(1-7-22) Capitals-Blues Gameday Lineup

By LOU KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- When Robert Bortuzzo stepped onto the practice ice on Thursday, the Blues thought they had the band back together.

That lasted all of a few minutes.

Bortuzzo's return off COVID-19 protocol was supposed to be the final sign that the Blues, at long last, had their full lineup in tact again, but then came news that the team had put forward Vladimir Tarasenko and defensemen Scott Perunovich and Jake Walman were placed in COVID protocol and will not be available for the Blues (19-10-5) today when they open a five-game homestand against the Washington Capitals (20-6-8) at 7 p.m. (BSMW, NHL Network, ESPN 101.1-FM).

The news is especially discouraging for Tarasenko, who is the team's leading scorer with 34 points (14 goals, 20 assists) in 34 games and was one of three skaters (Colton Parayko and Marco Scandella) to play in each of the first 34 games.

Tarasenko had 11 points in a six-game point streak (six goals, five assists) and 15 points (seven goals, eight assists) the past 10 games.

"Going forward, we all know with the testing and everything going around, this is probably a normal for every team," Blues coach Craig Berube said. "We've dealt with it and just keep dealing with it. There's nothing we can do about it.

"He's playing really well all year I thought. He's come in and done a great job. We're going to miss him. It's like any other player that goes out, but it's unfortunate. It's unfortunate, but it happens."

"It's tough, but it's been happening all season long pretty much," forward Ivan Barbashev said. "We have to deal with it the last few months, but it's tough, especially to lose Vladi. He's been outstanding for us and he's been scoring and making really good plays."

Tarasenko and the others, unless there were false positives, will miss at least five days, and in this case, two games for the Blues but could return to the ice as early as Tuesday.

"He could," Berube said. "He doesn't have any symptoms, I don't think that I've heard. We'll just see going forward."

Tarasenko had been part of one of the hottest lines in the game along with Jordan Kyrou and Robert Thomas, and now with Tarasenko sidelined for the time being, Brayden Schenn will step into that role after Berube and the coaching staff did some line tinkering on Thursday.

"I was mulling a few things over," Berube said. "I'm always trying to tinker and trying to do what's best for the team and for individuals putting them in better spots and helping them out as much as I can. 

"With 91 going down, I think 10's a good fit with 18 and 25. He's played with both of them guys before and they've produced. They're a good rush line with 'Tommer', Kyrou and the way they use their ability and speed. In my head, it should be a good rush line. With 90 (Ryan O'Reilly), just trying to find him a little more offense. I think he's done a great job defensively and playing against top lines, but I think we need to try and put him in a spot to produce a little bit more."

O'Reilly, David Perron and Brandon Saad have done adequately as a line, going against the opposition's top units on a nightly basis but just haven't produced offensively like they can, so Berube is looking at splitting them up just to try and get them some more balance.

"They haven't produced as much as we'd like," Berube said. "They're going against top lines every night and they're doing a good job I believe, but you also have to produce too. You've got to move guys around at times to try and find some offense."

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With Perunovich out of the lineup, Bortuzzo is back after missing three games in COVID-19 protocol; he will be paired with Scandella on the back end.

Bortuzzo said he didn't have symptoms and is frustrated that he had to miss time, including the Winter Classic last Saturday in Minnesota.

"I did not, no from the day I tested," Bortuzzo said. "I felt fine, very frustrating to have to sit at home and not be around the team and the guys, not be able to do our job and enjoy things, so it was frustrating in that regard. That's all we can say about that, I guess.

"We did everything we could at home to keep our conditioning up and be ready to go. I tested every day after the five-day mark. Just wasn't able to get that negative test that's required by the league, which is frustrated also, especially when you're feeling fine. I felt good out there. Any time you can rejoin your teammates, it's a blast.

"I had some weights and some bands, putting mat, a little chipping net. Do a little bit of that, play some ping pong with the fiancee, watched TV, just killed time. Lucky we had some nice days before the end. I was able to get outside and get some fresh air.

"I was playing with 'Scandy' and I thought we were doing some good things keeping pucks moving up to our forwards, breaking out. I thought the PK was humming. We're back with 'Scandy' and hopefully we can step in and try make things as seamless as possible here."

When the NHL changed their protocol rules from missing 10 days to five, Bortuzzo was hopeful of being available for the Winter Classic but couldn't get the necessary negative test. 

"Yeah that was very frustrating especially knowing that I could have been there with my teammates if the league didn't require this negative testing," Bortuzzo said. "Other leagues are doing after five days, if you're asymptomatic, you're able to play. If those were our protocols, I would have been able to do that. People around the country are able to leave their home. I was able to leave home after five days, but I wasn't able to come back to work and be around my teammates. Frustrating to miss the Winter Classic. Speaking to a lot of guys around the league, guys feel like they've done their part. It's going to be tough to get through the season here with the way they're doing testing and this five-day and needing a negative test. Frustrating. If you ask guys around the league, I don't think they should be testing asymptomatic players. That's just my opinion. I won't be able to say it as eloquently as Steve Yzerman did, but if you ask a lot of guys I know our team is feeling that way. Guys have done their part. They got their vaccines, they're boosted. We had another guy today with his booster get caught with COVID. It's frustrating to have to miss that game, but at the same time, people are missing lots of things around the world more important than that, so don't feel too sorry for me."

