By LOU KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- The Blues are back from their Christmas hiatus and begin another tough stretch of three games in four nights with first place in the Central Division on the line against the Nashville Predators (7 p.m.; FS-MW, KMOX 1120-AM).
The Blues are one of two teams (Arizona) to have played 38 games this season with a front-heavy schedule that included 11 games in 19 days leading into the three-day Christmas holiday.
So the break couldn't have come at a better time for a number of guys dinged and nicked up, including captain Alex Pietrangelo.
"It couldn't have come at a better time," Pietrangelo said. "The schedule comes down. We have three in four right now but after this weekend, we take a pretty good month here, bye week, all-star break just to kind of regroup and re-energize. These days couldn't have come at a better time.
"You don't realize until you take those days off how much you need it, but for us, the mental break, that's a lot of hockey. It's a good chance, especially with that long (western Canadian) trip being in Canada. That's a long time being away from your family leading up to the holidays but it's nice to get back."
Said defenseman Colton Parayko, who spent Christmas in Alberta: "We were playing quite a few games there. Not that we weren't on top, but I think that it came at a good time for us. Kind of take a couple days away and regroup."
It was a chance for not only the players to get away but coaches, too, including Blues coach Mike Yeo.
"It's good for the coaches because it was good for the players," Yeo said. "It was a tough schedule and guys have been putting a lot in for us. I think that not just the travel, but the amount of games that we've been playing. The combination of that and some of the guys we've had out of the lineup, our guys have been competing hard and battling hard. I was happy for them to get a break there.
"I think it's a combination of both (physical and mental) to be honest with you. When you played as many games as we did in that busy of a stretch and it becomes a grind. We had to get through it and now we're looking to get moving in the next part of the season. ... You know it was a good break because you were excited to get back to the rink and get going."
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The Blues (23-13-2) are one point ahead of the Predators (21-9-5), who have three games in hand. The Blues, Predators and Winnipeg Jets are separated by just two points atop the Central Division.
Nashville won the only other game between the two teams, 2-0 here in St. Louis on Nov. 24.
"These are the fun games obviously," Parayko said. "A division rival and these games are always tight, they're always played extremely hard. They're games that you can easily get up for on both ends. They're right behind us, I think they have a few games in hand, too. This is one of those games where you want to try and start spreading yourself away from them a little bit. These are technically four-point games."
The Blues were 1-3-0 in Western Canada but feel like they started to get back on track towards the tail end.
"It's a good opportunity for us kind of, too, to get back," Pietrangelo said. "I feel like we've been building our game here the last couple games. A good mental break and a good mental test for us."
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Rookie Tage Thompson, who scored his first NHL goal in Edmonton Dec. 20, gets another crack at playing on a line with veterans Paul Stastny and Alexander Steen.
Thompson has one goal in seven NHL games, including four at the start of the season before he was sent to San Antonio of the American Hockey League.
"My first time here was a little different role," Thompson said. "Going down to San Antonio helped me out a lot. I think just playing a lot and gaining that confidence back helped me out helped me out a lot. And then obviously being stuck with 'Steener' and Stastny is not a bad thing. I think that helps as well."
Thompson didn't factor in on any scoring in his first four games of the season and was a minus-3 but feels it was beneficial for his growth.
"It was a huge," he said. "Obviously that was my goal, coming out of camp to make the team. I think you need a starting point and my starting point was making the team. Now I have bigger goals to try and help contribute offensively. That first stint showed me what I needed to work on down in San Antonio and get better at in order to be a big piece here."
Yeo likes what he's seen and continues to insert Thompson into the lineup.
"I've seen big improvement from him," Yeo said. "I know he didn't factor in on the scoresteet in Vancouver, but for me, that might have been the best game he played. Just maturity-wise, he looked like a pro. He knew what to do in a given situation, how to manage a puck, how to make sure you don't turn a puck over, how to make sure you're on the right side of things. I felt that he made a lot of really good little plays in the course of the game. I think 'Stas' and 'Steener' have done an outstanding job with him. I can see it on the bench. The communication that they have with him, every shift, regardless of what kind of shift it is, they're coming back, they're talking, they're helping him stay engaged in the game and focused on his next shift. That line's played really well for us."
Thompson, who spent Christmas with his family, said the weight was lifted once he got that first NHL goal.
"That was awesome," he said. "It's nice to get the first one out of the way. It kind of relieves some stress a little bit and kind of helps me relax and just go out and play a little more loose.
"I went home for Christmas break and I got to hang out with (the parents) for a couple days. They saw the goal on TV so they were pretty fired up."
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Defenseman Jay Bouwmeester and forward Sammy Blais are out again tonight, but Yeo is encouraged that both are on the horizon of rejoining the group.
Bouwmeester has an undisclosed injury that has kept him out the past seven games and Blais was injured Dec. 16 against Winnipeg.
"He skated before practice, him and Sammy both skated before practice," Yeo said. "Word that I got was we should expect them to try to practice with us tomorrow, so we'll see how that goes."
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The Blues announced Wednesday morning that they have signed general manager Doug Armstrong to a four-year extension that includes a club option for a fifth year that runs through the 2022-23 season.
Armstrong, in his 10th season in St. Louis, joined the Blues as the vice president of player personnel in 2008. He was named the 11th GM in Blues history during the 2010 offseason, replacing Larry Pleau.
"We're certainly looking forward to continuing down and bringing the ultimate prize to St. Louis here in the near future. That's the ultimate goal.
"... This is home now. When I came here a number of years ago, I was 16 years in one organization, I'm not looking to change and it's nice to have stability here."
Armstrong has led the Blues to a 337-185-56 regular season record, the fourth-best in the NHL since the 2010-11 season.
The Blues have reached the Stanley Cup Playoffs in six straight seasons, one of only four Blues teams to accomplish such a feat.
Conversations between Armstrong and owner Tom Stillman began in September in hopes that an extension would be concluded by the end of the year.
"We talkes about setting kind of a timeline in the fall," Stillman said. "We started in on conversations about an extension in early December. It wasn't like I suddenly had an 'Ah-ha' moment somewhere there. We knew this was what we wanted to do and we wanted to have Doug here long-term. There were discussions that go along the way here as part of that process, but it wasn't a Eureka time there. I think I made that clear all along for Doug and the work he's done."
"On [Dec.] 23rd when we were in Vancouver, Tom called with one final twist for me," Armstrong said. "It was a great phone call to make and to be able to share it with my family over the holiday season was really special for us all."
During Armstrong's tenure, the Blues have either drafted, traded for or signed core players Jake Allen, Patrik Berglund, Parayko, Pietrangelo, Jaden Schwartz, Steen, Vladimir Tarasenko, Stastny, Bouwmeester and most recently, Brayden Schenn, acquired on June 23 from the Philadelphia Flyers.
Prior to joining the Blues, Armstrong spent 17 years with the Dallas Stars, including his final six as GM.
Armstrong has served as assistant GM at the 2002 and 2008 World Championships and GM at the 2009 World Championship for Canada and a gold medal as the associate director of player personnel in 2010 and as a member of the management group in 2014 at the Winter Olympics. Most recently, he served as GM of the gold medal-winning team at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
More on Armstrong's extension later --
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The Blues' projected lineup:
Alexander Steen-Paul Stastny-Tage Thompson
Patrik Berglund-Brayden Schenn-Vladimir Tarasenko
Vladimir Sobotka-Oskar Sundqvist-Magnus Paajarvi
Scottie Upshall-Kyle Brodziak-Dmitrij Jaskin
Joel Edmundson-Alex Pietrangelo
Carl Gunnarsson-Colton Parayko
Vince Dunn-Robert Bortuzzo
Jake Allen will start in goal; Carter Hutton will be the backup.
