(5-11-19) Blues-Sharks Game 1 Gameday Lineup

By LOU KORAC
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- The Blues will make one lineup change when the Western Conference Final begins today in Game 1 against the San Jose Sharks.

Defenseman Carl Gunnarsson will not dress and be replaced by Robert Bortuzzo.

Gunnarsson sustained a lower-body injury in Game 7 against the Dallas Stars.

Blues coach Craig Berube confirmed the change, and Bortuzzo, who has played in six Stanley Cup Playoff games, will be paired with Vince Dunn.

The rotating defensive players doesn't seem to bother the Blues, who have used both Bortuzzo and Gunnarsson since Gunnarsson returned from injury.

"We've had interchange throughout the whole year," defenseman Colton Parayko said. "We obviously have a really good d-core and I think that [Bortuzzo] coming in, it's obviously a big body, a guy that's hard to play against and that's just another guy we can play. We're really looking forward to having 'Borts' in the lineup and watching him do his thing."

- - -

One area the Blues have excelled in is their discipline and staying out of the penalty box.

Going into tonight's game, the Blues have a streak of 126:44 without taking a penalty. It dates back to the first period of Game 6 against Dallas when Pat Maroon was called for goaltender interference.

Of the four remaining teams, the Sharks are second at 18.5 percent conversion rate and 10th in the playoffs behind the Boston Bruins, who are first overall at an astounding 30 percent.

"We've been a disciplined team all along in the playoffs," Berube said. "I don't expect anything different, but emotions will be running high, this building's a tough building to play in, We know that. But I think we had that tough challenge in Winnipeg, a tough building. They're similar buildings. I don't see an issue with that. I think our guys will be ready to go from the drop of the puck. We've got to get to our game as quickly as possible and we've done a good job of that on the road for the most part in the playoffs."

- - -

One of the biggest challenges for the Blues is to keep the large San Jose forwards from parking in front of goalie Jordan Binnington.

Berube acknowledges that the Sharks like to clog up the slot and top of the crease, using defensemen Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson as filters, guys who like getting pucks to the net quick.

"They might be the best team in the league like that going to the net, getting tips on pucks and things like that," Berube said. "Karlsson and Burns do a great job of getting the puck off quick. They really do a good job of shooting off the pass. In our end, we're going to have to do a good job of getting in shooting lanes on Karlsson and Burns, getting tighter to them as much as we can. But it's below the dots that we've got to box people out and get sticks. That's very important. A lot of their goals come that way. It's going to be a challenge, but it's going to be boxing guys out, getting on sticks and in shooting lanes boxing shots."

- - -

The Blues' projected lineup:

Jaden Schwartz-Brayden Schenn-Vladimir Tarasenko

Sammy Blais-Ryan O'Reilly-David Perron

Pat Maroon-Tyler Bozak-Robert Thomas

Ivan Barbashev-Oskar Sundqvist-Alexander Steen

Joel Edmundson-Alex Pietrangelo

Jay Bouwmeester-Colton Parayko

Vince Dunn-Robert Bortuzzo

Jordan Binnington will start in goal; Jake Allen will be the backup. Healthy scratches will be Robby Fabbri, Michael Del Zotto, Zach Sanford, Mackenzie MacEachern, Chris Thorburn and Ville Husso. Carl Gunnarsson (lower body) is day-to-day.

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The Sharks' projected lineup:

Timo Meier-Logan Couture-Gustav Nyquist

Evander Kane-Tomas Hertl-Joe Pavelski

Marcus Sorensen-Joe Thornton-Kevin Labanc

Joonas Donskoi-Barclay Goodrow-Melker Karlsson

Marc-Edouard Vlasic-Brent Burns

Brenden Dillon-Erik Karlsson

Joakim Ryan-Justin Braun

Martin Jones will start in goal; Aaron Dell will be the backup. 

Healthy scratches include Micheal Haley, Dylan Gambrell, Tim Heed, Lukas Radil, Radim Simek and Antti Suomela. The Sharks report no injuries.

Blues, Sharks meet for second time in four years

Western Conference Final gets underway Saturday, rematch of 2016 final 

that Sharks won in six games; plenty of similarities, differences on both sides

By LOU KORAC

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- The similarities between 2016 and 2019 for the Blues and San Jose Sharks are more than minimal, considering there are 11 players on each roster that will be part of both rosters when the puck drops on Saturday.

But when the Western Conference Final starts with Game 1 on Saturday at SAP Center (7 p.m.; NBC, KMOX 1120-AM), there will be plenty of noticeable differences between the Blues and Sharks, who will meet in the conference final for the second time in four years.

