Blues fall in OT, clinch playoff berth for 44th time

4-3 loss to Vegas, a potential first-round opponent in the playoffs, underlying 

story as team clinches fourth spot in West despite plethora of injuries

By LOU KORAC
The road to get to this point wasn't always easy for the Blues.

In fact, it was downright arduous.

(St. Louis Blues photo)

Ryan O'Reilly has 17 points (11 goals, six assists) the past 13 games to 

help the Blues clinch a playoff berth.

But here they are, in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the 44th time in their 53-year history after a 4-3 overtime loss Friday at the Vegas Golden Knights -- who the Blues could very well see in the first round -- securing a vital point and coupled with the Los Angeles Kings' 3-2 loss in regulation to the Colorado Avalanche, the Blues completed the final piece to the West Division's puzzle.

They're in, and only the Original 6 Teams have qualified more often than the expansion Blues of 1967.

"Good obviously. That's the goal," Blues coach Craig Berube said. "Now we give ourselves a chance in the playoffs, right?

"Guys did a good job. We found a way to get a point. That's all we needed."

Center Ryan O'Reilly found out as he was taking off his equipment after the game that the job had been done, and likely let out a huge sigh of relief.

"Yeah, that's great news, especially after tonight's outcome," O'Reilly said. "Wasn't what we wanted, but yeah, it's good, we're in the playoffs. It's something guys worked hard for. It hasn't been easy, but yeah, it's exciting. We've got to keep going, we've got to keep tweaking our game, but yeah, guys worked hard and it's good to see.

"I didn't know until a couple of minutes after I kind of took my gear off and then someone came up and said we were in. Yeah, it's nice to hear. It's going to be a lot of hard work still going forward, but we're in the dance and that's all that matters."

So do the players soak up the fact that they made it or that they coughed up another 3-1 lead in a game for the third time the past five games? At least it wasn't all in the third period this time.

"Obviously that's the first goal is making the playoffs, but yeah, as for tonight, I think we just made too many mistakes and they're a very good team," said Blues center Tyler Bozak, who had two assists, including one on Ryan O'Reilly's shorthanded first-period goal. "They're going to capitalize when you make mistakes and there's a few things we need to clean up.

"Obviously it feels good. You play this game to get in the playoffs and try to win the Stanley Cup so obviously getting in is the first step and it's obviously a testament to our group. You've got to play good hockey for a lot of the year too to make the playoffs. I'm happy for our team and the guys, but this is when the fun starts and the hard work starts. We still got to keep building. I know we clinched, but these last however many games we have left are important to keep our good habits, keep building our game and go into the playoffs on a strong note."
Coming into the season, the Blues were touted as the third wheel with Vegas and Colorado as the teams that were locks to make the playoffs, with the remaining teams (Minnesota, Los Angeles, San Jose and Anaheim) fighting for that lone remaining berth.

It was in fact a three-headed monster and remains the race for the top three positions, but the Wild had other ideas, and the Blues had to scratch, claw and scuffle just to earn their spot among the top four.

It started with injuries, one after another, day after day, game after game, key injuries to players playing big roles. It was taking its toll despite the Blues' ability to plug and play guys that normally wouldn't see roles that kept the boat afloat.

Through May 6, only the Chicago Blackhawks (348 man-games lost) had more than the Blues (339), and the Hawks aren't going to the playoffs.

But it all started before the season got underway when the Blues lost captain Alex Pietrangelo to free agency (he signed with Vegas), and Alexander Steen, an inspirational leader and driving force of that 2019 Stanley Cup-winning team, called it a career due to back injuries, and Jay Bouwmeester obviously retired after a near-death scare late last season.

"I think that our team, obviously injuries have been a big thing this year," Berube said. "We still have a number of guys that are out with injuries. Our team's battled through a lot of injuries this year. I don't know where we rank in the league with injuries but we've had a lot of guys out with a significant amount of time and we had guys step in and do a good job and play and contribute and win games. I'm proud of our guys. They competed hard all year in my opinion. I know we went through a couple tough stretches, but we rebounded from them, I thought, both times, especially the second time. We went on that losing streak, seven games I think (0-6-1) and then we've gotten points in the last eight or nine games. Our guys rebounded really well and did a good job."

