Santini recalled, could make season debut in Game 3

Defenseman called up under emergency conditions with status of Leddy, 

Scandella, Bortuzzo unknown with series shifting to St. Louis

By LOU KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- The Blues are back dipping into their American Hockey League pool of recalls among their defenseman when they called up Steven Santini from Springfield under emergency conditions on Thursday.

(St. Louis Blues photo)

With three defensemen down at the moment, a bigger responsibility could

be played in front of Blues defenseman Colton Parayko (right).

With the Blues down three defenseman at the moment, including Marco Scandella (lower-body injury), Nick Leddy (undisclosed but believed to be upper-body) and Robert Bortuzzo, who took that puck off the side of the head/ear off the stick of Joel Eriksson Ek in the first period of Game 2 Wednesday, could miss Game 3 on Friday and thrust Santini into the lineup with the series tied 1-1.

The 27-year-old has appeared in 119 NHL regular-season games and played for the Blues in two of their four games in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs last year against the Colorado Avalanche.

When asked if there's a chance Santini could make his season debut in Game 3 on Friday (8:30 p.m.; BSMW, TNT, ESPN 101.1-FM), Berube said, "There's a chance. We've got to see how guys are. Day to day to rest and see how they feel tomorrow. Then we'll go from there, but we need to make sure. We've got to get a guy in just to be ready.

"... He's not going to wow you with the puck play or anything like that, but he's going to make simple plays and he's going to play hard and he's going to battle at the net and do things like that. He's going to try and make it difficult for the other team."

Scandella, who has missed the past three games since the knee-on-knee collision with Avalanche's Nico Sturm, a former Wild forward by coincidence, skated again today along with Scott Perunovich.

"He's been skating," Berube said. "I think it's more just trying to keep him going here as best as we can. If he feels like he comes in and is skating and he feels better, you never know. I think it's just trying to keep him going."

None of the others skated. It was more of a rest day.

"I haven't seen everybody," Berube said. "I really don't have an answer for you there."
Santini has dressed in 66 games for the Thunderbirds this season and has 18 points (two goals, 16 assists); he has 22 points (five goals, 17 assists) in the NHL.

"He's obviously a real good leader down there," Berube said of Santini. "He gives you everything he has every shift. There's no doubt about that. He's a difficult guy to play against, he's physical and just simple with the puck. That's his game."

Berube did mention earlier in the week that Perunovich could be available "sooner than you think," which was a bit surprising considering the left-handed d-man is coming off left wrist surgery. He's skated in full since the playoffs have started.

"I think he's making progress," Berube said. "He's skating and he's doing more with his wrist. He's getting better and better. A timeline on it, that's tough for me to give you a timeline because it boils down to when he starts doing the puck battling and the battling and things like that, that's what's really going to test it."

(St. Louis Blues photo)

Blues defenseman Calle Rosen made his NHL playoff debut in Game 2

against the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday.

Berube hinted at some good news regarding Bortuzzo, who could have come away from his injury a whole lot worse.

"Yeah, that's a tough play, real tough play," Berube said. "Glad he came out of it alright. Not too hurt, you know what I mean. That could have been dangerous. That was fortunate.

"He lays it on the line all the time, right? No matter what. When there's a broken play like that, that's what he does. He goes down and tries to block things and help out the best he can. It's a tough play."

Blues fall to Wild, 6-2 in Game 2 but actually didn't play poorly

Team played well in to begin game before bad luck struck, then a deficit, 

then a pushback, only to succumb in the end and even best-of-7 series 1-1 

By LOU KORAC
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- It started with a broken stick.

A play that's been executed countless times, and it resulted in a broken frickin stick.

(St. Louis Blues photo)

The Blues and Robert Thomas (left), trying to evade Wild defenseman

Jonas Brodin Wednesday, ran into some bad luck in Game 2.

A piece of equipment that should be the least of a player's worry. But here we are, talking about something that persistently happens in 2022. 

Again and again and again.

It's not the first time, and unfortunately, certainly won't be the last.

Up to the point when Robert Bortuzzo was trying to make a simple cross ice pass, his stick obliterated in half, like breaking a potato stick. These things cost hundreds of dollars for the players, only to be rendered useless. 

Bortuzzo's broken stick led to Joel Eriksson Ek's fortuitous goal, on Minnesota's first shot of the game, that ultimately led to a three-goal first period in a 6-2 Wild win over the Blues in Game 2 on Wednesday at Xcel Energy Center to even the best-of-7 series 1-1.

Up until that point, at the 9:33 mark of the first period, the Blues, down two of their top six defensemen due to injury (Nick Leddy and Marco Scandella) and down to five defenseman after Bortuzzo took an Eriksson Ek shot to the side of the head blocking a shot with 1:44 left in the period, were playing well. They actually had the kind of jump on the road that led to believe they would go up 2-0 in this series.

They were active, they were playing in the offensive zone with more efficiency than in a 4-0 win in Game 1 but had nothing to show for it.

Then, it happened.

After getting a pass from Calle Rosen, who replaced Leddy in the lineup, Bortuzzo had his head up, was looking for Robert Thomas streaking through the left side in the neutral zone. Instead of a zip pass in stride, Bortuzzo's stick shattered like someone put it through a saw right onto the stick of Jordan Greenway, who happened to be in the right place at the right time. 

Now Bortuzzo is without a stick, and Rosen is left to fend a 2-on-1 in front of Ville Husso. A pass into the right circle resulted on Eriksson Ek's one-timer and Minnesota's first goal of the series on their first shot. 