Healthy scratches include Chris Thorburn, Jordan Schmaltz and Ivan Barbashev. Jaden Schwartz (ankle), Jay Bouwmeester (undisclosed), Sammy Blais (lower body), Zach Sanford (shoulder) and Robby Fabbri (knee) are out.
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The Predators' projected lineup:
Scott Hartnell-Ryan Johansen-Viktor Arvidsson
Kevin Fiala-Kyle Turris-Craig Smith
Filip Forsberg-Calle Jarnkrok-Pontus Aberg
Nick Bonino-Colton Sissons-Austin Watson
Roman Josi-Mattias Ekholm
Alexei Emelin-P.K. Subban
Yannick Weber-Matt Irwin
Pekka Rinne will start in goal; Juuse Saros will be the backup.
Healthy scratches include Cody McLeod, Miikka Salomaki and Anthony Bitetto. Ryan Ellis (knee) is out.
Wednesday, December 27, 2017
Saturday, December 16, 2017
Hutton stands tall with 48-save shutout in 2-0 win over Jets
Goaltender stellar for Blues in first of back-to-back games
against Winnipeg, sets franchise record for most saves in a shutout
ST. LOUIS -- As he was making save after -- at times -- acrobatic save, Blues goalie Carter Hutton just wanted to give his team a chance.
A team that had hit a small skid with two straight losses and had one goal to show for it, the Blues' margin for error was small against the high-flying Winnipeg Jets in the first of a home-and-home series between the teams.
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| (St. Louis Blues photo)
Blues goalie Carter Hutton makes one of his career-best 48 saves against
the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday.
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Hutton stood tall, he stood large, and in the end, he stood victorious. He made a career-high 48 saves for his first shutout of the season and ninth in the NHL in a 2-0 Blues victory over the Jets on Saturday before 17,964 at Scottrade Center.
Hutton, who was activated off injured reserve on Friday following a foot injury and making his first start since Dec. 1, was -- in a word -- sensational.
With the Blues (22-10-2) absorbing every blow the Jets (18-10-5) were throwing at them, particularly in the second period when Winnipeg was outshooting the Blues 21-6.
The 48 saves were most for a Blues goalie in a shutout in franchise history, eclipsing the 47 saves made by Chris Mason on Nov. 25, 2008.
All in a night's work, right?
"That's my game, a couple weeks off and play," Hutton said. "I thought we battled hard. Penalty kill was great, power play gets two huge goals. I thought there was a lot of chances. That second period, I was running out of juice there early on, then kind of settled in and then in the third, I thought we played really well. We played great, we did a great job. And that's the difference. We get a late goal and kind of seals the deal."
Hutton said he had nerves, but for those watching live or even on television, you wouldn't know it.
"It's weird. It comes in different waves," Hutton said. "Tonight, I was kind of coming into the game with a little more nerves, a little more excitement, kind of mixed emotions. I thought I settled in right away. First couple shots, I thought I was seeing it really well, tracking the puck off me, any rebounds. They put a lot of pucks to the net. [Blake] Wheeler does a good job of just shooting for rebounds in tough areas. So for me, it almost gets me in the game.
"I like to compete and battle. I thought it kind of really played to my strength early on, and then I thought as the game went on, it was almost my puck-handling took over. I thought I handled the pucks. And then we did a good job in the third as we really didn't give up a whole lot."
The Blues were outshot 48-30 in the game, but coming from a vantage point of a team that was shut out, the Jets, who will welcome the Blues at their place on Sunday at 5 p.m. at Bell MTS Place, played a solid road game. They were simply beat by the guy between the pipes.
"He was 48 saves good. He was really good," Blues coach Mike Yeo said of Hutton. "I thought our third period, we tightened up a little bit but obviously, as tight as we want to be. That team's going to find a way to get chances. They've got a lot of skill, a lot of firepower. But we gave up a little bit off the rush tonight but every time we gave up something, 'Hutts' was there."
"Yeah, it's amazing how [Hutton] did tonight, I think everyone knows that," said Blues defenseman Vince Dunn, who scored his third NHL goal. "When a guy stands on his head for the team like that, you've got to pay your dues. We didn't manage to score 5-on-5, but I think we stuck to the game plan and I think obviously you saw that the power play was doing better than it has before."
Hutton made 36 saves in the first two periods, 21 in the second when the Blues were caught on their heels and battling penalty troubles along with the Jets' multiple waves of zone time.
"We didn't control the game like we normally do," Yeo said. "It's a good hockey team over there. I thought in the defensive effort, we were very solid. We'd like to see a little more zone time, we'd like to see a little more puck possession time, because when a team like that has the puck, as well as you want to defend, they're going to get some shots, they're going to get some opportunities. I don't think we controlled the rush as well as we can, whether it's our gaps, our forwards that help as far as pushing them into our defense, but all in all still a pretty solid effort."
"I always told you guys he's a really good goalie, same as Jake [Allen], and we are really thankful for those goalies," said Blues right wing Vladimir Tarasenko, who scored the Blues' first goal. "We're really proud how they play right now."
Tarasenko and Dunn scored power-play goals for St. Louis, which went 2-2-0 on a four-game homestand.
"'Hutts' was rock solid for us," Blues center Brayden Schenn said. "Coming off a week away from the team and coming back and having a performance like that was awesome. That's what we need from our goalies. We're not scoring a ton of goals right now, but goalies have been good for us and that was obviously the story again tonight."
Steve Mason made 28 saves for the Jets (18-10-5). It was his first game since Nov. 25, when he was hit in the head with a puck. It was the second time Winnipeg was shut out this season.
The Jets are 0-4-2 their past six road games and have been outscored 24-10.
The Blues snapped an 0-for-12 slide on the power-play with the two goals and they needed them.
Tarasenko's 15th goal gave St. Louis a 1-0 lead at 9:16 of the first period. He followed Alexander Steen's slap shot from the right circle and got to the rebound.
"I don't remember. You guys see everything," Tarasenko said. "Just work on it every time and I hope success, like I always said, will come. We need to score more power-play goals obviously and sometimes it wins games like today."
Dunn's power-play goal at 17:34, a wrist shot from inside the blue line, gave St. Louis a 2-0 lead.
Steen set the screen and Dunn stepped into a wrister.
"I didn't really see it at the time, but obviously looking at the replay, there's no doubt that was a big part on 'Steener' there and the goalie had no chance really seeing it when he was looking over the other shoulder," Dunn said. "So yeah, a lot of credit to him on that goal."
"... I was more worried about the guy coming out on me. But you know, I think we've been turning up a lot of shots on the power play, so I think tonight we tried to get more pucks at the net and I think that's where we saw our results."
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| (St. Louis Blues photo)
Blues goalie Carter Hutton (left) stops Winnipeg's Bryan Little, making one
of 48 saves in a 2-0 victory against the Jets.
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The Blues momentarily jumped over Nashville and back into first in the conference. Nashville played Saturday night in Calgary.
Now the teams get to do it all over again Sunday.