Imagine the feeling after April 5, the night the Blues suffered an embarrassing 6-1 home loss to these very Golden Knights that left them five points behind Arizona for fourth place. In fact, the Blues were tied with San Jose with 38 points having played one more game and were in sixth place at the time.

"It's never fun to get embarrassed in a game," Bozak said. "Obviously that was probably just a wakeup call for us that we need to be a lot stronger, bear down more, play a better team game. Sometimes little moments like that actually help you in a season. It was probably just a wakeup call for us that game."

It was the end of an 0-6-1 stretch that left little wiggle room for general manager Doug Armstrong to either blow it all up or allow this group, as he did during the 2019 Stanley Cup title run, to run its course and bank that this group can get the job done.

They were 16-16-6 at the time. They've gone 8-3-3 since, including 5-0-3 the past eight games.

"It's not just one thing," O'Reilly said. "I think it's a bunch of different things we had. There was a stretch not too long ago where we kind of really got together as a team and really just came closer. Knew we were going to be all right if we come together and start working for each other. We kind of trusted that and trusted the work and guys started investing in each other more, and you could see we found ways to win games. And once we got a few there, we started to get a lot more confident. Yeah, it's great to see us achieve getting into the playoffs. But again, we've still got work left that we have to do, and a few games left, we've got to prepare and do things the right way. We could be seeing these guys, so tomorrow is a huge game to show them that. It's not going to be easy if we do end up facing them."

Things just slowly started to come together, from goaltending on out, according to Berube.

"I think 'Binner,' his play's been outstanding and (Ville) Husso," Berube said. "Husso's come in there at times when we needed him and he's done a good job and has won games. That stands out for me. I think getting Colton Parayko back in the lineup on a consistent basis, getting him up to speed more of his play. Justin Faulk and (Torey) Krug, logging all the minutes they've logged for a whole year, done a great job and our veteran players stepped it up. Ryan O'Reilly's led the way in my opinion. He's had a tremendous second half of the year."

Even though the Blues are 2-3-2 against Vegas this season, and the three regulation losses are pretty lopsided (6-1, 5-1 and 5-1), they have shown when playing at or near their best, they can compete with whoever they face in the playoffs.

"I think there's a belief in our room that no matter who we play, we think we have the ability to win if we play our game and do things that make us successful," Bozak said. "I think we got away from it at times tonight and they capitalized on that. They're a very good hockey team. They play really well transition and you can't turn pucks over. They've got a lot of speed, their D make good plays up to their forwards and they come at you in waves if you turn the puck over and they have a lot of motion in the offensive zone that can kind of ... I think we got mixed up a little bit with who we were taking and which guys we had. We just need to communicate a little bit more, but it's always fun playing these guys, especially in this building. It's exciting out there. I felt like there were 40,000 fans in there tonight just with how little it's been all year. That part's a lot of fun."

The Blues are 3-5-0 against the Avalanche but have played them very competitively, and they're 4-1-1 and have been in each and every game against the Wild, so the confidence in whoever they play won't be shaken.

"Oh absolutely. Yeah, we've played some good hockey against these teams and we know what it looks like when we do things the right way and we think it gives them a lot of issues," O'Reilly said. "We're confident no matter who we face, we're going to give ourselves a chance to beat them and, yeah, it's nice to feel that way."

With four regular-season games remaining, including one more in Las Vegas tonight, the Blues have nothing to play for other than keeping their momentum going, perhaps, but with guys playing beat up and needing some rest before charging it back up and ramping up for the playoffs, what does Berube do?

(St. Louis Blues photo)

Defenseman Justin Faulk has averaged more than 25 minutes of ice time in

the past six games.  

Well for one, he'll certainly rest Jordan Binnington and likely give Ville Husso at least two if not three of the remaining games.

"That's not that easy to do with the rest part of it because call-ups and stuff," Berube said, referring to being cap-compliant. "There's a lot of that's been involved in it. We're going to try to do our best to get some rest for some guys, but I'm not sure. We've got some injuries. We'll see about getting injured guys back and getting them some games in before the playoffs start. It's kind of up in the air right now."