(St. Louis Blues photo)

Alex Pietrangelo (right) and the Blues match up for the second time in four

years against Joonas Donskoi (27) and the Sharks in the conference final.

"It's tough to compare players two years later, three years later," Sharks coach Pete DeBoer said. "I know the core of both teams is probably the same, but you've got a different coach on the other side [Craig Berube], you've got [Jordan] Binnington. 

"The one thing I look at when I look at St. Louis is I think they've done a good job of integrating some of their young guys, impact young guys into their lineup. I think you've got two totally different teams than you saw two or three years ago, other than a lot of the core players are the same."

San Jose won in six games in 2016 to reach the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in franchise history before losing in six games to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Blues, in search of their first final appearance since 1970, would like to turn the tides this time around, but it won't be easy.

The Blues reached this point by eliminating conference foes Winnipeg (six games) and most recently Dallas (seven games). San Jose got here by winning a pair of Game 7's, against Vegas in the first round overcoming a 3-1 series deficit and 3-0 deficit in the third period of Game 7, and then winning in seven games against Colorado.

Both teams play four lines balanced, both teams rely on a strong defensive group, with back end players that like to filter into the offense and experience to get through the tough challenges.

"To say differences, I don't think there's a lot," Blues center Brayden Schenn said. "Both teams are playing tight defensively, getting scoring from the back end, all four lines. Teams are built the same ... To name one thing off the top of my head, I think it's hard. It's going to be tight defensively, a tight matchup. Both buildings are tough to play in and we're looking forward to it."

The Blues are going to have to be mindful of San Jose's blue liners, particularly Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson, both who like to make an impact on the offensive end. Burns (14 points) is second in the league behind Boston's Brad Marchand in playoff points (15).

But that's OK, because the Blues had the challenge of containing Winnipeg's Dustin Byfuglien and Dallas' John Klingberg and Miro Heiskanen.

"There's some similar aspects in terms of Burnzie and Karlsson but they're a little bit different, different in the way they play but again, Winnipeg had Byfuglien and I think every team is built now that can score from the back end," Blues defenseman Alex Pietrangelo said. "Obviously those guys in Dallas were pretty good. They did a great job creating that offense but it seems like a lot when talking over their team were pretty similar. You can't really defend those guys with one or two guys. Those guys are elusive, they're quick, they can make plays."

Then there's some of San Jose's top offensive forwards, like Couture, Joe Pavelski, Tomas Hertl, Evander Kane and Timo Meier. But that also will not deter the Blues, who went up against Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler, Kyle Connor and Patrik Laine of the Jets, and Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn and Alexander Radulov of Dallas.

"We've obviously played some high offensive teams," Pietrangelo said. "We played that top line in Winnipeg pretty well, Dallas same thing. They generate a lot from their back end. This is not going to be a one-line shutdown. This is going to be a team that can score throughout their lineup. We're going to have to find a way as a collective group to chip in defensively because they score from every angle. I think if we play in the offensive zone like we've been doing, controlling the game, it seems like it's the best way for us to shut down those big lines."

Home ice disadvantage? Not so fast. The Blues are 5-1 on the road in these playoffs and outside of Game 4 at Dallas, have been solid on enemy ice, and it's because they don't allow the opposition to dictate pace.

"The key for us is to just focus on the style of game that we play, our brand, play tight, eliminate their time and space and play them physically and hard," Blues forward Alexander Steen said.

What the Sharks should expect is the Blues to make this a physical series, one in which every inch of the ice will be difficult to get to. Dallas was able to early in the series play a free-style game, one in which they had some success. But when the Blues buckled down, began to chip and check and close gaps in the neutral zone, it became increasingly difficult for the Stars to get to their game. 

Pavelski said the Sharks can play both ways. Whoever can get to their game first should be an edge.

(St. Louis Blues photo)

Robert Bortuzzo (left) is likely to return to the Blues lineup in Game 1 of the

Western Conference Final against Kevin Labanc (62) and San Jose.

"Each team's built differently," Pavelski said. "I think our team's built where we've got many layers. We can play a physical series or we can play a little bit more skilled series as well. But there is a certain way we want to play the game and we want to dictate in certain areas. 

"St. Louis is a good team, and they are physical and they are physical and they've got good size to them. It should be a little bit more physical."

The Blues have found that balance of positive physicality and that of running around on the ice with negative results, and they know that.

"We have guys that can be physical, but we can't be running out of position or things like that," Blues forward David Perron said. "Otherwise you spend too much energy for no reason."