"It'll be fun," Schenn said. "It's a good hockey game. It's a fun team to play. There's chances out there, there's good goaltending. It's physical, there's hits. It's Central Division and there's a lot of good teams in our division. Back-to-back just makes it that much better."
* NOTES -- Blues right wing Sammy Blais sustained a lower-body injury in the first period. He returned for one shift in the second but immediately went off the ice.
"Lower body, tweaked something, don't think it's going to be serious," Yeo said. "Heard he may be a possibililty in the next day or so. Haven't gotten full word."
As for Alex Pietrangelo and Kyle Brodziak, who both missed Saturday's game?
"Both guys I'd say are possibilities tomorrow," Yeo said.
Defenseman Jay Bouwmeester (undisclosed injury) will not initially join the team in Winnipeg but could meet up with the team in Western Canada.
(12-16-17) Jets-Blues Gameday Lineup
By LOU KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- Carl Gunnarsson is OK and expected to play, Kyle Brodziak will miss his first game of the season and Carter Hutton will start and make his first appearance since Dec. 1 when the Blues (21-10-2) play host to the Winnipeg Jets (18-9-5) in the first of a back-to-back, home-and-home set on Saturday at Scottrade Center (6 p.m.; FS-MW, KMOX 1120-AM).
The two teams will play the return matchup Sunday in Winnipeg (5 p.m. on FS-MW, KMOX 1120-AM).
Gunnarsson took a wrist shot off the stick from Jordan Schmaltz during a special teams drill in practice on Friday and left the ice; he skated briefly during an optional on Saturday but deemed himself fit to go.
"That happens, just took a shot off the shin and it just felt like I had to get off and check it out, but it's good," Gunnarsson said. "We've got a couple guys out right now, but I think everyone's going through that kind of thing right now."
Gunnarsson took the shot off the shin under the watchful eye of his father Bjorn, who was at practice Friday and is in town visiting his son, daughter-in-law and newborn grandchild Elise.
"I guess he had nothing better to do," Gunnarsson joked.
Brodziak, who was to play in his 800th NHL game, will have to wait at least another day or even longer.
Brodziak did not practice on Friday, took the ice momentarily on Saturday but did not stay on the ice long and was declared out. He will be replaced in the lineup by Oskar Sundqvist.
"He's a little dinged up," Blues coach Mike Yeo said of Brodziak. "That's why he didn't practice yesterday. We were hoping he'd come in and feel better today, but that wasn't the case. Hopefully, he feels better tomorrow, but I'm not too optimistic.
"'Sunny's done a good job for us. He'll be able to come in and fill that spot."
Hutton, activated off injured reserve on Friday after sustaining a foot injury during a morning skate on Dec. 7, gets the nod tonight and Jake Allen, who had started the past seven games, will start for the Blues on Sunday.
""You never want to miss time, but we're ready to go and excited to get back in there and help the team out," Hutton said. "We're excited. It's a good hockey team over there, but we're a good hockey team over here. It's going to be a fun hockey game."
The Blues will get Jets backup Steve Mason in net tonight, which means they'll likely see Connor Hellebuyck on Sunday.
Mason will make his first appearance since sustaining a concussion on Nov. 25 against the San Jose Sharks.
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Blues defenseman Alex Pietrangelo skated for a fourth straight day on Saturday with no limitations.
Pietrangelo, who sustained a lower-body injury Dec. 9 at Detroit, can be activated off IR on Sunday in time for the rematch with the Jets.
Yeo wouldn't commit to Pietrangelo playing but is encouraged by signs he's getting better each day.
"He's coming along," Yeo said. "He feels good. It's been a big improvement.
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Defenseman Jay Bouwmeester, put on IR on Friday retroactive to Sunday, is also dealing with an undisclosed injury and it's uncertain whether he will make the upcoming four-game trip that takes the Blues to Western Canada after Winnipeg.
"That's the plan, is to bring 'Bouw' right now, but again, why don't you just ask me tonight after the game," Yeo said.
Brodziak will travel.
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It's a rarity in the sport much these days, but both the Blues and Jets seem to be fans of the home-and-home, back-to-back games.
"It's always fun, especially teams in your own division, it brings out the intensity in the competitors," Yeo said. "Obviously there's a little familiarly, within coaches there's an adjustment, I think it's fun in the sense it gives you more of that playoff feel.
"I don't think it hurts. I don't spend a lot of time thinking about it. We'll prepare for them and move on. ... These are big games."
"I love them," Jets coach Paul Maurice said. "I wish they were all like that. It's fair for travel, unless you get stuck at the airport for a few hours. I like them a lot. It's fun for the coaching part of it, too, areas you need to get better, anticipate adjustments they're going to make in the game. I'm a big fan."
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The Blues' projected lineup:
Vladimir Sobotka-Paul Stastny-Vladimir Tarasenko
Alexander Steen-Brayden Schenn-Dmitrij Jaskin
Scottie Upshall-Patrik Berglund-Ivan Barbashev
Magnus Paajarvi-Oskar Sundqvist-Chris Thorburn
Joel Edmundson-Colton Parayko
Carl Gunnarsson-Robert Bortuzzo
Vince Dunn-Jordan Schmaltz
Carter Hutton will start in goal; Jake Allen will be the backup.
The healthy scratch is expected to be Sammy Blais. Alex Pietrangelo (lower body), Jay Bouwmeester (undisclosed), Jaden Schwartz (ankle), Kyle Brodziak (undisclosed) and Zach Sanford (shoulder) are out. Robby Fabbri (knee) is out for the season.
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The Jets' projected lineup:
Kyle Connor-Mark Scheifele-Blake Wheeler
Nikolaj Ehlers-Bryan Little-Patrik Laine
Andrew Copp-Adam Lowry-Brandon Tanev
Mathieu Perreault-Matt Hendricks-Joel Armia
Josh Morrissey-Jacob Trouba
Dmitry Kulikov-Tyler Myers
Ben Chiarot-Tucker Poolman
Steve Mason will start in goal; Connor Hellebuyck will be the backup.
Healthy scratches include Marko Dano, Shawn Matthias and Julian Melchiori. Dustin Byfuglien (lower body) and Toby Enstrom (lower body) are out.
ST. LOUIS -- Carl Gunnarsson is OK and expected to play, Kyle Brodziak will miss his first game of the season and Carter Hutton will start and make his first appearance since Dec. 1 when the Blues (21-10-2) play host to the Winnipeg Jets (18-9-5) in the first of a back-to-back, home-and-home set on Saturday at Scottrade Center (6 p.m.; FS-MW, KMOX 1120-AM).
The two teams will play the return matchup Sunday in Winnipeg (5 p.m. on FS-MW, KMOX 1120-AM).
Gunnarsson took a wrist shot off the stick from Jordan Schmaltz during a special teams drill in practice on Friday and left the ice; he skated briefly during an optional on Saturday but deemed himself fit to go.
"That happens, just took a shot off the shin and it just felt like I had to get off and check it out, but it's good," Gunnarsson said. "We've got a couple guys out right now, but I think everyone's going through that kind of thing right now."
Gunnarsson took the shot off the shin under the watchful eye of his father Bjorn, who was at practice Friday and is in town visiting his son, daughter-in-law and newborn grandchild Elise.
"I guess he had nothing better to do," Gunnarsson joked.
Brodziak, who was to play in his 800th NHL game, will have to wait at least another day or even longer.
Brodziak did not practice on Friday, took the ice momentarily on Saturday but did not stay on the ice long and was declared out. He will be replaced in the lineup by Oskar Sundqvist.