With the regular season ending Thursday at home against Minnesota, might 2017 first-round pick Klim Kostin, who is in quarantine in St. Louis, be an option?

"Maybe the last game of the season," Berube said.

(5-7-21) Blues-Golden Knights Gameday Lineup

By LOU KORAC
Another chance to clinch the fourth and final berth in the West Division is up for grabs today when the Blues (24-19-8) open a three-game trip, starting with back-to-back games against the Vegas Golden Knights (37-13-2).

The Blues and Golden Knights will drop the puck at 9 p.m. today (BSMW, ESPN 101.1-FM) and the scenario comes down to what the Blues and/or Los Angeles Kings do.

Blues will clinch a playoff berth if they defeat the Golden Knights in any fashion and the Colorado Avalanche defeat the Kings in any fashion, or if they get one point against the Golden Knights and the Avalanche defeat the Kings in regulation.

It's down to five games remaining in the regular season for each the Blues and Kings, and the Blues hold an eight-point edge on Los Angeles, who must run the table and the Blues only gain a single point of their remaining five games.

"Obviously we know what's at stake for us," Blues forward David Perron said. "We can clinch a spot with good performances here and they can do the same and try and hang onto that first place position and knowing there's a chance that we also can play them here down the road. I think there's a lot at stake. We have to be really sharp, really structured and really elevate our compete level and our work ethic and that's the way we're going to have success."

It's also a chance for the Blues to see how they measure up against Vegas, since this could very well be a potential first-round matchup.

The Blues are 2-3-1 in six games against the Golden Knights, including 1-1-0 at T-Mobile Arena.

"I'll tell you in two days if we want to use them or not," Perron said regarding if these are measuring-stick games. "I think you can as far as the little details that we can not feed their transition, blocking shots. Last time they had a lot of shots on against us and we are trying to obviously lower that for 'Binner,' for our defensemen so that they're not always in our zone trying to break out pucks. Just trying to take care of pucks in the o-zone not turning it over at bad times and making sure that we do other little details right."

"It's potentially a matchup down the road," forward Mackenzie MacEachern said. "For a guy like myself, I just want to assert my presence, be physical and get on the forecheck. I'm definitely fired up about the opportunity up here.

"We look at it like (measuring stick games). We kind of want to send a message that we're not going to roll over easy. We're going to be a tough team to beat coming down the stretch here."

Vegas has outscored the Blues 26-14 (not including the Blues' shootout winning tally) and has held St. Louis to one goal in three of those wins.

"We've got to be a confident team tonight," Blues coach Craig Berube said. "I think more than anything, we've played this team tentative at times and we can't have that attitude tonight. ... They've got solid goaltending, a big d-corps back there with two real high-end defensemen in my opinion and they've got a pretty solid group of forwards. I think they're four-lines deep. They really play an aggressive style, they check well with numbers and they attack. They have a real good attack game. They're a real good team. We've to to play well to beat them."

The Blues are in search of energy, according to Berube after his postgame comments following a 3-2 shootout loss to Anaheim on Wednesday. They had just come off six tough games, three each against Colorado, who they were 2-1-0 against, and Minnesota, who they also took two of three from.

"I don't think he's wrong," Perron said. "Obviously playing a lot of big boys over there in Minnesota was tough on a lot of us. We found a way to have results, we played some good hockey and then I do think that for the next two games and the rest of the way to have success, we're going to have to make sure that We don't fall into the trap of trying to transition everything, trying to get 2-on-1's every shift or even score on every shift. Sometimes you have to keep building, keep bringing momentum for your club and tonight is certainly an example of that. We're going to need to be sharp in that area specifically. Otherwise it's going to be in the back of our net more than the other way around. You play a team like the Ducks who are out of the playoffs, they've got young guys playing loose. They tend to be on the outside a lot, they tend to be spreading the zone a lot. It does change how we play the game. We weren't fully satisfied with our result there, but we're looking forward to bring a lot better tonight."
Berube feels the team is refreshed and ready to attack the final five games and the scenarios they'll be faced with.