Armstrong: Berube will coach Blues moving forward

GM said on eve of Western Conference Final list was reduced to 

one after terrific second-half regular-season run, playoff advancement

By LOU KORAC
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- When Craig Berube was given the reigns of the Blues coaching job on the night of Nov. 19 when Mike Yeo was fired following a 2-0 loss to the Los Angeles Kings, the door was wide open as to who would take the position permanently.

That was then, this is now.

That endless door is down to one: the guy who's still guiding the ship.

(St. Louis Blues photo)

Blues interim coach Craig Berube looks on during action in the first round

of the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Winnipeg Jets.

Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said on the eve of Game 1 of the Western Conference Final against the San Jose Sharks that the search has dwindled down to one: Berube.

It took some time for things to fall back on the rails, but once January hit and the Blues soared up the standings and into the Stanley Cup Playoffs, advancing to the conference final for the second time in four years, the evitable became quite inevitable.

The interim tag will soon be no more.

"When we asked Craig too take over the team, we were in flux at that point," Armstrong said. "I said to Craig, 'You take over on the interim basis and we'll go from there.'"

No contract has been signed yet. That will come at the conclusion of this season, and Armstrong said as much before the Stanley Cup Playoffs began when he announced Jay Bouwmeester's one-year extension and that there would be no more negotiations during the playoffs.

The Blues finished the regular season 30-10-5 after being in last place in the NHL the morning of Jan. 3 with a 15-18-4 record but finished 45-28-9. They climbed all the way up the standings and came within one point of matching Nashville for first place in the Central Division. 

In that 45-game run, the Blues won a franchise record 11 straight games from Jan. 23-Feb. 21. The Blues were 7-9-3 when Berube took over for Yeo, who was named an assistant coach with the Philadelphia Flyers earlier this week.

"We were going to support Craig and we were looking outside at potential candidates, whether it be major junior, Europe, the NHL, the American Hockey League," Armstrong said. "And as I started to work with Craig, whatever name was on the (candidate) list started to get crossed off and crossed off. Then I found the synergy that Craig and I have had. Now we're at a list of one."

The Blues defeated the Winnipeg Jets in six games in the first round, and just recently eliminated the Dallas Stars in seven games in the second round and are in search of their first Stanley Cup Final berth since 1970.

(St. Louis Blues photo)

Blues coach Craig Berube talks to players during a stoppage in play during

the first-round series against the Winnipeg Jets. Berube is expected to have

the interim tag removed and be named permanent coach after the season.

The 53-year-old Berube, who joined the Blues as associate coach under Yeo on June 15, 2017, wad coach of the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League in 2016-17; he was 75-58-28 as coach of the Flyers from 2013-15.

Berube played 17 seasons for the Flyers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Calgary Flames, Washington Capitals and New York Islanders. He had 159 points (61 goals, 98 assists) and 3,149 penalty minutes in 1,054 regular-season games.

* NOTES -- The Blues held a practice today at SAP Center ahead of Game 1 on Saturday. 

With a 5 p.m. local starting time (7 p.m. central time), the Blues will not hold a morning skate on Saturday.

Defenseman Carl Gunnarsson did not skate after not skating during an optional on Thursday. He was replaced in line rushes by Robert Bortuzzo. 

Gunnarsson is dealing with a lower-body injury sustained in the 2-1 double-overtime win in Game 7 over the Stars. He is questionable to open the series on Saturday.

Berube said Gunnarsson will try to skate Saturday morning.

No other lines/defensive pairings changed from Game 7 Tuesday.

O'Reilly ready to make next push in pursuit of Stanley Cup

Blues center finding lessons in journey to finish line as tough as they seem to 

be, trying to find proper balance between shutting top players down and offense

By LOU KORAC
HAZELWOOD, Mo. -- The question has been asked and with guarded reason, considering Ryan O'Reilly was the leading points producer for the Blues in the regular season an .

But when fans that observe astutely and openly wonder if there's something wrong with one of the heart-and-soul players for the Blues in this, his first season in St. Louis during these Stanley Cup Playoffs, might as well go straight to the source and see how he feels about the pursuit.

And although there's a level of gamesmanship that can go there with not disclosing anything during the playoffs, whether it be to the media or even to teammates or coaches, O'Reilly was firm and definitive in his answer that Blues fans want to hear as he and his teammates prepare for the Western Conference Final Saturday against the San Jose Sharks.

(St. Louis Blues photo)

Blues center Ryan O'Reilly (right) moves the puck away from Stars center

Radek Faksa during action in Game 7 on Tuesday at Enterprise Center.