"He's a little dinged up," Blues coach Mike Yeo said of Brodziak. "That's why he didn't practice yesterday. We were hoping he'd come in and feel better today, but that wasn't the case. Hopefully, he feels better tomorrow, but I'm not too optimistic.
"'Sunny's done a good job for us. He'll be able to come in and fill that spot."
Hutton, activated off injured reserve on Friday after sustaining a foot injury during a morning skate on Dec. 7, gets the nod tonight and Jake Allen, who had started the past seven games, will start for the Blues on Sunday.
""You never want to miss time, but we're ready to go and excited to get back in there and help the team out," Hutton said. "We're excited. It's a good hockey team over there, but we're a good hockey team over here. It's going to be a fun hockey game."
The Blues will get Jets backup Steve Mason in net tonight, which means they'll likely see Connor Hellebuyck on Sunday.
Mason will make his first appearance since sustaining a concussion on Nov. 25 against the San Jose Sharks.
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Blues defenseman Alex Pietrangelo skated for a fourth straight day on Saturday with no limitations.
Pietrangelo, who sustained a lower-body injury Dec. 9 at Detroit, can be activated off IR on Sunday in time for the rematch with the Jets.
Yeo wouldn't commit to Pietrangelo playing but is encouraged by signs he's getting better each day.
"He's coming along," Yeo said. "He feels good. It's been a big improvement.
- - -
Defenseman Jay Bouwmeester, put on IR on Friday retroactive to Sunday, is also dealing with an undisclosed injury and it's uncertain whether he will make the upcoming four-game trip that takes the Blues to Western Canada after Winnipeg.
"That's the plan, is to bring 'Bouw' right now, but again, why don't you just ask me tonight after the game," Yeo said.
Brodziak will travel.
- - -
It's a rarity in the sport much these days, but both the Blues and Jets seem to be fans of the home-and-home, back-to-back games.
"It's always fun, especially teams in your own division, it brings out the intensity in the competitors," Yeo said. "Obviously there's a little familiarly, within coaches there's an adjustment, I think it's fun in the sense it gives you more of that playoff feel.
"I don't think it hurts. I don't spend a lot of time thinking about it. We'll prepare for them and move on. ... These are big games."
"I love them," Jets coach Paul Maurice said. "I wish they were all like that. It's fair for travel, unless you get stuck at the airport for a few hours. I like them a lot. It's fun for the coaching part of it, too, areas you need to get better, anticipate adjustments they're going to make in the game. I'm a big fan."
- - -
The Blues' projected lineup:
Vladimir Sobotka-Paul Stastny-Vladimir Tarasenko
Alexander Steen-Brayden Schenn-Dmitrij Jaskin
Scottie Upshall-Patrik Berglund-Ivan Barbashev
Magnus Paajarvi-Oskar Sundqvist-Chris Thorburn
Joel Edmundson-Colton Parayko
Carl Gunnarsson-Robert Bortuzzo
Vince Dunn-Jordan Schmaltz
Carter Hutton will start in goal; Jake Allen will be the backup.
The healthy scratch is expected to be Sammy Blais. Alex Pietrangelo (lower body), Jay Bouwmeester (undisclosed), Jaden Schwartz (ankle), Kyle Brodziak (undisclosed) and Zach Sanford (shoulder) are out. Robby Fabbri (knee) is out for the season.
- - -
The Jets' projected lineup:
Kyle Connor-Mark Scheifele-Blake Wheeler
Nikolaj Ehlers-Bryan Little-Patrik Laine
Andrew Copp-Adam Lowry-Brandon Tanev
Mathieu Perreault-Matt Hendricks-Joel Armia
Josh Morrissey-Jacob Trouba
Dmitry Kulikov-Tyler Myers
Ben Chiarot-Tucker Poolman
Steve Mason will start in goal; Connor Hellebuyck will be the backup.
Healthy scratches include Marko Dano, Shawn Matthias and Julian Melchiori. Dustin Byfuglien (lower body) and Toby Enstrom (lower body) are out.
Friday, December 15, 2017
(12-16-17) BLUES NOTEBOOK
Gunnarsson injured in practice, joins growing list; Pietrangelo progressing;
Hutton activated, will play this weekend; Bouwmeester to IR, Blais recalled
ST. LOUIS -- It's been quite the week for injuries as far as the Blues are concerned.
Add defenseman Carl Gunnarsson to a list that grows, it seems, by the minute.
Gunnarsson left a short practice early on Friday after being hit around his right knee area, a wrist shot taken by fellow defenseman Jordan Schmaltz, during a special teams drill.
With Jaden Schwartz (right ankle), Alex Pietrangelo (lower body) and Jay Bouwmeester (undisclosed) all currently out with injuries, joining Zach Sanford (shoulder) and Robby Fabbri (knee), the Blues may have to enlist the M*A*S*H unit on ice.
"We'll see in the morning, we're hopeful," Blues coach Mike Yeo said of Gunnarsson's availability. "My gut says that he'll be ready to go, but obviously we don't know how he's going to feel tomorrow."
Dmitrij Jaskin, Kyle Brodziak and Robert Bortuzzo all missed practice because Yeo said all are "A little dinged up, so we'll go in the morning and hopeful that they'll be players for us."
Speaking of Pietrangelo though, the news is trending upwards that he could very well rejoin the lineup when he can come off injured reserve on Sunday in the second of back-to-back games against the Winnipeg Jets.
The Blues (21-10-2) host the Jets (18-9-5) at 6 p.m. Saturday (FS-MW, KMOX 1120-AM) before the rematch at MTS Centre on Sunday at 5 p.m.
"'Petro' obviously skated again today; he's getting closer," Yeo said. "That's a good sign and we're happy with the group that we've got going. I think our 'D' have been doing a good job. You look at last game and obviously there's a couple times where I think we could have done something differently, something better, but that goes for our entire group."
As for Bouwmeester, who the Blues thought would play on Thursday against the Anaheim Ducks but was a late scratch, the Blues put the veteran defenseman on injured reserve retroactive to Sunday.
Yeo said on Thursday after a 3-1 loss to the Ducks that Bouwmeester would be held out of the games against the Jets and be re-evaluated next week.
"We thought he was going to be a player, but it didn't work out," Yeo said.
Recalling Blais from San Antonio for the fourth time this season is more indicative of perhaps an underlying injury to one of the Blues' forwards. Jaskin took a pop during the game Thursday.
* Hutton activated, Binnington reassigned -- The Blues activated goalie Carter Hutton off injured reserve on Friday, some good news on the injury front.
Hutton was put on injured reserve last Friday after he injured his left foot after taking a shot by Scottie Upshall during the morning skate on Dec. 7.
"Yeah, I feel real good actually," Hutton said. "A few days off obviously, I couldn't do much at the start with the foot and I was able to get some good workouts in. We found a lot of ways to get some extra fitness in that you can't really do sometimes when you're playing all the time and then just some good sessions with the goalie coach and some practices and I feel like I never missed a beat here."
Yeo said Hutton would get one of the two games against the Jets.
"He's going to play one of the two games," Yeo said. "We'll announce that tomorrow."
With Hutton's return, the Blues returned Binnington on loan to Providence of the AHL, and Hutton is ready to play a game for the first time since Dec. 1.