Now the home side has momentum that gave the crowd a reason to amp up the noise level and energy. Two power-play goals later on netfront presence, and the Wild led 3-0 leaving the Blues a little shell-shocked.

"Yeah, a couple bad breaks," Blues coach Craig Berube said. "That's the way it goes. Our guys competed all 60 minutes, played hard. You've got to try and find a way to get some second and third opportunities around the paint a little bit more, and (Marc-Andre) Fleury made some big saves (for the Wild)."

The Wild actually played a pretty good game in losing Game 1; the Blues had to feel the same, and after outshooting Minnesota 10-7 in the opening period, they had to feel somewhat frustrated.

"I liked our start," said Blues center Robert Thomas, who assisted on both goals Wednesday. "They capitalized on some power plays so that gave them some momentum. You know, a stick broke on the first one, so stuff like that happens. But I like the way we came out, we were flying and playing well."

They were, but a mistake by Vladimir Tarasenko led to Eriksson Ek's second of the game 51 seconds into the second made it 4-0 and made the uphill climb that much more daunting.

But the Blues, who pumped 34 shots on Fleury, pushed back. They got a Jordan Kyrou goal at 12:34 of the second to make it 4-1 and had multiple other chances to inch closer before the period ended. The Blues pretty much had the Wild on their heels for three-fourths of that period.

"I thought we had a lot of good o-zone time tonight," Berube said. "I just think we were a little bit on the outside too much and they did a good job against us too. We've got to get on the inside, we've got to get to the net. We've got to get traffic on him."

"I liked our push even throughout the whole game," Thomas said. "I thought 5-on-5, we played pretty well. I think we're pretty happy with (that). I mean it felt like we were coming on, coming on. And a couple posts, a couple crossbars -- and (Fleury) made some big saves over there, so you've got to give him some credit. But I think we ought to be happy with our push and clean up a couple areas. We're happy with our game."

Another push came in the third period, and Tarasenko's goal, a one-timer from the right circle, at 4:14 made it 4-2 and made some behinds pucker among the 19,376 in attendance. And the Blues pushed really, really hard for that third goal and nearly had it on several occasions, including a Brayden Schenn one-timer from the right circle that was kicked out by Fleury's left pad, one of a number of key saves the veteran goalie made.

The Blues kept pushing but couldn't quite get that third goal to make things really interesting.

"Yeah, and (Tarasenko) hit the cross bar soon after that," Berube said. "He had some looks and we pulled the goalie and we botched our in-zone on the breakout. Got to do a better job there, which is a good opportunity for us. It's 4-on-4, we get the goalie out, it's a 5-on-4 situation, we get one, but we didn't execute it."

The Blues kept pushing, and eventually that would lead to some vulnerabilities, and the one fatal, final pill came in the form of an odd-man rush that Kirill Kaprizov finished off for the second of his three goals and a 5-2 lead at 11:47; he would add an empty-netter 1:05 later.
But the Blues go home doing what they needed to at least do, gain a split and wrestle away home ice advantage.

"Yeah, you come here, you get a split and you go home and you're satisfied with that, but we in our minds, I think we came out that way to win two," Berube said. "I thought we had a real good start to the game, but it is what it is. Like I told you, it's a hard-fought series, it's going to be a long series and you've just got to battle and stay with it."

(St. Louis Blues photo)

Blues defenseman Calle Rosen (43) moves the puck past Wild forward

Joel Eriksson Ek in Game 2 on Wednesday at Xcel Energy Center.

"Yeah, obviously big win (in Game 1)," defenseman Colton Parayko said. "Like I said, it’s a long series. Very good team over there. It’s going to be a grind, but nice to obviously get the one, go back home, can’t get too high, can’t get too low. That’s the beauty of a series, you’re going to win some, you’re probably going to lose a couple and you just have to hope you’re on the right side of it."

Now the big question for the Blues is can they get some of their wounded defensemen back for Games 3 and/or 4 at Enterprise Center?

"Yeah, there's always expectation or belief. We'll see how they are," Berube said. "That's playoffs, there's injuries, things happen. You've got to just battle, you've got to get different guys in there to do the job."

"Yeah, I think we’ve just got to come in day by day and just focus on the task at hand," Parayko said. "They’re obviously big guys in our lineup, but at the end of the day, on game day, we’ve just got to go with what we have in the lineup and we’ve got to make sure we’re ready. I touched on it earlier, we’ve got some good depth back there and we’ve done it all year long, so looking forward to just pushing through in this series."

(5-4-22) Blues-Wild Game 2 Gameday Lineup

By LOU KORAC
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Defenseman Nick Leddy will be a game-time decision for the Blues when they take on the Minnesota Wild today at 8:30 p.m. (BSMW, ESPN, ESPN 101.1-FM).

Leddy was not on the ice for the morning skate with the Blues, who won Game 1 4-0, making preparations to try and take two games on the road back to St. Louis.

Leddy, who played 22:22 in Game 1 paired with Colton Parayko, was part of a unit that did a terrific job against Minnesota's top line of Kirill Kaprizov, Ryan Hartman and Mats Zuccarello.

"We just kept him off, he'll be a game-time decision," Blues coach Craig Berube said of Leddy. "He was really good for us. He's been really good for us since we got him. We'll see how it goes."

Leddy took a hard check in the game early in the first period from Matt Boldy. As he was skating off the ice, Leddy voiced his displeasure to the officials for what he had to believe was a hit to the head. He finished the game.

