(1-15-22) Maple Leafs-Blues Gameday Lineup

By LOU KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- The Blues keep taking punches and keep coming out on the right side of them.

How many more they can take is an ongoing question, with the latest hit of Pavel Buchnevich being placed in COVID-19 protocol, and the Russian is expected to miss at least the next two games, beginning with today's 6 p.m. clash with the Toronto Maple Leafs (23-9-3) at Enterprise Center (BSMW, NHL Network, ESPN 101.1-FM).

Buchnevich, who is second on the Blues with 34 points (14 goals, 20 assists) in 34 games and is tied for the team lead in goals, is another hit to a group that is missing some key contributors that are in protocol, including Vladimir Tarasenko, Brayden Schenn, Colton Parayko and David Perron.

Defenseman Scott Perunovich will make his return to the lineup after missing three games in protocol. He is likely to replace Jake Walman.

Tarasenko and Perunovich were eligible to come off on Monday but each has missed the past three games. Schenn and Parayko are eligible to come off today, but in order to do that, they have to either be asymptomatic and test negative for consecutive days.

Tarasenko and Schenn skated this morning, according to Craig Berube, and Parayko "has skated" according to Berube.

Perron is eligible to come off on Sunday. 

"It's a little bit soon (to tell)," Berube said Friday after practice. "We've got some guys that feel good and they want to play, but until you test out (negative) and your days are up, that's the only way you can work off it, so right now, I'm not sure who's available tomorrow out of those guys."

Buchnevich scored the game-winner in a 2-1 win against the Seattle Kraken on Thursday to run the Blues' home point streak to 13 (12-0-1).

"Me, Buchy and Vladi, we knew it was coming probably, but it just seems like he's been around me and Vladi before and now he's got COVID so he's out," forward Ivan Barbashev said.

In the meantime, Berube and the coaching staff just goes day by day in trying to piece together a lineup.

"Doug (Armstrong) and I, we talk with the coaches and just try to figure out what we're going to do, who's going to come up, taxi squad, those issues, the cap and all that stuff," Berube said. "We've got to mull that stuff over and figure out what we can do there and you sit with the coaches and you go over things and what you think is going to work as lines. That's all you can do."

Forward Logan Brown, who missed the game Thursday due to a non-COVID related illness and did not practice on Friday, will be out again tonight after missing Thursday. The team called up Dakota Joshua Friday under emergency conditions and forward Alexei Toropchenko was recalled from the taxi squad. Each will play.

"He's a little bit better," Berube said of Brown on Friday. "We're going to have to wait on him in the morning and see how he's doing and he'll get a skate in in the morning and see how he feels."

The Blues, in light of so many skaters in COVID protocol and with the amount of injuries they've dealt with in the past, are 10-2-1 their past 13 games and just continue to find a way. 

"It says a lot," Barbashev said. "That's the group we've got. We keep fighting, never quitting. When we're down first, second periods, we always have confidence that we can get one and the other one. It's been something special with this team and we just keep playing."

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* The Blues are tied for tops in the league with Colorado and Florida for most comeback wins this season (13). The Blues are 12-5-1 this season when conceding the first goal.

* The Blues have lost just one game in regulation this season when keeping the opposition to no power-play goals (18-1-5).

* With at least a point tonight, the Blues can tie for second in franchise history with 14 straight home games with a point, last accomplished Oct. 27-Dec. 15, 2016 when they were 11-0-3.

* Forward Jordan Kyrou has 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in a six-game point streak.
* Barbashev has 10 points (three goals, seven assists) his past eight games. 

* Forward Robert Thomas will play in his 200th NHL game tonight.

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The Blues' projected lineup (will be updated pregame; these are based off some drills team ran in practice Friday; Joshua was not at practice Friday however):

Ivan Barbashev-Ryan O'Reilly-Oskar Sundqvist 

Brandon Saad-Robert Thomas-Jordan Kyrou

Klim Kostin-Tyler Bozak-James Neal

Nathan Walker-Dakota Joshua-Alexei Toropchenko

Torey Krug-Justin Faulk

Niko Mikkola-Marco Scandella

Scott Perunovich-Robert Bortuzzo

Jordan Binnington is expected to start in goal; Ville Husso would be the backup.

The Blues report no healthy scratches or injuries. Vladimir Tarasenko, Brayden Schenn, Colton Parayko, David Perron and Pavel Buchnevich are are out until removed. Tarasenko, Schenn and Parayko are out of protocol but not ready yet.

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The Maple Leafs' projected lineup:

Michael Bunting-Auston Matthews-Mitch Marner

Alexander Kerfoot-John Tavares-William Nylander

Ilya Mikheyev-David Kampf-Pierre Engvall

Kyle Clifford-Jason Spezza-Wayne Simmonds

Morgan Rielly-TJ Brodie

Jake Muzzin-Timothy Liljegren

Rasmus Sandin-Travis Dermott

Jack Campbell will start in goal; Petr Mrazek will be the backup. 

The healthy scratch is expected to be Joey Anderson. The Maple Leafs report no injuries. Ondrej Kase, Justin Holl and Nick Ritchie are in COVID-19 protocol and are out.