"You hope I'll get in one of these two and help out, but whatever happens, goes," said Hutton, who is 4-2-0 with a 1.88 goals-against average and .937 save percentage this season. "Jake's been playing great.
"We've dropped a couple here at home, but it wasn't because of a lack of effort by any means. We look at any points in those games, I think it could have went either way. We've got to get back on the winning track. That's what this league's about is winning games, and we've go the team in here to do it."
* Fixing the offense -- Injuries aside, the Blues aren't making excises for their latest two-game slide in which they've scored just one goal in losses to Tampa Bay (3-0) and Anaheim (3-1).
But there's definitely an out-of-sync group that played Thursday. Against the Lightning, despite getting shut out, the Blues produced quality scoring chances and were thwarted by goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy.
Thursday, the Blues displayed few grade 'A' chances and out of whack tendencies, and it goes from odd-man rushes to an ineffective power play to 5-on-5 play.
"When you're not scoring goals, obviously all of it is a factor," Yeo said. "You look at our rush play right now, I don't think we're fast enough, I don't think we're direct enough. I look at our offensive zone play, looking at the video again, we've got guys at the net, but we're not finding ways to create those shot opportunities, those second chance opportunities. Too many shots getting blocked and a little bit too much one-and-done in the offensive zone, too. I feel like when we're on top of our game, we've got more movement, we've got more zone time and are more dangerous because of that."
There's one common denominator to it all, getting to the interior, which is something the Blues and coaches continue to preach but get inconsistent levels of. Whether it's the opposition pushing the Blues out or just a lack of consistent traffic, it's something that needs quick fixing.
"We obviously haven't been scoring as many goals like we'd obviously like, but we're getting a few chances," center Brayden Schenn said. "I think we can do a better job of being harder around the net. That's a cliche answer, but really when it's not going your way and the tic-tac-toe goales aren't there, you've got to go to the net and get the dirty, greasy ones. We're going to try and do that and figure to get rewarded.
"It's a little bit of both. When you play these big teams, they do a good job of taking time and space away. It's hard to get in front of the net and blocking a lot of shots. There's nothing I think they're doing; I think we can do a better job -- all of us -- of getting pucks through and getting second and third chances.
"You try to will your way through it. It's nothing more than going to the blue paint to score goals. If you look at a lot of the goals around the league, they're scored within the five- and 10-foot range. We'll hopefully get to the front of the net tomorrow and try to find those rebounds."
* Mixed emotions for Thorburn -- Blues right wing Chris Thorburn admitted he took a peek at the schedule when it came out last summer.
After signing a two-year, $1.8 million contract to join the Blues, it marked the first time since 2007 that Thorburn would wear anything other than a Atlanta/Winnipeg jersey.
Thorburn spent four seasons with the Thrashers before the franchise relocated to Winnipeg in 2011, and he spent the past six seasons with the Jets.
He'll face the Jets on Saturday for the first time.
"There's mixed emotions," Thorburn said. "... I think it is going to be weird, so I'm just going to take it in stride, just play my game. I'm sure there's going to be some chatting.
"When I signed in the summer and the schedule got released, we definitely took a peek at it to see what the schedule held. It's something that's in the back of my mind."
Thorburn said he still has many friends on the Jets and isn't surprised to see them thriving in the heated Central Division.
"They were all my friends," Thorburn said. "We had a good locker room. All over the league, if you talk to many guys, locker rooms are pretty tight, especially if you're an older guy. I've been around for a while, so I cherish those friendships and memories that will last a long time.
"They were on the brink for a few years. They just had to tighten up on few spots and they've done that. They're doing really well, but we are too, and it makes it a lot easier to handle."
Thursday, December 14, 2017
Blues offense remains throttled in 3-1 loss to Ducks
Losses of injured players Schwartz, Pietrangelo showing;
second home loss in a row for St. Louis, outscored 6-1 in process
ST. LOUIS -- On Tuesday, the Blues felt their game was good enough to win. On Thursday, from a defensive and goaltending standpoint, it was also good enough to win.
But when goals aren't going into the net, it becomes a concern, and that concern is at the front of what ails the Blues after a 3-1 loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday before 17,822 at Scottrade Center.
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| (St. Louis Blues photo)
Blues center Patrik Berglund (right) passes the puck while being defended
by Ducks center Adam Henrique on Thursday.
|
It marks two games in which the Blues (21-10-2) have managed one goal on home ice, Patrik Berglund's goal with 5 minutes, 53 seconds remaining to break John Gibson's shutout bid looking to be the second goalie in as many games on home ice to throw up a goose egg on the Blues.
Yes, they're missing Jaden Schwartz and Alex Pietrangelo. Jay Bouwmeester was a late scratch Thursday after taking warmups and replaced by Jordan Schmaltz.
Offensively, the Blues looked lost, and the same narratives are coming from the locker room afterwards: there's not enough interior play and they're making it too easy on the opposition.
"I think it's up to us to get there," Berglund said. "I think we're not cheating the game right now, but we've got to find ways to get bodies in front of the net and to get pucks there. Right now when we're down there, sometimes it just looks a little too easy for the other team.
"It looked like we got a lot of shots blocked today too (19) so we've got to be more desperate, especially at home, we've just got to bear down and play better hockey."
The Blues, who went 0-for-4 on the power play, sprinkled in a few decent scoring chances on Gibson, who made 29 saves. He stopped Joel Edmundson's breakaway bid at 2:25 of the second, and Magnus Paajarvi hit the post on a shot in the first and Vladimir Tarasenko's shot off the bar with five seconds left in the second kept it a 1-0 game.
But the bottom line is this team is really struggling without Schwartz and Pietrangelo, and coach Mike Yeo having to use guys higher up in the lineup is giving the Blues right now little to nothing.
"It’s execution again," Yeo said. "I’ve been trying to manage the rest here. Obviously we’re playing a lot of games in a lot of days, and with that obviously we lack some practice time.
"We’re going to hit the ice tomorrow. It won’t be a long skate, but I think just the opportunity to get out there and just execute the day before the game. I think that will help."
Kevin Roy scored twice for the Ducks after being recalled from San Diego of the American Hockey League to replace the injured Corey Perry in the lineup.
The Ducks (14-11-7) are 3-0-1 in the past four games and have a point in six straight (3-0-3). Andrew Cogliano scored, and John Gibson made 29 saves.
Berglund's goal was the 300th point of his NHL career, all for the Blues, and Jake Allen made 15 saves.
St. Louis has been outscored 6-1 in losing two in a row, and a lack of interior play is really bringing the Blues down right now.
"I think for one, you look at the shots that are getting blocked, we’ve got to shoot the puck quicker," Yeo said. "Every time we get the puck, we’re trying to turn that play into a goal … obviously, but if you hang onto the puck a little bit longer, No. 1 you need a perfect shot to beat the goalie because they’re going to get in position … they’re going to come out, they’re going to cut off their angle, they’re going to get square to the puck. But No. 2, it’s more difficult to get those shots through because people have moved out on you and now they’ve found a way to get in those lanes. So I think that mindset would help a little bit, but you know … it’s a matter of not only finding a way to get the secondary opportunities, but it’s been a while since we’ve had a tip or a deflection or something like that. So I just think getting our head up in certain situations, if there’s a lane there then take it, and if not, maybe there’s another lane for a stick or another option."
Cogliano scored his first goal in 23 games; he took Rickard Rakell's backhand pass and banked in a shot at 11:11 of the second period for a 1-0 lead.