"He handles the rush really well," Berube said. "Handles speed, and closes plays out. He’s really good at it. The one thing he does is when he gets the puck out of the D-zone, he’s very composed with it and makes good plays."

If Leddy can't go, Parayko will get a familiar face back in Niko Mikkola, who was solid himself in Game 1 paired with Robert Bortuzzo in 11:52 of ice time.

"He played there for I don't know how many games it was," Berube said of Mikkola. "Kind of like early on in the season, I guess, towards the middle of the season and did a good job, so we've got a lot of confidence in that pair."

If Mikkola has to move up, Calle Rosen would jump in and pair with Bortuzzo and play in his first NHL postseason game. Rosen's played in 38 NHL games with the Blues and Toronto Maple Leafs, including 18 this season; he has two goals and five assists this season.

"He's played some real good games for us when he's on his toes and using his feet," Berube said. "He's a great puck mover, he's got to defend hard, he's got to be physical and he's got to have a good stick, use his feet, can skate pucks out of our zone. I really like him when we get to the offensive zone. He's got a good shot, sees the ice well, makes plays."

It will certainly test the Blues' depth on defense if Leddy is unavailable to play with Marco Scandella (lower-body injury) still unavailable to play, which would make this his third straight game missed.

"Rosey, I played with a little bit in Toronto back in the day, so I knew the type of player he was," center Tyler Bozak said. "Just a super smart hockey player that always makes the right play. Just makes that first pass that kind of is an underrated play for a defenseman, but it’s always to the right guy on the tape, and helps with the clean exit. So I think him and 'Mikks' have done a great job whenever they’ve been in.

"Like I’ve always said, I think depth is one of the most important things you can have on a winning hockey team. There’s going to be injuries at certain times and guys need to step in, and I think we’re pretty deep in those areas, which helps."

- - -

Robert Thomas, Vladimir Tarasenko and Pavel Buchnevich drew Minnesota's top shutdown line of Joel Eriksson Ek, Marcus Foligno and Jordan Greenway throughout much of Game 1 and will likely do so again tonight. That's the trio that the Wild will focus their attentions on, which will leave opportunities for the hot Ryan O'Reilly, Brandon Saad and David Perron line.

That trio was hot down the stretch in the regular season and really picked up their scoring, and even though two of them were on the power play and one right at the end of another, that line accounted for all four Blues goals in the opener, including three by Perron.

What's made it click?

"I think just being predictable for each other," Saad said. "Early on, we might’ve tried to do too much or things like that. But playing simple, working on the forecheck, getting around each other, supporting each other and taking pucks and bodies to the net is how we’re having success. I think we’ve done a good job of checking all year, but being able to pitch in offensively helps out a lot."

"I don't want to say too much. I think we've been a little more direct with shooting the puck and getting to the net," O'Reilly said. "I think we've been playing very well and doing a lot of good things, but the last few games, we've gotten a few bounces and the puck's done in, and that's going to happen. It just happens. It's nice. I think we're confident going into the playoffs. We know we have a big role and a big challenge and we have to help do our part in order to have success here."

Don't discredit the line of Brayden Schenn, Ivan Barbashev and Jordan Kyrou, which accounted for 77 goals during the regular season. Schenn returned Monday after missing four games with an upper-body injury.

"He brings gamesmanship first and foremost," Berube said of Schenn. "He's a physical player, knows how to play in the playoffs and plays hard, obviously has the ability to produce for us on the power play and 5-on-5. He's been a good producer for us now for a few years. Barbashev's had a breakout year offensively and he's done a great job on the power play too. He's played in the playoffs with us and he's been a physical, hard player to play against, and Kyrou is a dynamic forward. He's got unreal ability in skating and passing and shooting. They have the ability to do a number of different things out there for us."

Buchnevich-Thomas-Tarasenko didn't produce a point in Game 1.

"They didn't have a ton of time," Berube said. "I think 5-on-5 and power play, they were just OK. They've got to do a better job on the PP. They're a dangerous line, they can make plays, but Robby drives it all with his ability to transport the puck up the ice and use his speed and his ability to get away from people and create Buchy and Vladi to get open and that's what he does. We (need to) see more of that from him where he can elude people and get cutbacks and get away and create some separation and things like that.

"You can make some adjustments and things like that, but really it's about you've got to fight through it. This is playoff time. You're going to have to fight through tight checking. You're going to have to get to the hard areas I talked before about getting to the hard areas, and that's what they need to do. They're all good enough players, Vladi and Buchy especially. They've got great size and they need to get on the inside and get to the hard areas. You're going to have to get some dirty goals with a point shot, a rebound, things like that. That's how you're going to have to score a lot of goals in the playoffs."

- - -

The Wild will make one change in their lineup on defense and bring in Alex Goligoski for Dmitry Kulikov.

After going 0-for-6 on the power play in Game 1, Goligoski can bring some veteran gamesmanship to the lineup and provide a power-play option should the Wild need one.

"You look at things and you think what they're going to try to do differently," Berube said. "It's hard to know, but I really focus on our team, what we need to do, what we can do better, things that we have to improve upon and things that we have to keep doing that we did in the first game."

- - -

Special teams played a big part in the game Monday, with each team being on the power play six times. The Blues scored on two of theirs, the Wild didn't, so just in case there's more 5-on-5 play tonight, the Blues hope to improve in certain areas despite outscoring Minnesota 2-0 -- really, 1-0 -- Monday.