Regardless, Bortuzzo was impressed with the Blues' beachwear look, something he would have been front and center for if given the opportunity himself.

"I was proud of the guys," he said. "I thought they knocked it out of the park. It's good for our game, speaks for our group and how close-knit we are and how much we enjoy coming to the rink and doing things and spending time with each other. I had a few people text me and say they would have liked to seen my outfit. ... Some things went through my head, but I thought it was funny that 'Binner' has the lumberjack shirts. He should do something with those, maybe get them autographed by the guys and sell them for charity or something. I thought it was cool what the guys did and when you win, it's just that much more fun.

"... I had a bikini for Halloween a bunch of years back. I think that would have been pushing the limits, I think, but some guys nailed it. I thought 'Binner' was great, 'Factor', I think Wally, any chance he gets to take his shirt off, he's taking it. He did a great job. It was really fun, looked like an awesome event. I was happy for the guys."

Bortuzzo will bring a sandpaper element to the Blues, and someone willing to perhaps get in front and block those one-timers from Alex Ovechkin, who is tearing up the league this season with 50 points (24 goals, 26 assists) in 34 games; he has 31 points (18 goals, 13 assists) in 20 games lifetime against the Blues.

"We get him back and he'll add a certain element to our team," Berube said of Bortuzzo.

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With Tarasenko out, Klim Kostin returns after being a healthy scratch in a 5-3 loss at Pittsburgh on Wednesday.

Kostin will play with Logan Brown and Tyler Bozak. 

"He played the game with 'Barby' and 'Buchy' in the Winter Classic and I thought he was pretty solid all around," Berube said of Kostin. "He was north. What I'm looking from him is he needs to play a straight-line game, north-south, be physical without going to the penalty box, try and disrupt the other team as much as he can. I'd like to see Klim attack a little bit more below the goal line to the net, bring pucks to the net, go to the net, be at the net, make people want to get him out of there and he needs to be physical. He needs to be on the puck. And what I mean physical, he gets there, arrive on time on the puck, on the forecheck and take the body, offensive zone, reloading and getting above things, hounding and getting on people and making them make bad puck plays because of his physicality."

Is it something that Kostin perhaps got away from was the straight line game?

"Yeah, I think so," Berube said. "Probably the way he played the game growing up and then juniors and things like that, he was a skilled guy and he scored. He has ability, which he does, but this is a different league. It's quick, it's fast, you don't have time. He has to do things quick. The more he thinks about doing things quick, chipping pucks in and going north, he's going to be more successful."

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* The Blues will put a 10-game home point streak (9-0-1) on the line tonight dating to Nov. 18, 2021. The Blues will look to record a home point streak of 11-plus games for the fifth time in 25 years and first since 2019-20 (10-0-1 from Dec. 12, 2019–Feb. 4, 2020).

* Forward Nathan Walker, a third-round pick by the Capitals in 2014, was assigned back to the Springfield Thunderbirds of the American Hockey League on Thursday.

* With the Blues down two defensemen, Calle Rosen was recalled from Springfield and assigned to the taxi squad.

* The Blues and Capitals will square off for the first time since the Blues' Stanley Cup banner-raising ceremony in the season opener Oct. 2, 2019, a 3-2 overtime win by the Capitals here at Enterprise Center.

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The Blues' projected lineup:

Ivan Barbashev-Ryan O'Reilly-Pavel Buchnevich

Brayden Schenn-Robert Thomas-Jordan Kyrou

Brandon Saad-Oskar Sundqvist-David Perron

Logan Brown-Tyler Bozak-Klim Kostin

Niko Mikkola-Colton Parayko

Torey Krug-Justin Faulk

Marco Scandella-Robert Bortuzzo 

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

The Blues have no healthy scratches or injuries. Vladimir Tarasenko, Scott Perunovich and Jake Walman are in COVID-19 protocol.

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The Capitals' projected lineup:

Alex Ovechkin-Evgeny Kuznetzov-Garnet Hathaway

Conor Sheary-Lars Eller-Tom Wilson 

Carl Hagelin-Nic Dowd-Brett Leason

Daniel Sprong-Michael Sgarbossa-Aliaksei Protas 

Martin Fehervary-John Carlson 

Dmitry Orlov-Nick Jensen 

Trevor van Riemsdyk-Justin Schultz

Ilya Samsonov will start in goal; Vitek Vanecek could be the backup. 

Healthy scratches include Dennis Cholowski, Connor McMichael and Matt Irwin. Nicklas Backstrom (non-COVID illness) and T.J. Oshie (non-COVID illness) are out.