It was the second game in which the Blues were in a one-goal game but could never get the lead in doing so.
Berglund ended Gibson's shutout with a goal at 14:07 of the third period to make it 3-1. It was St. Louis' first goal in 114:07 after being shut out by the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-0 on Tuesday.
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| (St. Louis Blues photo)
Blues goalie Jake Allen (34) makes a save on a breakaway attempt by
Rickard Rakell on Thursday. The Ducks won 3-1.
|
Roy scored twice in a 2:45 span in the third period. He made it 2-0 at 5:43 and 3-0 at 8:28.
"I don't really know if there's a certain thing you can point at," Blues defenseman Vince Dunn said. "I think it's just kind of one way it doesn't go our way, and I think the guys coming out for the next shift aren't picking it up after those guys. I think it's just not the kind of hockey St. Louis plays. The way we came into that game was kind of the way we came into that game [Tuesday] against Tampa. We were in it until the third and the goals that we gave up were all pretty preventable."
Yeo said he and the Blues felt Bouwmeester would be ready but now he'll be held out throughout weekend games on Saturday and Sunday against the Winnipeg Jets and be re-evaluated next week.
(12-14-17) Ducks-Blues Gameday Lineup
By LOU KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- The Blues will get Jay Bouwmeester back on Thursday against the Anaheim Ducks (7 p.m.; FS-MW, KMOX 1120-AM) after the defenseman missed one game with an undisclosed injury.
Bouwmeester, who missed 21 games to start the season with a fractured left ankle, will play alongide Robert Bortuzzo after missing a 3-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday.
"I think so. As long as I don't fall out of bed or do something like that," Bouwmeester on playing. "I had something lingering, hopefully it will work.
"It's good enough to play, so you play."
With Bouwmeester's return, Jordan Schmaltz, who was recalled from San Antonio of the American Hockey League on Tuesday, will be a healthy scratch after playing on Tuesday.
"We felt pretty good that this would come about quickly," Blues coach Mike Yeo said of Bouwmeester's injury. "Maybe if it was the playoffs the last game he would have been in there, but getting the night off … it's good to have him back.
"... We want to make sure he doesn't hurt it any worse and it gives it a chance to heal and the second part is you want to make sure he can perform at the level he needs to. Today we're confident he can."
- - -
Defenseman Alex Pietrangelo (lower body) and goalie Carter Hutton (lower body) were both on the ice for the morning skate and appear ready to return when each are eligible to come off injured reserve.
In Hutton's case, that would be on Friday after skating for a third straight day. For Pietrangelo, who blocked a shot on Saturday's 6-1 win at Detroit, that would be Sunday.
"Things went well," Yeo said of Pietrangelo. "He's not in tonight but a good sign that he's not too far away.
"I talked to 'Hutts' too, there's a chance we could see 'Hutts' this weekend. A good practice today, starting to feel better, another guy we'd be excited to get back."
- - -
The Blues (21-9-2), who have the most points in the Western Conference with 44, and Ducks (13-11-7) played here on Nov. 29, a 3-2 Ducks win in which the Blues fell behind 3-0 and lost the game on special teams.
"They obviously played us hard, played us well," Blues center Brayden Schenn said. "They're tight defensively, don't give you a whole lot. We're going to have to earn our chances tonight, earn our opportunities. They're a structured team, a detailed team and playing hard for one another right now, so it's going to be a good game tonight."
The Ducks scored early, then added two power-play goals playing with a lineup without many key players.
Tonight, they will be without Corey Perry (lower body) but do have Ryan Getzlaf and Rickard Rakell among others back who did not play here 16 days ago. Also, the Ducks have since added Adam Henrique from the New Jersey Devils.
"What we can take from it is what a hard game it was," Yeo said of the last meeting. "Looking at the video of them, they've got some guys coming back into the lineup now, they're still in a desperate position and that desperation is showing up in their play. The work ethic they have, the structure, the tightness of their checking game, the commitment they have to get to their game, that forecheck, that offensive zone play game, you're seeing it shift after shift so it's going to be a real hard game tonight in all areas. They're going to force you to defend in hard areas, and for you to get to your game, you have to do a lot of things well in terms of your execution and your work ethic to try to create something.
"They came out with a desperation we didn't match. I felt from the drop of the puck to the end of the day. I thought at the end of the day they deserved to win."
- - -
The Blues tinkered with their bottom six forwards and will move Scottie Upshall up to the third line to play with Patrik Berglund and Ivan Barbashev and drop Magnus Paajarvi to the fourth line with Kyle Brodziak and Chris Thorburn, who returns after being a healthy scratch the past three games and five of the past six games.
"First off, when you think of 'Bergy's game, you think of him motoring around the offensive zone, moving his feet, controlling the puck, protecting the puck, and I feel that line hasn't had enough of that sustained pressure in the offensive zone," Yeo said. "Uppy's a guy with his speed and his competitiveness that should help to create some turnovers on the forecheck. This is a team that we're looking at, their D gaps and their forwards track back. There hasn't been very little room in the neutral zone. Your forecheck game is going to be important in games like that. 'Uppy' is the kind of guy that can arrive and separate guys and help a guy like 'Bergy' get to his game.
"Twelve points is pretty darn good considering we've used [Upshall] exclusively in a checking role this year. I think what's important for 'Uppy' is those 12 points have come from checking, from his work ethic, so the conversation for him is, lets not change your game. You're there to add what you bring so make sure you bring it."
- - -
- Blues right wing Vladimir Tarasenko has just to goals the past 10 games despite having 82 shot attempts, or 8.2 per game. Tarasenko has an empty-net goal and overtime game winner the past 10 games. But Tarasenko does have 11 points (four goals, seven assists) the past 11 games.
- Goalie Jake Allen will start for the seventh straight game, nine of the past 10 and 14 of the past 16. Allen is 4-1-1 with 10 goals allowed the past six games with one shutout and has held opponents to two goals or fewer in past four starts.
Tonight, he will have Jordan Binnington as his backup. Binnington was recalled Thursday from Providence of the AHL.
- Schenn has six goals and seven points the past five games but had a four-game point streak end on Tuesday. He's living life now without Jaden Schwartz.
"You've got to put that behind you," Schenn said. "You can't worry about that anymore. Hopefully you get him back when he's supposed to return, but I don't try and worry about that anymore. I've got two good linemates right now with 'Jasky' [Dmitrij Jaskin] and 'Steener' [Alexander Steen] and I've got to find chemistry with those guys and be able to create with those guys. There's no sense in worrying about that anymore."
- - -
The Blues' projected lineup:
Vladimir Sobotka-Paul Stastny-Vladimir Tarasenko
Alexander Steen-Brayden Schenn-Dmitrij Jaskin
Scottie Upshall-Patrik Berglund-Ivan Barbashev
Magnus Paajarvi-Kyle Brodziak-Chris Thorburn
Joel Edmundson-Colton Parayko
Jay Bouwmeester-Robert Bortuzzo
Carl Gunnarsson-Vince Dunn
Jake Allen will start in goal; Jordan Binnington will be the backup.
Healthy scratches include Oskar Sundqvist and Jordan Schmaltz. Alex Pietrangelo (lower body) is day-to-day, Jaden Schwartz (ankle) is out six weeks, Carter Hutton (lower body) can come off IR Friday and Zach Sanford (shoulder) is out indefinitely. Robby Fabbri (knee) is out for the season.