"There wasn't a ton of time, but I thought when we did play 5 on 5, we defended pretty well," Berube said. "I thought that we protected our slot area really well and didn't give up odd-man rushes and then from the offensive standpoint, we need to get in there and possess more pucks, wear them down, create some more opportunities in the slot area. That's the thing we've got to do offensively."

"I think you can constantly improve in every area," Bozak said. "I think there’s little things every game that you can get better at and improve on and you have to do throughout the playoffs and moving forward to have that opportunity to win. So we’re going to keep improving, keep trying to get better.

"We know every night’s going to be a really tough battle against this team. It’s going to be a long series. So we’re excited for the challenge again tonight."

As for trying to bring this series to St. Louis up 2-0?

"It’s going to be another really tough game tonight," Bozak said. "Obviously they’re a great team. We’re going to have to do a lot of the little things we did, take away their time and space. Try and win the special teams game. I expect a lot more 5-on-5 tonight, so we’re going to have to be pretty dialed in in that area of the game as well."

- - -

The NHL announced its 32 nominees for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy given to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.

For the Blues, it's O'Reilly. It also includes former Blues goalie Jake Allen (Montreal) and forward Jaden Schwartz (Seattle) and Chesterfield native Luke Kunin (Nashville).

"I think it's natural for him, to be honest with you," Berube said of O'Reilly. "If you look at how he works and prepares day in and day out, the effort he gives every game, that's leadership by example, but I think he really does a good job with what the team needs in game, outside the game, the community. He never says no to anything. He's always doing things for the community doing things for charity, doing things for the team. It's just natural to him. He has very good character qualities and a caring person. He cares about a lot of things, not only hockey and his teammates but outside the game too. he's a special guy."

- - -

The Blues' projected lineup (will update with Leddy's status pregame):

Brandon Saad-Ryan O'Reilly-David Perron

Pavel Buchnevich-Robert Thomas-Vladimir Tarasenko

Ivan Barbashev-Brayden Schenn-Jordan Kyrou

Alexei Toropchenko-Nathan Walker

Niko Mikkola-Colton Parayko

Torey Krug-Justin Faulk

Calle Rosen-Robert Bortuzzo

Ville Husso will start in goal; Jordan Binnington will be the backup. 

Healthy scratches include Logan Brown and Dakota Joshua. Nick Leddy (upper body) is a game-time decision. Marco Scandella (lower body), Mackenzie MacEachern (upper body) and Scott Perunovich (wrist) are out.

- - -

The Wild's projected lineup:

Kirill Kaprizov-Ryan Hartman-Mats Zuccarello

Kevin Fiala-Frederick Gaudreau-Matt Boldy

Jordan Greenway-Joel Eriksson Ek-Marcus Foligno

Nicolas Deslauriers-Tyson Jost-Brandon Duhaime

Jacob Middleton-Jared Spurgeon

Jonas Brodin-Matt Dumba

Jon Merrill-Alex Goligoski

Marc-Andre Fleury will start in goal; Cam Talbot will be the backup. 

Healthy scratches include Nick Bjugstad, Connor Dewar, Dmitry Kulikov and Jordie Benn. The Wild report no injuries.

Live in the moment attitude has Husso off to solid start in postseason

Blues goalie made 37 saves in playoff debut, kept team composed, 

especially early when Minnesota pushed to get crowd into Game 1

By LOU KORAC
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Say what you will about Ville Husso, but the Finn is all about the moment.
Good or bad, nothing phases him, and the Helsinki native is adept at moving on.

(St. Louis Blues photo)

Blues goalie Ville Husso (35) was rock solid in his NHL playoff debut,

making 37 saves in a 4-0 win over Jared Spurgeon (46) and the Wild.

He had to be with the range of emotions, ups and downs and the like in Game 1 of the Western Conference first round against the Minnesota Wild.

Husso made 37 saves in his playoff debut, a 4-0 Blues win to go up 1-0 in the series, and it didn't take long for the 27-year-old to assert himself into the game.

Ask Kirill Kaprizov, who was denied with Husso's right pad 2:52 into the game on a Wild power play after a failed clear; then ask Marcus Foligno, who was denied in the slot on the backhand by a left pad stop at 3:20.

It was evident that Husso, who became the first Blues goalie in their history to earn a shutout in his first start, was dialed in, and in doing so, improved to 6-0 lifetime against the Wild.

"He was great right from the puck drop last night," Blues forward Brayden Schenn said. "He made that save on Foligno early. He’s been doing it all year for us. So coming into Game 1 for us, he made some big saves, steal it for us early and then we were able to find the first one."
At the start of any series, it can be intimidating for any player, especially one making his first playoff start, and in a building like Xcel Energy Center, against a team playing so well, the challenge can be daunting.

But Husso weathered it all, including one chaotic moment in the second period that was his own doing that produced plenty of bodies -- but no goals against -- and once he weathered everything, there would be no denying him.

That calm demeanor through it all enabled Husso to endure the Wild and the 19,053 rooting against him.

"The goalie coach Davey (Alexander) said it was going to be a little louder than regular season games," Husso said. "So he reminded me that, so I knew. Playoff hockey is always going to be playoff hockey and it's nice to play in those games. And I think the rink was pretty loud today.

"... I was a little nervous before, like normally, but got a good start for the game, guys battled hard. I feel like it was, you know, just a normal game. Maybe the crowd was a little louder, but I did everything that I normally do and got ready. Same,  a little nervous before like always, in a good way. But I feel like it was a pretty normal day."