But after getting a day of rest on Wednesday and a light skate on Thursday, O'Reilly said he's ready for the next chapter.

"I feel great," O'Reilly said. "Never being this far and half way there, it's exciting. I feel I've got the jump and it's one of those things you do have to take day by day. I think when I woke up the other day after Game 7, it was tough, it was tough moving, but you get the day off and recover and coming in here, I feel I've got great life and energy. I felt great on the ice. It's amazing how competing for the Cup can bring that spark and life into the body."

This is the deepest run O'Reilly has made in the playoffs in his 10-year career and only second go in the postseason. It's no secret that he's logging a ton of minutes and drawing assignments against the opposition's top players, which will get taxing, especially at the toughest, biggest grind of the season.

O'Reilly, after logging 28:08 in Game 7's 2-1 double-overtime win over Dallas to win the second round, it marked the eighth game in a row O'Reilly has played 20 or more minutes, 12th time in 13 playoff games and 13th time in 14 games dating to the final regular season game.

Most importantly, it was the 62nd time in 95 games between regular season and playoffs O'Reilly, who is averaging 22:20 in the playoffs, has logged 20 or more minutes in a game, so it's most certainly understandable if there is wear and tear, or even some ailment that he's been able to play through.

O'Reilly has drawn assignments against top players such as Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler, Kyle Connor and Patrik Laine of Winnipeg, and Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn and Alexander Radulov of Dallas, being asked to shut them down and to try and provide offense at the other end.

"Yeah, I think the last couple games, I found my offense a bit more, I was creating a bit more," said O'Reilly, who finished the series against the Stars with five assists but no goals. "The first couple (games), I was struggling to find offense and still not getting as many shots or good chances, but obviously we won the series and we're in this position where I think I can elevate my game even more and find a way to put the puck in the net for sure."

O'Reilly, who has nine points (two goals, seven assists) in 13 playoff games and had five assists in the series against the Stars, will undoubtedly draw assignments against the likes of Logan Couture, Joe Pavelski, Evander Kane and some of the other high-end skill players the Sharks possess, and much like he's done against the aforementioned players, O'Reilly will look forward to defense first, and supplying offense to make a good balance.

In the head-to-head matchups, O'Reilly held Scheifele to no points and a minus-3 rating in Games 5 and 6 after the series was tied 2-2, and in Games 6 and 7 against Seguin, he had one goal (on the power play) and was a minus-1.

"Yeah, a staple in my game is being kind of good defensively," O'Reilly said. "I think I take pride in that. They have a lot of depth up front on their team and it's going to be tough, but it's going to be a good challenge. I want to make sure I make it as hard as possible and want to frustrate guys. At the same time, I want to be an offensive threat and make it difficult for them."

When the Blues traded for O'Reilly on July 1, 2018, one of his first comments to GM Doug Armstrong was "Let's go win a Cup." But being just half way through this journey, O'Reilly and the rest of the Blues are finding out that this process is tougher than it seems, but the adrenaline rush is well worth it.

"It's very ... it's a massive lesson," O'Reilly said. "Every game we've won, every series that's won, you see how tough it is to do it for all of us as a group, how hard we have to work and how everyone has to make these little adjustments and come together and stay positive and work with each other. It's extremely difficult to get to this point and it's not going to get any easier. It's amazing to see and I'm excited for it. It's a really tough challenge that I think we have the group that can do it and we have to do it."

* NOTES -- The Blues held a heavily-populated optional skate at the Ice Zone inside St. Louis Outlet Mall Thursday before departing for San Jose, where they'll practice on Friday.

All the regulars took part, including four black aces (Ville Husso, Chris Thorburn, Jordan Nolan and Mitch Reinke), and the only regulars that didn't take part were Alex Pietrangelo, Jay Bouwmeester, Colton Parayko, Carl Gunnarsson, Tyler Bozak and Robert Thomas.

Berube said everyone took the extra day to rest, except for Gunnarsson, who could be questionable to open the series with what Berube said was a lower-body injury. 

"We'll see how he is tomorrow," Berube said of Gunnarsson. "It's an optional skate. So if (the others) decide not to go out, they would do something else.

"I think they like to go out in those optionals. It's not structured so much. They can kind of do their own thing a little bit and just get moving around. We don't want guys doing nothing today. It's important to do something. So we make it optional and they decide if they want to go out or if they want to do something in the gym."

Maroon goal sends Blues into Western Conference Final

Scored in double overtime of Game 7 to knock off 

Stars, 2-1; Blues await winner between Avalanche, Sharks

By LOU KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- It's the stuff scripts are made of, and it couldn't have been scripted any better for Oakville native Pat Maroon.

