Jake Neighbours, who played in a 6-2 win against the Minnesota Wild on Saturday, will get another game tonight, a sign the organization continues to be high on the two draft choices and are wanting to keep getting extensive looks at them.

"Individuals are trying to impress management, coaching staff," Blues coach Craig Berube said. "There's guys fighting for jobs. I'm looking for some of that too, but overall, just playing the game the right way, the way we want it to be played, competitiveness. Effort's a big thing.
"They're the type of guys that need to play with good players. They're two young guys that are real good prospects for us amongst others. We want to see them again."

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Some of the power-play looks the Blues will utilize tonight include Neighbours with Perron, O'Reilly, Kyrou and Krug running the point, and Perron and Kyrou pulling double duty with Schenn and Buchnevich with Perunovich running the point.

"Buchnevich is guy we added to our lineup. He's got good ability on the power play, but obviously Kyrou and 'Tommer' (Robert Thomas), they're high-end ability guys with the puck that can make plays and they've been power-play guys pretty much their whole junior career," Berube said. "We're looking for those guys to evolve power play-wise in the NHL, become better at it. Tommer's had more power-play time than Kyrou for sure because he's been here longer, but they're two guys that we're counting to do a good job on the power play for sure."

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Count Berube among those not wanting to add the shootouts to preseason games. 

During the preseason, teams have the option of having a shootout at the end no matter the score, but the Blues did not do it Saturday and will not do it again tonight.

"Not necessarily. I think it's real early to be honest with you," Berube said. 'We get more out of it working on it in practice. I know that Dave Alexander and the coaches get together after a lot of practices and grab six or seven guys that are shootout guys and they work on it. I'm not sure doing it in-game in these exhibition games what you really get out of it."

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Some other news and notes of the day include Logan Brown being on the ice for the first time since the Blues acquired from the Ottawa Senators along with a 2022 conditional fourth-round pick for Zach Sanford.

Brown, who skated on a line at left wing with Ivan Barbashev and Michael Frolik with the non-game practice group, is wearing No. 22. 

If you remember, his father, defenseman Jeff Brown, who played for the Blues from 1989-1994, wore No. 21 but that number is currently held by Tyler Bozak.

"He'll be the biggest guy on the ice, about the same size as (Colton) Parayko tall-wise," Berube quipped of Logan Brown, who is 6-foot-6. "You guys will know who he is."

* Also, Berube said that assistant coach Jim Montgomery will be on the bench this season. 
Montgomery was the eye in the sky, up in the press box, last season.

"Monty will be down on the bench this year," Berube said. "He's obviously been a head coach his whole career pretty much. He has a lot of good ideas and sees the game really well and I think with him running the PK, he can be down there changing things, corrections and talk to players. He's got a lot of good insight."

* Defenseman Marco Scandella will be among the last of the regulars to get into a preseason game.

Scandella did not play Saturday and is not in the lineup tonight.

"It's just the way we designed it," Berube said. "He's going to play. I didn't have him in the first two games."

The next chance will be Wednesday when the Blues travel to Columbus to face the Blue Jackets.

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The Blues' projected lineup:

David Perron-Ryan O'Reilly-Jordan Kyrou

Jake Neighbours-Brayden Schenn-Pavel Buchnevich

Mackenzie MacEachern-Nikita Alexandrov-Sam Anas

Nolan Stevens-Tanner Dickinson-Nathan Walker

Scott Perunovich-Justin Faulk

Torey Krug-Niko Mikkola

Tyler Tucker-Calle Rosen

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

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The Stars' projected lineup:

Riley Tufte-Ty Dellandrea-Tye Felhaber

Jacob Peterson-Riley Damiani-Nick Caamano

Rhett Gardner-Mavrik Bourque-Joel L’Esperance

Fredrik Karlstrom-Oskar Back-Tanner Kero

Thomas Harley-Jani Hakanpaa

Joel Hanley-Joseph Cecconi

Jerad Rosburg-Ben Gleason

Braden Holtby will start in goal; Jake Oettinger will be the backup.