"After that Minnesota series, we spent a lot of energy in that series," Berube said. "That was a tough series. We just come off a tough series against Colorado at home. The energy was a little low in those two games against Anaheim, but I believe it will be fine now."

- - -

One of the reasons the Blues have come together to go 8-3-2 the past 13 games has been the red-hot power-play, which has scored in 11 of the past 12 games and gone 13-for-31 (41.9 percent).

Since March 1, the Blues are first overall in the league at 30.9 percent (25-for-81).

"All year, we had the right intentions trying to do the right details," Perron said. "I think our level of urgency raised a little bit more. I think we're making smarter plays with the puck. ... It's a key for us."

The personnel has been tweaked, with Mike Hoffman, who leads the team with seven power-play goals and is second to Perron (19) with 14 power-play points, being elevated to the No. 1 unit. And even with regulars like Vladimir Tarasenko and Torey Krug out of the lineup and off the PP, along with Vince Dunn from the second unit, other guys have filled in, including Justin Faulk and Colton Parayko as quarterbacks.

"We simplified things," Berube said. "It's more of a couple plays that we can run, but then it's power play, five against four and you take what they give you and you capitalize on it. Execution's been a lot better for sure, but I think Hoffman's really elevated our power play with his shot, his ability. He's a real good power play guy. Not only his shot, but he makes simple, subtle plays out there. They really help your power play."

Hoffman draws so much attention to the right circle, it tends to open things up for others, which has benefitted the special teams greatly.

"It's definitely cool to have a shot like that over there," Perron said. "I think 'Faulker' brings a lot of that as well if they want to over-commit to him, I think he can just touch it back to 'Faulker' for a big bomb. I think for me in that position, I'm a little bit more of a setup guy than a shooter, but definitely if there's opportunities for me, I definitely have to take it, get it and shoot it. We've done a good job of finding different situations."

- - -

Speaking of Tarasenko (lower-body injury) and Krug (upper body), each made the trip but won't play tonight. Sammy Blais (upper body) did not make the trip, but Dunn (upper body) did but is not close, according to Berube.

And the line tweaks that occurred mid-game Wednesday will stay in tact tonight, including Zach Sanford playing with Perron and Ryan O'Reilly despite no points his past nine games and two goals and two assists his past 25 games.

"I think his game's gotten better the last couple games," Berube said. "Offensively, we're going to have him up there with O'Reilly. He's had good success up there with that line before. He's had good success against Vegas in the past. Hopefully this can get him motivated him, we can get a goal out of him. I think he's done a better job managing the puck lately and being physical and harder to play against and he's got to continue to do that and get pucks to the net, get around the net, shoot pucks when he has the opportunity but be around that net and get some greasy goals."

- - -

The Blues' projected lineup:

Zach Sanford-Ryan O'Reilly-David Perron

Jaden Schwartz-Brayden Schenn-Tyler Bozak

Mike Hoffman-Robert Thomas-Jordan Kyrou

Kyle Clifford-Ivan Barbashev-Mackenzie MacEachern

Marco Scandella-Justin Faulk

Niko Mikkola-Colton Parayko

Jake Walman-Robert Bortuzzo

Jordan Binnington will start in goal; Ville Husso will be the backup. The healthy scratch is Steven Santini. Vladimir Tarasenko (lower body), Torey Krug (upper body), Vince Dunn (upper body) and Sammy Blais (upper body) are out. Oskar Sundqvist (knee) and Carl Gunnarsson (knee) are out for the season. 

- - -

The Golden Knights' projected lineup:

Max Pacioretty-Chandler Stephenson-Mark Stone

Jonathan Marchessault-William Karlsson-Reilly Smith

Mattias Janmark-Peyton Krebs-Alex Tuch

William Carrier-Nicolas Roy-Keegan Kolesar

Alec Martinez-Alex Pietrangelo

Brayden McNabb-Shea Theodore

Nicolas Hague-Zach Whitecloud

Robin Lehner is expected to start in goal; Marc-Andre Fleury would be the backup. Vegas reports no healthy scratches. Ryan Reaves (undisclosed) and Tomas Nosek (undisclosed) are out, and Pacioretty, who's missed the past two games with an undisclosed injury, is a game-time decision.