It's May 7, Game 7, rally towels with the No. 7 on them, with the drop of the puck between the Blues and Dallas Stars at 7 p.m., a berth in the Western Conference Final on the line. Nothing to it, right?

(St. Louis Blues photo)

Pat Maroon celebrates after scoring in double overtime of Game 7 against

the Dallas Stars in a 2-1 win on Tuesday at Enterprise Center.

Don't tell Maroon that, who took a tough early-season chapter, crumbled it up, pitched it in the trash can and rewrote himself a more fairytale ending.

Maroon's goal at 5 minutes 50 seconds of the second overtime came after the Blues threw the kitchen sink, their living room furniture, patio furniture, kitchen appliances and anything else at the Dallas Stars and Ben Bishop before Maroon ended it in a 2-1 win in Game 7 of the second round on Tuesday at Enterprise Center.

Maroon drove the net and poked a loose puck past St. Louisan Bishop, who was a brick wall making 52 saves but he couldn't get the 53rd after Tyler Bozak won a face-off to Maroon, who pushed the puck to Robert Thomas. Thomas used Maroon's pick to get past John Klingberg, throw a shot off the near post, off Bishop's back and fall into the blue paint before Maroon was there to poke the loose puck in and end a marathon game as one St. Louisan bested another for the second time in this series.

"Bozie won the faceoff, Thomas made a great move around Klingberg, he hit the post, right off the post, squared it and hit Bishop's back and I just saw it come around and I had to get there, it was a loose puck," Maroon said. "Great play. Those guys have been great for us all year and I'm glad I get to be paired with them.They really amped my season. It's been a tough season for me and being in the situation I am right now, I'm really pleased.

"Just make sure you get the puck in, goddammit. If I miss that, I'd be on the other side of it, not the hero. A lot of boos. What a game. The team deserves that win, we fought so hard, we're going to continue to fight. It's not over yet. That's two series down, now we've got the conference finals coming up, which is going to be another test for us. It's going to be another battle."

Thomas, who had two assists, said, "We run that play a lot, where I walk around. I saw the d-man was kind of cheating for it and was ready for it, so I was able to make a little cut to the middle, found some space and was able to get the shot off and Patty was able to bang it home. It was just a great play all around."

With the win, the Blues move to the conference final for the second time in four seasons against the winner of Wednesday's Game 7 between the Colorado Avalanche and San Jose Sharks.

A Sharks win means the Blues open on the road in California, likely on Friday. A Colorado win means the series likely opens Saturday at home.

But it almost didn't happen on a night where the Blues completely dominated the Stars from start to finish. They had 103 shot attempts to Dallas' 57, and even though Jordan Binnington was called upon to make some key saves throughout the game (29 in all), the Blues were one shot away from adding to 52 years of heartbreak despite fully deserving to be the winning side on this night.

"We played well pretty much most of the game," Blues defenseman Alex Pietrangelo said. "I feel like we had control. I mean, at one point, the shots were like 40-15 or something, maybe they had one in the second. The second has been a bit of an issue, but we found a way tonight to just kind of minimize their opportunities. We did exactly what we wanted to do.

"We had some pretty good chances. Look, first overtime, we thought we had a chance to score a few times. But ice gets choppy, you're running on low energy, you're trying to make the best plays that you can. Those type of games always find ... a puck finds a way to get in. I don't even know what happened on that goal, but you've just got to keep on playing, keep on shooting and hopefully you get a bounce."

Vince Dunn and Mats Zuccarello traded first-period goals, and the Stars outshot the Blues 13-10.

But the second and third periods, if you thought the series-clincher in Game 6 was a dominating effort in which the Blues, who won 3-2, at one point were outshooting the Jets 27-6 through two periods, outshot Dallas 31-4 in the second and third periods.

"It was a pretty good effort from the get-go," Blues interim coach Craig Berube said. "We threw everything there and gave it everything we had. They battled and they stayed in it. Their goalie had a great game, but our guys never quit and stayed with it."

They had no choice, because Bishop, with family and friends in the stands, was the ultimate puck repellant, and the Blues had no answers.

"He played a helluva game," Pietrangelo said. "'Bish' played a helluva series. That's a lot of rubber for him, but just found a way."

Binnington also found a way, even though he only faced 30 shots. He made a great save on a Jamie Benn wraparound when Colton Parayko inexplicably almost threw a puck into his own net in the second overtime that created one of the few chances for the Stars, and he also was there to stop Andrew Cogliano in the first overtime after Alexander Radulov ran into Binnington making a power move to the net. Binnington also gloved a Radek Faksa breakaway in the first period after picking off Vladimir Tarasenko trying to glove the puck to himself.