- - -
The Ducks' projected lineup:
Kevin Roy-Ryan Getzlaf-Jakob Silfverberg
Andrew Cogliano-Adam Henrique-Rickard Rakell
Joseph Blandisi-Antoine Vermette-Ondrej Kase
Chris Wagner-Derek Grant-Logan Shaw
Cam Fowler-Josh Manson
Francois Beauchemin-Brandon Montour
Andrew Welinski-Kevin Bieksa
John Gibson will start in goal; Ryan Miller will be the backup.
Healthy scratches include Korbinian Holzer and Dennis Rasmussen. Corey Perry (lower body), Nick Ritchie (upper body), Patrick Eaves (illness), Ryan Kesler (hip surgery), Mike Liambas (undisclosed) and Hampus Lindholm (upper body) are out.
ST. LOUIS -- The Blues will get Jay Bouwmeester back on Thursday against the Anaheim Ducks (7 p.m.; FS-MW, KMOX 1120-AM) after the defenseman missed one game with an undisclosed injury.
Bouwmeester, who missed 21 games to start the season with a fractured left ankle, will play alongide Robert Bortuzzo after missing a 3-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday.
"I think so. As long as I don't fall out of bed or do something like that," Bouwmeester on playing. "I had something lingering, hopefully it will work.
"It's good enough to play, so you play."
With Bouwmeester's return, Jordan Schmaltz, who was recalled from San Antonio of the American Hockey League on Tuesday, will be a healthy scratch after playing on Tuesday.
"We felt pretty good that this would come about quickly," Blues coach Mike Yeo said of Bouwmeester's injury. "Maybe if it was the playoffs the last game he would have been in there, but getting the night off … it's good to have him back.
"... We want to make sure he doesn't hurt it any worse and it gives it a chance to heal and the second part is you want to make sure he can perform at the level he needs to. Today we're confident he can."
- - -
Defenseman Alex Pietrangelo (lower body) and goalie Carter Hutton (lower body) were both on the ice for the morning skate and appear ready to return when each are eligible to come off injured reserve.
In Hutton's case, that would be on Friday after skating for a third straight day. For Pietrangelo, who blocked a shot on Saturday's 6-1 win at Detroit, that would be Sunday.
"Things went well," Yeo said of Pietrangelo. "He's not in tonight but a good sign that he's not too far away.
"I talked to 'Hutts' too, there's a chance we could see 'Hutts' this weekend. A good practice today, starting to feel better, another guy we'd be excited to get back."
- - -
The Blues (21-9-2), who have the most points in the Western Conference with 44, and Ducks (13-11-7) played here on Nov. 29, a 3-2 Ducks win in which the Blues fell behind 3-0 and lost the game on special teams.
"They obviously played us hard, played us well," Blues center Brayden Schenn said. "They're tight defensively, don't give you a whole lot. We're going to have to earn our chances tonight, earn our opportunities. They're a structured team, a detailed team and playing hard for one another right now, so it's going to be a good game tonight."
The Ducks scored early, then added two power-play goals playing with a lineup without many key players.
Tonight, they will be without Corey Perry (lower body) but do have Ryan Getzlaf and Rickard Rakell among others back who did not play here 16 days ago. Also, the Ducks have since added Adam Henrique from the New Jersey Devils.
"What we can take from it is what a hard game it was," Yeo said of the last meeting. "Looking at the video of them, they've got some guys coming back into the lineup now, they're still in a desperate position and that desperation is showing up in their play. The work ethic they have, the structure, the tightness of their checking game, the commitment they have to get to their game, that forecheck, that offensive zone play game, you're seeing it shift after shift so it's going to be a real hard game tonight in all areas. They're going to force you to defend in hard areas, and for you to get to your game, you have to do a lot of things well in terms of your execution and your work ethic to try to create something.
"They came out with a desperation we didn't match. I felt from the drop of the puck to the end of the day. I thought at the end of the day they deserved to win."
- - -
The Blues tinkered with their bottom six forwards and will move Scottie Upshall up to the third line to play with Patrik Berglund and Ivan Barbashev and drop Magnus Paajarvi to the fourth line with Kyle Brodziak and Chris Thorburn, who returns after being a healthy scratch the past three games and five of the past six games.
"First off, when you think of 'Bergy's game, you think of him motoring around the offensive zone, moving his feet, controlling the puck, protecting the puck, and I feel that line hasn't had enough of that sustained pressure in the offensive zone," Yeo said. "Uppy's a guy with his speed and his competitiveness that should help to create some turnovers on the forecheck. This is a team that we're looking at, their D gaps and their forwards track back. There hasn't been very little room in the neutral zone. Your forecheck game is going to be important in games like that. 'Uppy' is the kind of guy that can arrive and separate guys and help a guy like 'Bergy' get to his game.
"Twelve points is pretty darn good considering we've used [Upshall] exclusively in a checking role this year. I think what's important for 'Uppy' is those 12 points have come from checking, from his work ethic, so the conversation for him is, lets not change your game. You're there to add what you bring so make sure you bring it."
- - -
- Blues right wing Vladimir Tarasenko has just to goals the past 10 games despite having 82 shot attempts, or 8.2 per game. Tarasenko has an empty-net goal and overtime game winner the past 10 games. But Tarasenko does have 11 points (four goals, seven assists) the past 11 games.
- Goalie Jake Allen will start for the seventh straight game, nine of the past 10 and 14 of the past 16. Allen is 4-1-1 with 10 goals allowed the past six games with one shutout and has held opponents to two goals or fewer in past four starts.
Tonight, he will have Jordan Binnington as his backup. Binnington was recalled Thursday from Providence of the AHL.
- Schenn has six goals and seven points the past five games but had a four-game point streak end on Tuesday. He's living life now without Jaden Schwartz.
"You've got to put that behind you," Schenn said. "You can't worry about that anymore. Hopefully you get him back when he's supposed to return, but I don't try and worry about that anymore. I've got two good linemates right now with 'Jasky' [Dmitrij Jaskin] and 'Steener' [Alexander Steen] and I've got to find chemistry with those guys and be able to create with those guys. There's no sense in worrying about that anymore."
- - -
The Blues' projected lineup:
Vladimir Sobotka-Paul Stastny-Vladimir Tarasenko
Alexander Steen-Brayden Schenn-Dmitrij Jaskin
Scottie Upshall-Patrik Berglund-Ivan Barbashev
Magnus Paajarvi-Kyle Brodziak-Chris Thorburn
Joel Edmundson-Colton Parayko
Jay Bouwmeester-Robert Bortuzzo
Carl Gunnarsson-Vince Dunn
Jake Allen will start in goal; Jordan Binnington will be the backup.
Healthy scratches include Oskar Sundqvist and Jordan Schmaltz. Alex Pietrangelo (lower body) is day-to-day, Jaden Schwartz (ankle) is out six weeks, Carter Hutton (lower body) can come off IR Friday and Zach Sanford (shoulder) is out indefinitely. Robby Fabbri (knee) is out for the season.
- - -
The Ducks' projected lineup:
Kevin Roy-Ryan Getzlaf-Jakob Silfverberg
Andrew Cogliano-Adam Henrique-Rickard Rakell
Joseph Blandisi-Antoine Vermette-Ondrej Kase
Chris Wagner-Derek Grant-Logan Shaw
Cam Fowler-Josh Manson
Francois Beauchemin-Brandon Montour
Andrew Welinski-Kevin Bieksa
John Gibson will start in goal; Ryan Miller will be the backup.