Husso, who was 25-7-6 and is 34-13-7 in his brief NHL career, won't blink one way or another. He can make a good save, or saves like he did early, and never flinch. Had Minnesota scored early and taken a lead, he will move on to the next play and not be overwhelmed by the moment.

"He doesn't show much out there, that's for sure," defenseman Torey Krug said. "He's pretty composed. He's always just looking to make the next save and whatever the team needs. He's a great backstop for us. 

"From Day 1, he's always been a competitor. He always shows up. If he's out of position, he'll scramble back. He's never out of a play. As a defenseman, you appreciate things like that because sometimes things happen out there where you get beat. They have a wide open look at the cage and he's able to scramble back and make a save. His competitiveness is obviously great."

Perhaps that's one of the reasons, aside from having an outstanding regular season, coach Craig Berube was comfortable going with Husso in Game 1 instead of the more experienced Jordan Binnington, who was in Husso's position in 2019 making his playoff debut as well.
We all know how that ended.

"He’s got a good attitude towards it all," Berube said of Husso. "He’s pretty calm and cool. Pretty dialed in on focusing on what he needs to do. Bad things will happen at times, but I think he brushes them off and focuses on the next play, and that’s got to be a mindset throughout the whole team, especially in the playoffs. It’s up and down, roller-coaster, this and that. There’s a lot going on. 

"I thought our team handled it pretty well last night with the composure part, and staying composed with all the penalties. It limits a lot of guys’ ice time and limits the flow of the bench, but our team did a good job of staying composed throughout it."

(St. Louis Blues photo)

Ville Husso was sharp for the Blues in Game 1 of their first round series

matchup against the Minnesota Wild with 37 saves.

And once Husso got his teammates settled in, the Blues went to work, on the power play, on the penalty kill, and especially David Perron, who had a hand in all four goals Monday with three goals and an assist.

"I don’t like to pump his tires when he’s here," Perron said smiling sitting next to Husso postgame Monday. "Obviously I’m a huge fan of 'Huus.' Even from four years ago, when he was a Black Ace, I just saw how hard he worked, how passionate he is for the game and you’re happy for guys that earn everything they have and he’s certainly done that. 

"The improvement he made over the summer, too, coming in and being ready whenever his name was going to be called upon. Learning the league last year a little bit too. We’re extremely proud of him. We want him to keep going and it’s good to get the first one of out of the way, for his nerves and all that."

Perron hat trick leads charge in 4-0 win over Wild in Game 1

Blues forward gains measure of satisfaction, relief after 

missing 2020 postseason with positive COVID-19 test

By LOU KORAC
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Last year, David Perron was helpless and beyond frustrated.

(St. Louis Blues photo)

Brayden Schenn (left) congratulates David Perron after scoring one of his

three goals in a 4-0 win against the Minnesota Wild on Monday.

And he was reminded just how much it was one of the hardest things for him to have to watch his teammates battle in the Stanley Cup playoffs against the Colorado Avalanche.

"Are we going to talk about this," Perron jokingly asked postgame Monday.

Yes, and since it was important to connect the days since that sweep at the hands of the Avalanche last year to Game 1 against the Minnesota Wild in the Western Conference first round series this year, there certainly had to be some pent-up energy for the veteran forward.

Perron certainly was rewarded for his efforts in a 4-0 win with his first playoff hat trick and four points with an assist. It certainly was a rewarding feeling after feeling like he had his hands tied behind his back last season with no chance to play superhero. 

Perron was hit with a positive COVID-19 test, and his season, in essence, ended after a 19-goal, 58-point output.

"Yeah, well it was tough for sure to not play last year, but that was the situation," Perron said. "I felt pretty good all day as far as nerves. 

"... I think the worst part was just not being a part of the team, just helping out however you could. I was literally going crazy. I couldn’t get out of the basement. The kids, I could hear them running around upstairs. So, tough situation."

So tough when Perron woke up that May 17, 2021 day, he and his Blues teammates were ready to engage in battle. One quick phone call ended it all, shockingly.

"Well, I think it was probably the morning of. You get the first test and you’re like, ‘Wow, like no way, there’s no chance,'" Perron said. "Then, you hope for a false positive, but the next day the levels kind of got worse so you knew it was a real one. Obviously there’s a little bit of game management by coach not really saying too much. I just kind of knew I would have to sit for 14 or 10 days. It is what it is."

That wasn't the case on Monday. Nothing was going to keep the 33-year-old off the ice in what was going to be the beginning of a grueling playoff series.

"He mentioned he wasn't here last year; he mentioned it to me today," Blues coach Craig Berube said. "Obviously bugged him. It was a tough break last year for him. 
"He was really good tonight on the power play. He just did his job like he normally does for us."

Like he normally does, as in put himself in the left circle, waiting for that in-stride pass or waiting to pounce on rebounds and rifle them into the back of the net.

He did just that, not once, not twice, but three times against friend, former teammate and fellow Quebec-ian Marc-Andre Fleury.

"Obviously, like you said, we know each other very well," Fleury said. "He’s a good shooter. He’s always a threat around the net, I know. It seems like every puck on the power play just ended up on his stick, back door there. And he’s a good player, he put them in."

In a game that was oozing emotion and physicality right from the get-go, that all-important first goal would prove to be pivotal.

It came at 6:15 of the first period, and Perron provided it, with the Blues putting their No. 1 road power-play to good use with Jordan Greenway in the box for roughing. The Blues work the high-low play to the bumper, get a shot from Ryan O'Reilly. Fleury made the save, but Perron was there to hammer home the rebound and silence -- or induce boo's from the 19,053 in attendance that didn't agree with the call.  