"Big time, big time saves, at key moments," Berube said. "That's a credit to him. When you're sitting there and watching it all, we're getting a lot of action at the other end, things happen and they come down and get an opportunity, he was there to make a big save for us.

"They did have some real good opportunities at times, and our goalie did a great job making those saves, and that's not an easy thing to do. I thought Binner had a remarkable game. I really did. When you don't get a lot of work at times, and al of the sudden, there was a spurt of some chances that they got. It's tough to stay sharp and he did. He did a great job."

Dunn scored his first goal of the Stanley Cup Playoffs to give St. Louis a 1-0 lead at 13:30 of the first period on a wrist shot from the left point that went off the right shoulder of Bishop. The goal was the first Bishop had allowed in three career Game 7's (two shutouts with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2015).

Mats Zuccarello tied it 1-1 at 15:55. After David Perron’s attempt to play the puck around the back of the net caromed off referee Marc Joannette into the slot, Zuccarello got the loose puck and scored off the left post before Binnington, who was looking the other way, could recover.

(St. Louis Blues photo)

The Blues celebrate after Pat Maroon's double-overtime goal in Game 7

against the Dallas Stars on Tuesday.

It was the only puck to get past Binnington, and it was one of those moments that Blues fans have fretted over since the inception of this franchise, one that has been cursed, kicked, snakebitten, you name it, the Blues have been there. Almost like a journey to hell and back, and from the moment Zuccarello scored, one shot hung in the balance that could have been the difference between moving on and seeing your season end.

And the local boy made good.

"This is every kid's dream, and to do it tonight is very special, especially with my whole family in the stands," Maroon said. "We deserved that win tonight. It hasn't really all hit me. What a roller-coaster. It's emotional for sure. Probably the biggest goal I've scored in my career."

(5-7-19) Stars-Blues Game 7 Gameday Lineup

By LOU KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- The Blues have done it before already, so why change anything as far as a road routine at home?

The Blues have treating home games like they've been on the road and did so again for Game 7 of the Western Conference second round today against the Dallas Stars (7 p.m.; NBCSN, KYKY 98.1-FM).

The Blues had a brief, but heavily-populated optional skate Tuesday morning, boarded an 11:10 a.m. bus and were whisked away to a hotel to go through their road gameday routine while at home.

It makes sense, right? The Blues are 5-1 in the playoffs on the road, 2-4 on home ice, so whatever gives them the mental edge, go for it.

"It’s been like that all playoffs, nothing really changes," Blues center Brayden Schenn said. "We’ve been doing hotels and stuff like that at home. Nothing changes, it’s another day and home, you’ve got to prepare and we’ll be ready to go tonight."

The Blues forced a Game 7 with an impressive 4-1 win at Dallas in Game 6 on Sunday. They are expected to keep the same lineup after running a quick, heavily-populated morning skate (minus Alex Pietrangelo and Jay Bouwmeester) and were off to the hotel.

"I think that helps a little bit," Blues center Ryan O'Reilly said. "It comes down to, when the puck drops, doing the right things. As a player, for myself, every game is an opportunity to win, whether we're at home or on the road. We want to get off to that start and create that mindset. I know we struggled at home a bit when we started, but I think knowing that it's one game that we're ready to make that push and get to it right away.

"... I think it's nice being around the guys more. Bus, hotel, eating together, I think it keeps us together, keeps us closer. ... I’ve only been in one Game 7 before and it was an OT loss (with Colorado in 2014). I just remember the excitement. There’s nothing like the preparation for it, where it comes down to this. It’s one game where we have to prove we’re better than them. Being at home is something we’ll feed off, too. There’s a lot of energy and we’re excited for it."

There is plenty of experience in Game 7's for the Blues, and then there are guys like Sammy Blais, Oskar Sundqvist and Robert Thomas who will be making their winner-take-all debuts.

For Blais, who made his Stanley Cup Playoff debut in Game 6 and was the 12th Blue in history to score in his playoff debut, he said there is a god bag of feelings.

"I woke up before my alarm and I couldn’t fall back asleep," Blais said. "I was really excited and kind of nervous, but it’s a good nervous. I don’t know if you say it like that, but I’m really looking forward to it."

Sundqvist, who is the lone Blues skater with a Stanley Cup ring, likes the way they've approached things and is excited himself.

"Mostly excited; I usually don't get nervous," Sundqvist said. "It's going to be fun obviously. We just have to go out there and play our game. Just enjoy the moment. It's going to be a lot of fun tonight.