Healthy scratches include Korbinian Holzer and Dennis Rasmussen. Corey Perry (lower body), Nick Ritchie (upper body), Patrick Eaves (illness), Ryan Kesler (hip surgery), Mike Liambas (undisclosed) and Hampus Lindholm (upper body) are out.
Wednesday, December 13, 2017
(12-14-17) BLUES NOTEBOOK
Bouwmeester, Pietrangelo progressing; Hutton close to returning; Schmaltz
season debut goes well; Binnington recalled, Husso returns to San Antonio
ST. LOUIS -- The Blues played Tuesday without three of their top-minute players in a 3-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in a battle of top teams in the NHL and could be getting at least one of them back as early as Thursday.
Defenseman Jay Bouwmeester (undisclosed injury not related to the fractured left ankle sustained early in training camp) told coach Mike Yeo he was feeling better and the team is expected to make a decision in the morning, likely after the gameday skate prior to facing the Anaheim Ducks.
"I talked to him today. He's feeling better," Yeo said of Bouwmeester. "We'll see what happens there tomorrow."
Bouwmeester, who missed the first 21 games with that fractured left ankle, is dealing what an injury Yeo said was "nagging."
Stay tuned in the morning of Bouwmeester's availability.
As for captain Alex Pietrangelo, who is on injured reserve and is eligible to come off for Sunday's game at Winnipeg, the second leg of the back-to-back with the Jets (they play Saturday here), he's coming along.
"He's going to wait a couple days (before skating), but talked to him today and he's feeling better," Yeo said. "I know he hopped on the bike there. We'll keep him moving and obviously interested to get him back."
The Blues are obviously playing without Jaden Schwartz, who along with Pietrangelo missed his second straight game after both were injured blocking shots last Saturday in Detroit. Schwartz is out and will be re-evaluated in six weeks with a right ankle injury.
* Hutton ready to return -- Also on the injured front is goalie Carter Hutton, who was placed on injured reserve retroactive to last Thursday after he sustained a foot injury taking a puck off the skate of teammate Scottie Upshall during the morning skate before the Blues' game against the Dallas Stars.
Hutton, who skated in an optional practice on Wednesday, was on the ice for a second day in a row and can come off IR on Friday ahead of the home-and-home series with the Jets.
"I'm feeling better," said Hutton, who called it a freak play. "Now it's just a pain thing and we can deal with that. That's the part of playing hockey. You're never really too healthy. You're always kind of too banged up in some sort of way, but it's good to be back out there. A couple days off, it always kind of sucks. It's one of those things where when it happens, you're like, 'Oh OK, there's lots of hockey,' but then you miss the first game and you like really hate it, feel guilty. You want to play, you want to help out. That's kind of my mindset the way I was raised. But we're back and we'll look back in a couple months from now and we won't even remember this little couple days off.
"I'm good to go. I'll be ready to rock, granted I don't take any more slap shots to the feet."
Yeo was also hopeful.
"Today was a good step and obviously every day he gets on the ice right now, he's certainly getting closer," he said.
* Schmaltz debut good -- Blues defenseman Jordan Schmaltz, who played in just his 10th NHL regular-season game Tuesday playing alongside fellow rookie Vince Dunn, played 14 minutes, 13 seconds in his season debut.
The stat line doesn't jump out, but the pairing of Schmaltz and Dunn were not on the ice for any goals against and handled themselves well against the Lightning firepower.
"Being my first (NHL) game in a while, it kind of almost felt like my first game again," said Schmaltz, who is tied for the team lead in points in San Antonio with 19 (five goals, 14 assists) in 24 games. "I thought I was solid defensively and I think I can build off it for sure.
"You try not to think about it. I think you've just got to approach every shift like it's your last one out there, do your job, play simple, play hard and get after them."
Blues coach Mike Yeo had no qualms about playing the two rookies together despite what kind of offensive weapons the Lightning brought. Felt confident in their abilities and trusted they'd get the job done.
"There was some thought, but we wanted to see how they went out and how they played," Yeo said. "Given how the other team's lines were shaped up, we felt that we could put them in some situations to give them a chance. You start the game, you don't really know how it's going to end necessarily. Obviously you hope it's going to end the way you started it. They showed us pretty quickly they were up to the task.
"I thought [Schmaltz] played well. To me, he's playing with more pace than he did in training camp. He looks quicker, he's making decisions quickly and that goes with the puck but that also goes without the puck. I thought he closed on people quickly, I thought his gaps were good. A little bit more aggressive and confident than what we saw in training camp."
The familiarity of Schmaltz and Dunn playing together with the Chicago Wolves helped matters.
"We read each other pretty well," Dunn said. "We were comfortable that we hadn't played with each other from the previous years. I think we're pretty good together and obviously we're both rookies. We need to be energetic and do the right things over again. I was comfortable playing with him and I think he was, too. I think we handled them well and were ready whoever we were out against."
* Binnington recalled, Husso sent to Rampage -- The Blues swapped goalie prospects and recalled Jordan Binnington, who is on loan to the Providence Bruins, and assigned Ville Husso to the Rampage.
With Hutton's return imminent, it was important to get Husso back playing games with San Antonio while the Blues need a backup one more time Thursday, which will be Binnington.
"It's just important for young guys to play," Yeo said. "'Huss' has been here. He's back and up right now. He's not going to play in the game tomorrow, so both guys have been doing a good job this year. Binnington's been playing really well from the reports that we've been getting Husso's been playing really well, just coming off the injury and it's important that he gets playing and we'll bring 'Binner' up now."
Binnington is 6-1-0 and ranks second in the AHL with a 1.84 goals-against average and a .933 save percentage in eight games with the Bruins this season.
* Win streak ends -- The Blues' loss to the Lightning for the second time this season stopped a four-game winning streak but didn't come with many ill effects.
Other than converting on some solid scoring opportunities and beating goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, who stopped all 32 shots faced, the Blues probably were the better team on the ice but didn't win the most important category: the scoreboard.
"We played a pretty good game," Yeo said. "You look at every game and there's always some things that you can do a little bit differently, a little bit better in some situations. But their goalie played well. We checked hard, we defended well against a team that's not easy to defend against. We generated the opportunities. We had breakaways, we had 2-on-1's, we had opportunities in the offensive zone, but our execution in those situations weren't quite as sharp as we would have liked. Obviously we didn't find a way to score that dirty goal or that goal around the blue paint.
"We feel that if we can go out there and execute that game for the better part of 60 minutes, because it's never going to be perfect; don't matter who you're playing against. The opponent always has a say in it, but if for the better part of the game, if you're getting to your game, if it's got the picture of what your best game looks like, then yeah, more often than not, you're going to get the win. We didn't last night, so we'll have to find a way to come back and be a little bit better tomorrow.
It was a one-shot game until Nikita Kucherov scored to make it 2-0 with 6:23 remaining. That goal came moments before the Blues' Vladimir Sobotka missed on a wide open net that would have tied the game.
"I think we were in it right until the very end," Dunn said. "We definitely had our chances to put them in the back of the net. I think just looking at the positives, we can't shoot ourselves in the foot over that one. It's two top teams in the whole league coming together. We have guys missing, but definitely not an excuse. It wasn't a bad game, we weren't sloppy. I just think we need to capitalize when we have the opportunities. We've got to fight for those dirty goals."
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