"Just rebound goal, trying to put on net," Perron said. "I know there’s a few seconds left on the power play, maybe one second and I was able to put one home. We do a good job of pre-scouting what we want to do on the penalty kill and the power play and it’s nice to connect for sure.

"... I think it’s important, the older guys just trying to weather the storm early on, and I thought we did a good job of that, getting the first goal. We kept building from there. A lot of penalties throughout the league tonight, it’s probably a standard they’re trying to set right now. Obviously we’d like to stay out of the box a little bit more, but also we’re fine with that. We’ll keep pushing forward."

After Perron did one of his numbers of protecting the puck and feeding Justin Faulk, it helped set up O'Reilly's rebound goal at 15:56 for a 2-0 lead, and it helped Ville Husso, who earned his first playoff shutout with a 37-save effort, settle into the game.

"I don’t like to pump (Husso's) tires when he’s here," Perron joked. "Obviously I’m a huge fan of 'Huus.' Even from four years ago, when he was a Black Ace, I just saw how hard he worked, how passionate he is for the game and you’re happy for guys that earn everything they have and he’s certainly done that. The improvement he made over the summer, too, coming in and being ready whenever his name was going to be called upon. Learning the league last year a little bit too. We’re extremely proud of him. We want him to keep going and it’s good to get the first one of out of the way, for his nerves and all that."

The Wild made their second-period push, and Perron was there to rescue, and for all intents and purposes, a comeback by the home side. It was the Blues' second power-play goal in as many opportunities, and guess who was in the box for the Wild again: Greenway. 

Perron's cross-ice pass was slightly deflected on its way to Brayden Schenn, but Schenn still was able to get a shot off, with Fleury making the save, only to have Perron in his house, the left circle, collect the rebound and wire the shot past Fleury and a screening Brandon Saad at 16:30.

"He's a very good power-play guy," Berube said of Perron. "He's been a good power-play guy for some time now, whether it's shooting or he makes plays. He's competitive, he hangs onto the puck and doesn't lose it. He's a real good power-play guy."

And if the final nail in the coffin wasn't delivered by DP57 in the second period, he emphatically hammered home a series-opening win in the third period when he pounced on another rebound, the third assist from Torey Krug, who delivered a sharp-angle one-timer. Fleury made another save, but there's Perron, Johnny-on-the-spot again from the bottom of the left circle to complete the hat trick, only there would be no hats.

Perron didn't care. But he did become the 14th Blue to have a playoff hat trick, the first since Jaden Schwartz had one in San Jose in a 5-0 win on May 19, 2019.

(St. Louis Blues photo)

David Perron become the 14th Blue in their playoff history to record a

hat trick Monday in a 4-0 win over the Minnesota Wild in Game 1.

"It’s always good to have a 3-0 lead, but they get one goal and all of a sudden the building is back and they’re coming," Perron said. "They’re nipping at our heels again. That’s why it was important that we stay on it the whole time.

"Yeah, after all these years, it’s a long way coming for many reasons, many ways, so obviously I’m proud of that. It’s super cool. I have a lot of pride wearing the Blue Note, and yeah, I’ll leave it at that."

Perron certainly left it at that Monday, an emphatic win, and he can now finally lay last season's exclusion from playoff participation to rest.

(5-2-22) Blues-Wild Game 1 Gameday Lineup

By LOU KORAC
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The Blues were hoping for a full deck for Game 1 against the Minnesota Wild tonight but that's not going to be the case.

Defenseman Marco Scandella, who has practiced each day since sustaining a lower-body injury last Tuesday at the Colorado Avalanche, will not play today (8:30 p.m.; BSMW, ESPN, ESPN 101.1-FM). Instead, it will be Niko Mikkola in Scandella's place in the lineup.

"Yeah, he’s out," Blues coach Craig Berube confirmed regarding Scandella, a former Wild. 
So the Blues will reconfigure their d-pairs and Mikkola will pair up with Robert Bortuzzo to offer a physical presence.

"Yeah, it’s the best part of his game, and his aggressiveness, closing out plays on people, you know, big guy," Berube said. "Yeah his aggressiveness and his size."

Mikkola, who did have 13 points (three goals, 10 assists) in 54 regular-season games this season, played in all four playoff games against the Avalanche last season and had an assist, so this won't be his first rodeo in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

"He’s got experience from last year," Berube said. "He’s a big guy and we’re going to need some size back there with 'Scandy' out. They’re a hard forechecking team, physical team, so ..."

It will also pair Nick Leddy with Colton Parayko and move Torey Krug back with Justin Faulk.

When they have to change, the transition typically seems seamless.

"I think everyone knows each other’s roles and what’s expected of the guy next to you," Faulk said. "I think as a 'D,' we’ve done that well enough to be consistent in a sense to know what to expect of the guy that’s going to come in the lineup, or who you're going to play next to that night. And I think that makes it a lot easier on us to be able to do that and interchange a little bit. Throughout a series and throughout playoffs, those times definitely come where maybe you need to change something up. With the amount that we’ve done, in a sense, I think we’re ready for that."

It's not an issue for the coaching staff to change things up when necessary.

“Yeah, well Leddy and Parayko played quite a bit when (Leddy) first got here," Berube said. "Leddy has got a ton of playoff experience. Colton does, too, he’s got a lot of experience. I think you’ve got two guys that are pretty good puck-movers and pretty composed back there. Like I said, Leddy’s experience with playoffs, he’s won a Cup. He’s a good defender that way and he’s got good composure out there, which will be needed. Krug and Faulk have been a great pair all year. I mean, Kruger went down with an injury and we changed the pairs a bit, but they’ve been pretty steady all year for us. From an offensive standpoint, they’ve got great plus-minuses, both of them, so they’ve done a great job defensively, too."