"We need to treat this thing like on the road, play the same way and not be too fancy just because we're at home."

Thomas was playing junior hockey last season, and now he's playing

"It’s my first Game 7 at the pro level, so I’m pretty excited," Thomas said. "Everything is on the line tonight, so it should be a lot of fun.

"I think for us it’s the same as every other game. We’ve been playing desperate hockey pretty much the whole second half of the year, so I think for us it’s just sticking with what works and being calm and composed."

- - -

The Blues aren't expected to make any lineup changes for tonight. Why change what worked in Game 6, right?

Some Game 7 trends to keep close eye on:

* The team that scores first is 129-46 (.737) in the 175 all-time Game 7's in the playoffs. However, the team to allow the first goal won two of three Game 7's in the first round (San Jose and Carolina each trailed 1-0 before winning; Boston won after scoring first).

* Home teams are 102-73 (.583) in the 175 all-time Game 7's in the playoffs, including 2-1 this postseason (Sharks and Bruins won at home; Hurricanes won on the road).

* Forty-three Game 7's in the playoffs have required overtime (24.6 percent), including two of three in the first round (San Jose vs. Vegas and Carolina vs. Washington). Home teams are 22-21, including 1-1 this postseason (San Jose won in OT at home, Carolina won in OT on the road).

For the Blues, they're 8-8 in all-time Game 7's, including 4-2 at home. They won their most recent one, 3-2 in 2016 against Chicago. 

Stars goalie Ben Bishop, who got stung by a Colton Parayko slap shot on his left collarbone in the third period of Game 6 on Sunday, will start tonight. Also, center Roope Hintz, who blocked multiple shots off his left skate Sunday and was visibly limping, did not take part in the morning skate but coach Jim Montgomery said he will play. How effective he'll be is anybody's guess.

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The Blues' projected lineup:

Jaden Schwartz-Brayden Schenn-Vladimir Tarasenko

Sammy Blais-Ryan O'Reilly-David Perron

Pat Maroon-Tyler Bozak-Robert Thomas

Ivan Barbashev-Oskar Sundqvist-Alexander Steen

Joel Edmundson-Alex Pietrangelo

Jay Bouwmeester-Colton Parayko

Vince Dunn-Carl Gunnarsson

Jordan Binnington will start in goal; Jake Allen will be the backup. 

Healthy scratches include Robby Fabbri, Robert Bortuzzo, Michael Del Zotto, Zach Sanford, Mackenzie MacEachern, Chris Thorburn and Ville Husso. The Blues report no injuries.

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The Stars' projected lineup:

Jason Dickinson-Tyler Seguin-Mats Zuccarello

Jamie Benn-Roope Hintz-Alexander Radulov

Andrew Cogliano-Radek Faksa-Blake Comeau

Mattias Janmark-Justin Dowling-Jason Spezza

Esa Lindell-John Klingberg

Miro Heiskanen-Roman Polak

Taylor Fedun-Ben Lovejoy

Ben Bishop will start in goal; Anton Khudobin will be the backup.

Healthy scratches include Valeri Nichushkin, Brett Ritchie, Tyler Pitlick , Gavin Bayreuther, Dillon Heatherington, Landon Bow. Stephen Johns (upper body), Marc Methot (lower body), Martin Hanzal (back), Jamie Oleksiak (lower body) and Joel Hanley (upper body) are out.

Blues have experience heading into Game 7

Sixteen players have experience in the winner-take-all 

game, including nine that played in two for St. Louis in 2016 

By LOU KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- Experience matters, and the Blues hope that comes to fruition on Tuesday night.

Heading into Game 7 of the Western Conference second round against the Dallas Stars at Enterprise Center (7 p.m.; NBCSN, KYKY 98.1-FM), there are 16 players on the Blues roster with experience of playing in a Game 7. They hold a combined record of 21-9, including nine players (Carl Gunnarsson, Joel Edmundson, Robby Fabbri, Jaden Schwartz, Jay Bouwmeester, Alexander Steen, Alex Pietrangelo, Colton Parayko and Vladimir Tarasenko) that were in back-to-back Game 7's for the Blues in 2016 when they eliminated Chicago and Dallas in the first and second rounds, respectively.

(St. Louis Blues photo)

The Blues congratulate one another after a Game 6 win Sunday in Dallas to

force a Game 7 Tuesday at Enterprise Center.

"Obviously it's easier to play when you have some experience and you can share it with the guys too, but I think we need to be focused on our team have and the way we need to play," Tarasenko said. "If we play the way we can play, we can control the game and get a win.

