(1-30-21) Blues-Ducks Gameday Lineup

By LOU KORAC
David Perron learned a valuable lesson during the Stanley Cup season on what it was like to be a healthy scratch as a veteran player.

Not only did Perron use it as motivation but it made him a better player and knowing that his coach at the time, Craig Berube, will pull no punches with anyone, no matter their name or ties to the game.

Vince Dunn is now in that boat after being a healthy scratch Tuesday, he is expected back in the lineup for the Blues (4-2-1) tonight when they begin a two-game, back to back set with the Anaheim Ducks (3-3-2) at 8 p.m. (FS-MW, ESPN 101.1-FM).

The 24-year-old Dunn was removed from the lineup in the 5-4 shootout win against the Vegas Golden Knights and was likely to return against Vegas on Thursday before that game was postponed because of precautionary measures stemming from the league's COVID-19 protocols.

Dunn, who has a goal and an assist and is a minus-3 in six games, is expected to be paired with Niko Mikkola.

"I think he's probably trying to do too much," Berube said of Dunn. "A couple times just with the puck, and he got beat 1-on-1 there. It's just stuff like that and there's no need for it, to be honest with you.

"Everybody's different and everybody reacts different. I'm just looking for Dunn to come back and get to his game and play his game. He was pulled out for mistakes that he's made and he's got to clean then up. We're just looking for him to be more direct and little more intense in his game."

Dunn struggled with his game when the Blues came back during the Return to Play Plan last season and into the Stanley Cup Playoffs after having arbuably his best season during the 2018-19 Cup run.

The Blues know what kind of player Dunn is and expect him to get back to the form he's displayed in the past. 

Dunn signed a one-year, $1.875 million contract as a restricted free agent Dec. 31.

"I think it's on us veteran guys to pull him along," Blues captain Ryan O'Reilly said. "We know how good he is, and he's going to bounce back and find his groove. It's tough when you look at the depth of our defense, our d-core. We have a lot of good bodies that are fighting to get in the lineup right now and it's tough, but he's still a big piece and it'll be nice to see him back."

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Sammy Blais will enter the lineup for just the third time this season in place of the injured Tyler Bozak, who will not play this weekend after sustaining an upper-body injury Tuesday against Vegas midway through the second period following a blindside hit from Vegas captain Mark Stone.

Blais, who is a plus-1 this season with zero points, played well in the opener against Colorado this season but then was set back from a two-game suspension handed down after he clipped Avalanche defenseman Devon Toews in the head.

"It was a tough break, but it's all in the past now," Blais said. "I'm just concentrating on tonight's game and trying to do my job. ... A little bit (surprised by the suspension), yeah. There were some hits after my hit that I thought were worse than mine, but I accept their decision and it's in the past now. Just trying to move forward.

"... I'm excited. I've been sitting the last couple games. Just going to try and do my job tonight and play the way I know how to play and try to help the team get the win. ... The games I've been in, I did pretty good and I did my role. I'm just going to try to keep doing the same things tonight."

Blais will play in a line with Robert Thomas and Mike Hoffman.

"(I need) just for him to play his game, his physical play," Berube said of Blais. "He's a physical player. He really does a good job with the puck. He hangs onto it, he makes plays. I think he might help that line out, a little more puck possession in the offensive zone. A physical presence on that line."

Blais has found it tough to crack the lineup this season, aside from the suspension. It's been a crowded house among the Blues' forward lines, and with the additions of Hoffman, Kyle Clifford and Jordan Kyrou on a regular basis, Blais has found himself on the outside looking in more times than not.

"It's been pretty hard," Blais said. "Just trying to stay positive, work hard. I have no control over that. When I'm on the ice, I'm just trying to do my job and help the team win and I'm just going to try and do that again.

"We are a really good team every year. We have a lot of depth. There are some guys that are not playing every night and are still good players. I'm just trying to do my job out there and I'm going to try and do it tonight."

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The Blues are going into a two-game set with the Ducks knowing it's going to be a grab your lunch pail and go to work kind of game.

There will likely be no pond-style plays, no up-and-down action after Berube called the Ducks a "meat and potatoes" team on Friday.

"They clog up the middle of the ice really well in their own end," Berube said of the Ducks. "There's not a lot of room out there. You're going to have to work to get on the inside and really get shots through with people around the net. They do a good job. They've been in a lot of low-scoring games. So we're going to have to work for our goals."

Anaheim has allowed only 17 goals this season, or 2.13 per game, but have scored just 14, or 1.75 per game.

"They do a good job of keeping guys out of the middle of the ice," O'Reilly said. "Obviously goaltender (John Gibson) is really good too, provides a tough challenge that way. For us, we have to be smart and make sure we're holding onto the puck and not just forcing plays but let them develop and wait for those Grade A opportunities. It'll be a good challenge for us tonight and that starts obviously with forechecking as well too. You get there and hopefully build our game out from that that hopefully leads to some good offense.

"This game's going to be a heavier, a little more of a grinding game at both ends of it. They're a hard-working team as are we. It's not going to be as run-and-gun as there are some teams we've played recently that are like that. The staples of our game have to be there. We have to be sharp, be physical, do those little things well and making it hard on no matter which d-pairing it is or which forward line it is. We have to be physical and wear these guys down because it's a tough back to back."

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Other than Bozak, Robert Bortuzzo (upper body), who has missed the past five games, is on the mend and getting closer to a return but won't play tonight.

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Good news on the home front with right wing Vladimir Tarasenko, who posted on his instagram account of his sticks and skates, an indicator he's on the ice and training.
Tarasenko had surgery on his left shoulder Sept. 17 and was given a five-month timeline for reevaluation by the Blues.

"When we have Vladi, it makes us that much more dangerous. It's nice," O'Reilly said. "We hope it's getting close here and we'll have him back soon. His presence and the things he does in the game, he's one of the few guys in this league that can just make something out of nothing. He provides so much for us. We'll be excited to have him back, and hopefully it's soon."

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The Blues' projected lineup:

Zach Sanford-Ryan O'Reilly-David Perron

Jaden Schwartz-Brayden Schenn-Jordan Kyrou

Sammy Blais-Robert Thomas-Mike Hoffman

Kyle Clifford-Ivan Barbashev-Oskar Sundqvist

Torey Krug-Justin Faulk

Marco Scandella-Colton Parayko

Niko Mikkola-Vince Dunn

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

Healthy scratches include Carl Gunnarsson and Jacob de la Rose. Vladimir Tarasenko (shoulder), Tyler Bozak (upper body) and Robert Bortuzzo (upper body) are out.

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The Ducks' projected lineup:

Max Jones-Ryan Getzlaf-Rickard Rakell

Danton Heinen-Adam Henrique-Jakob Silfverberg

Maxime Comtois-Sam Steel-Troy Terry

Nicolas Deslairiers-Derek Grant-Carter Rowney

Hampus Lindholm-Kevin Shattenkirk

Cam Fowler-Jani Hakanpaa

Ben Hutton-Jacob Larsson

John Gibson is expected to start in goal; Ryan Miller would be the backup.

The Ducks report no healthy scratches. Josh Manson (oblique muscle), Sonny Milano (undisclosed) and Brendan Guhle (MCL sprain) are out.