- - -

It's been held under the vest, but it looks like Ville Husso will get the start for the Blues in his first playoff game tonight.

Husso, who was 25-7-6 with a 2.56 goals-against average and .919 save percentage in the regular season, is 5-0-0 with a 2.71 GAA and .915 save percentage in five career games against the Wild.

"He’s played in some real big games for us this year and he’s done a great job," Berube said of Husso. "Like I said, he’s gotten better and better as the year went along. He’s been consistent all year, and he’s just got to go and do what he’s done. Nothing really changes. I know it’s the playoffs, but he just has to go play his game and do what he’s done."

Berube cited Husso's play throughout the season as the reason he's starting.

"Just calm. A calm guy," Faulk said, describing Husso. "That’s probably the trait that I can give. Nothing seems to phase him too much. On and off the ice, it’s the same demeanor. I wouldn’t expect anything different from him tonight."

But the Blues know they have someone that can step in should have to in Jordan Binnington, one that's a Stanley Cup champ from 2019.

"We don’t really look in the past on that," Berube said. "That’s in the past. I think you go on what you’re feeling now more than anything. Yeah, we look back and Binner was an inexperienced goalie back then, too, and came in and did a great job for us. But again, it’s about the team. It’s not about one player. We need a real team effort here, obviously, to be successful and that’s what we’re going off of. It’s about the team."

- - -

It should be a raucous crowd here in St. Paul tonight, but the Blues don't seem to get too fazed by intimidating atmospheres.

Veteran experience will do that.

Regardless ... 

"There's a feeling that we all know that it's going to be heavy and physical out there," Blues captain Ryan O'Reilly said. "The three games we played these guys throughout the year, it was hard-hitting, it was intense. You can expect that on steroids pretty much for tonight. It's going to be a challenging series. They're a very good team, they've been playing amazing hockey lately. We know it's going to be a good challenge, but it's playoff time. It's exciting hockey and we're excited to get started tonight.

"I think we are a very different team than that year (2019), in good ways and bad ways. It's both things. For myself, you do rely on experience a bit. I think it helps stay more poised and through the playoffs, there's so many highs and lows again, and I think after having success before, you kind of realize how even keel you need to be and to reset. I think that's something tnat not just me, veteran guys will rely on. Guys that haven't been in this situation before will look to us to lead that way. It is something you do look at."

- - -

The Blues will not be facing Cam Talbot, at least to begin this series. They'll instead see veteran Marc-Andre Fleury to start.

The Blues never faced Fleury after the Wild acquired him from the Chicago Blackhawks at the trade deadline; those games in St. Louis in April both belonged to Talbot, who was 0-1-2 and allowed 16 goals against the Blues this season. But the Blues did beat Fleury three times this season when he was with the Blackhawks; he is 9-12-2 with a 2.76 GAA and .912 save percentage in 23 games against St. Louis.

"Well, I don’t have a crystal ball. I can’t tell you how we’re going to fair against him," Berube said. "We’ve went against Fleury a lot over different teams, Vegas and things like that. He’s a great goalie, he’s been around a long time, he’s won, he’s a competitor. You’re going to have to be highly competitive out there to get goals past him. We’re going to have to go to the paint. It’s important this time of year. To score goals, you’ve got to go to the hard areas, you’ve got to go to the paint. It’s like any other goalie. There’s obviously different things that you look at in the scout that maybe we can take advantage of. But what it boils down to is going to the hard areas."

Minnesota may have felt it was a strategic advantage to not using Fleury against the Blues, but the fact they have seen him this season has been a big help.

"A little bit in a sense," O'Reilly said. "Him being in the West and Vegas, Chicago too, we've seen a lot of him, a phenomenal goalie. It's going to be a tough challenge for us. The focus is making it tough on him, getting a lot of pucks to the net, don't give him easy saves. If we do that, it's tough for any goalie. That'll be the focus against him."

The Wild are in a similar position the Blues were in back in 2015 when they brought in Ryan Miller to supplant starter Brian Elliott for the playoffs.

But the Wild will be putting on the bench a goalie who was 16-0-3 in his last 19 decisions.

"Well, we talked before: It’s not a tough decision, right," Wild coach Dean Evason said. "It’s an easy decision because we feel both are more than capable of starting for us here. We’re excited about the opportunity to have both guys available if we need it, and we probably will."

- - -

The Blues' projected lineup:

Brandon Saad-Ryan O'Reilly-David Perron

Pavel Buchnevich-Robert Thomas-Vladimir Tarasenko

Ivan Barbashev-Brayden Schenn-Jordan Kyrou

Alexei Toropchenko-Tyler Bozak-Nathan Walker

Nick Leddy-Colton Parayko

Torey Krug-Justin Faulk

Niko Mikkola-Robert Bortuzzo

Ville Husso will start in goal; Jordan Binnington will be the backup. 

Healthy scratches include Logan Brown, Calle Rosen and Dakota Joshua. Marco Scandella (lower body), Mackenzie MacEachern (upper body) and Scott Perunovich (wrist) are out.