"We have a couple (Game 7's) and they both went to our side a couple years ago. It was good memories and intense games, especially one here against Chicago, I think it was Dallas too. It's going to be (a) hard game, fun game and it's the moments why we play hockey. Everybody's season is on the line. Just need to have fun and enjoy those games."

The Blues defeated the Stars in Dallas in the second round in 2016, 6-1. Prior to that, they disposed the Blackhawks, 3-2, in the first round to eliminate the defending Stanley Cup champions at that time.

"We played last night like it was a Game 7 for us and we just have to keep doing that," Blues defenseman Carl Gunnarsson said. "When it comes to experience in Game 7's, I don't know if it helps or not. Maybe having that pressure, just kind of facing it, maybe that helps, I don't know. We just try to see it as last night and same thing here, we're facing elimination, there's one game on the line here. We just have to pour it all in."

The Blues got it to this point here with a 4-1 win at Dallas in Game 6, one of their most impressive results this postseason. As a matter of fact, it was their first playoff win by more than a goal. They did so, as Tarasenko said, by playing for each other, supported one another on the ice, checked on both sides of the ledger and scored timely goals.

"It was a good game, definitely," Blues interim coach Craig Berube said. "Our checking was excellent. First and third were tight, we were reloading well and were above the puck. And that’s key in the playoffs. You've got to check and work.

"(Forwards back-checking), that’s a big thing, really big. That way our defense can be tight and have good gaps."

But between now and then, what do the Blues do? Well, for one, they eliminate what they would consider outside noise. That would include, what, exactly?

"Just keeping doing what we’re doing," said Blues forward Pat Maroon, looking for is first Game 7 win. "You guys are going to make this bigger than … I’m sure you guys are going to have a bunch of articles blowing this thing up, right? So yeah, just try to ignore the situation, just ignore all the stats and all that stuff. We’ve just got to go out there and compete and just do what we did yesterday. I don’t think anyone believed in us yesterday and we got it done, so now we just have to keep having that belief system. Our coach believes in us more than anyone in that locker room, and he makes it a point every night before we go out there and it just makes us feel so much more comfortable, and that’s why we get to our game so much."

And that's how Berube, who coached the American Hockey League's Chicago Wolves to a pair of Game 7's and one with the Philadelphia Flyers in 2014, wants his players to treat it. The Blues are 2-4 in the postseason on home ice, which isn't great by any means, but a chance to gain some leverage by winning a big one Tuesday here.

"I just think put the noise behind us, you know, and just play," Berube said. "Treat it like a road game as much as we can, play a simple brand of hockey and get to our game as quickly as possible. Just keep the noise out and focus on playing."

Here is the rundown of those with Game 7 experience and their records in those games:

Carl Gunnarsson, 2-1; Joel Edmundson, 2-0; Pat Maroon, 0-3; Brayden Schenn, 0-1; Robby Fabbri, 2-0; Jaden Schwartz, 2-0; Jay Bouwmeester, 2-0; Alexander Steen, 2-0; Tyler Bozak, 0-1; Alex Pietrangelo, 2-0; Robert Bortuzzo, 0-1; Michael Del Zotto, 3-0; Colton Parayko, 2-0; David Perron, 0-1; Ryan O'Reilly, 0-1; Vladimir Tarasenko, 2-0.

Tuesday will be the first Game 7 for: Jordan Binnington, Vince Dunn, Sammy Blais, Ivan Barbashev, Robert Thomas and Oskar Sundqvist.

The Blues are 8-8 all-time in Game 7's, including 4-2 at home. They have not hosted a Game 7 in the playoffs on home ice this late in the playoffs since April 30, 1986 when the Blues beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-1 to reach the Campbell Conference Final.

* NOTES -- Stars coach Jim Montgomery confirmed to reporters in Dallas before the Stars departed for St. Louis Monday that goalie Ben Bishop, who left Sunday's loss with a left collarbone/shoulder injury after being struck by a Parayko slap shot, will start Game 7.

Bishop stayed in the game momentarily after Jaden Schwartz scored to make it 3-1, but left 33 seconds later when Blais made it 4-1.

* Former Blues coach Mike Yeo has landed on his feet. 

Yeo, fired by the Blues on Nov. 19 after a 7-9-3 start, coached in St. Louis for parts of three seasons. He was hired as an assistant coach Monday by the Flyers along with Michel Therrien under new head coach Alain Vigneault's staff. 

Vigneault was recently hired by the Flyers, and Yeo's experience with Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher with the two were with the Minnesota Wild ties that bond together again.