- - -

The Wild's projected lineup:

Kirill Kaprizov-Ryan Hartman-Mats Zuccarello

Kevin Fiala-Frederick Gaudreau-Matt Boldy

Jordan Greenway-Joel Eriksson Ek-Marcus Foligno

Nicolas Deslauriers-Tyson Jost-Brandon Duhaime

Jacob Middleton-Jared Spurgeon

Jonas Brodin-Matt Dumba

Jon Merrill-Dmitry Kulikov

Marc-Andre Fleury will start in goal; Cam Talbot will be the backup. 

Healthy scratches include Nick Bjugstad, Connor Dewar, Alex Goligoski and Jordie Benn. The Wild report no injuries.

Big picture, Blues like their game, where it's at, where it's been

Despite finishing with pair of losses, one of which meant nothing, team had a 

16-game point streak in a variety of ways leading to confidence for playoffs

By LOU KORAC
MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- Forget about the last two games. 

The last one in particular, because it really meant nothing.

(St. Louis Blues photo)

Blues defenseman Justin Faulk (right) feels the team is in a good spot

heading into its first round playoff series against Minnesota.

Look at the bigger picture, because it got the Blues, who finished 49-22-11 during the regular season, in the position they're in now headed into Game 1 of their first-round playoff matchup against the Minnesota Wild.

They went 14-0-2, a franchise record point streak, and gave them the chance of finishing second in the Central Division and a chance at home ice advantage. 

Alas, the Wild was equally as hot and wrestled it away in the end and the Blues begin the series on the road.

That's OK, because they like the shape they're in. They like the way they've been playing, from goaltending on out that made that 12-game stretch at the start of March going 3-6-3 a distant memory.

"I think we're in a good spot right now," defenseman Justin Faulk said. "We've been playing good hockey. That's obvious with the way it's gone in the last month and a half or so, month with our record and what not, but obviously it's not just the record. We've been playing good hockey, we've been in different situations where we've been down and found a way to come back, tight games going into the third, up early and starting the game right and what not, so there's been a mix of different styles of hockey that we've had to deal with throughout that time. We've seemed to handle it all pretty well and I think the group is confident in any situation right now and confident in each other and the guy next to you, and that obviously goes down to maybe an individual level where guys are maybe feeling good about their personal games too."

The Blues scored 78 goals during their 16-game point streak, an average of 4.9 per game, which is outstanding, and also included a franchise record 12 straight games scoring at least four goals. Robert Thomas went on a tear, tying Connor McDavid as part of a 17-game point streak of his own as part of the team's run, and linemates Vladimir Tarasenko and Pavel Buchnevich also went on scoring benders of their own.

The team finished with nine players with 20 goals or more, one off tying the record of 10 in 1980-81, some who had career years, including Tarasenko, Thomas, Buchnevich, Jordan Kyrou and Ivan Barbashev.

The Blues allowed an average of 2.7 goals per game, down from their finished number on the season of 2.91 goals allowed per game. And now that the playoffs are here, expect to see more tighter games.

"I think over this last stretch, it's not perfect by any means, but we've done a lot of good things well and finding ways to win games and such," captain Ryan O'Reilly said. "I think we know what we need to do in the playoffs. Playoffs is going to be super-intense and the detail is going to need to be there, but I think our group, we're excited. We know we have a good team. We know we can ... if we do things the right way, we can have success. That's our focus."

Scoring will come. That's a given. The Wild allowed an average of 3.04 goals per game on the season, but both teams finished in the top five in scoring (Blues third at 3.77 per game; Wild fifth at 3.72), so playing the defensive side of the ledger will be key for both sides. The Blues know they have to get the goaltending and tighter defense.

"Yeah, I think so. For sure," defenseman Colton Parayko said. "We’ve definitely had a good year on the goal-scoring side. I think in the playoffs, everything’s a little tighter – we’ve seen in (past) years. So that’s going to be a challenge. We've got to make sure that we up our defensive game. Obviously, they’re going to do that as well.

"I think it’s going to come down to rolling four lines and making sure that we’re all ready. I think you’re going to see a lot of guys you wouldn’t see maybe scoring a goal, making a big play, a big save at a certain time. That’s just playoff hockey. And that’s when it’s fun, when one guy that maybe you don’t expect, who didn’t score all the goals in the regular season, makes a difference in one game, and that could be the difference in the series.

"Kind of another fun part of playoff hockey is everyone gets to contribute and everybody, whatever they bring, it’s one shift at a time and that shift can mean the difference in the game."

(St. Louis Blues photo)

Center Robert Thomas (18) was one of several Blues that had career

years this season and will be counted on in the postseason.

The Blues' special teams were certainly special all season. They finished second behind the Toronto Maple Leafs (27.3 percent) with a power-play percentage at 27 percent, including No. 1 on the road (29.4 percent), while the Wild, among playoff teams, comes in with the worst penalty kill at 76.1 percent, and the Blues were fifth in the penalty kill at 84.1 percent. That's a given that they'll need both ends of those units to perform at a high level. But the winner of this series will surely want -- and need -- to be exceptional at 5-on-5 play. 

"Yeah, I think all series in the playoffs, 5-on-5 is obviously the most important thing," Blues coach Craig Berube said. "There's going to be penalties and things like that but 5-on-5, you have to be able to have patience in the game and not try to push it too hard. You're not going to get your scoring opportunities all the time. You're not going to get every look you want every time. It's just about playing the right way and staying with it, staying with it and staying with it because you might end up getting that late in the third period, and then you capitalize on an opportunity and that might be the game-winner. So it's about being patient and understanding the situation is going to be hard. There's not going to be a lot of room and you've got to grind through it."