Blues fail to clinch playoff spot, this night belonged to Backes

Former Blues captain, likely playing in final game of NHL career, 

ends it in St. Louis on high note with Ducks in 3-2 shootout win

By LOU KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- Forget the disappointment of not clinching that final playoff berth on Wednesday.

This one was for the captain.

(St. Louis Blues/Scott Rovak)

An emotional David Backes waves farewell to Blues fans in what was 

likely his last game in the NHL on Wednesday.

Even had the Blues won against the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday, which they didn't when they fell 3-2 in a shootout, they needed a regulation win by the Arizona Coyotes to stamp their ticket to the playoffs, and that didn't happen either, as the Coyotes fell 4-2 to LA. 

So lets make this about the guy that wore his heart on his sleeve, and will one day, when that day comes, become an instant member of the Blues alumni.

David Backes, drafted by the Blues in the second round of 2003 and played 10 of his 15 NHL seasons, including five of them as captain from 2011-16 with the Blues, may have well played his last game at Enterprise Center on Wednesday.

And he went out a winner.

“If you gave me a blank sheet of paper and said how do you want to end your career, this might have been second to, you know, hoisting the Stanley Cup and going out in that style," Backes said. "That's not always reality, so you know, this is pretty amazing."

Backes, playing in just his 15th and likely final NHL game, was in the starting lineup and took the opening draw against Ivan Barbashev, which he won.

No big deal, right?

Right.

But then came the video tribute, which the 37-year-old had to be expecting, and the emotions came out. 

Backes, who played 10:32 in the game, was able to collect his emotions and focus on the task at hand, even as the full allotted crowd of 4,100-plus was giving him a standing ovation.

Backes had a couple moments where he could have scored, which would have been fitting in this building, but couldn't connect. It would have been ironic to see if Ducks coach Dallas Eakins would have sent him out for the third shootout attempt but that opportunity never presented itself, and when the final horn sounded, the Blues stayed on the ice to congratulate not only Backes but Ducks goalie and former Blues netminder Ryan Miller, who announced this season would also be his last.

"I made it most of the way and then, you know, seeing the guys that I played with the longest really, really hit me in the heart with 'Schwartzy' (Jaden Schwartz) and all he's been through lately (following the death of his father, Rick, last November) and David Perron and how far he's come, it's just all the memories flood back of the great moments that we've had as friends and teammates," Backes said. "... I thought I was done with this (reminders of his time in St. Louis), but I appreciate it!"

It was a night to remember for Backes, who played in 727 of his 965 NHL regular-season games wearing the Bluenote.

Once the congratulatory handshakes and hugs were done, Backes was announced as the game's No. 1 star and did a postgame interview on BSMW ... and the fans didn't want to leave, acknowledging his legacy here. There was a video tribute with his wife Kelly and two kids.

"He's a guy that played hard every night," said Schwartz, Backes' teammate from 2011-16. "He was the captain when I came in. He's a guy that really cared about his teammates. He helped me out a lot as a young guy. He was a guy that you could ask questions and learn from. He's a guy that played a lot of hard minutes. He played power play, penalty kill, he played other teams' top lines. That's not easy to do is shut down other teams' top lines and be counted on to produce. He did a good job of that. 

"We had some good runs in the playoffs. We ran into some good teams. We were like one win away a lot of times from moving on. He was obviously a big part of this organization for a long time. I glad I got to play with him, get to know him. He was a guy that when I think about him, he did everything he did to win."

(St. Louis Blues/Scott Rovak)

Blues forward David Perron hugs former teammate David Backes after the

game Wednesday, a 3-2 Ducks win in a shootout.

And before Backes could leave the ice for good, he came back out for one more run, with fans thanking his presence, so he could get final hugs and photos ... with his mom Karen and father Steve.

"It meant a ton," Backes said. "It's been well-documented that this place means a ton to me. I'm grateful certainly for the stint I had in Boston and for the Ducks to give me a little bit of a swan song here in Anaheim, it's been such a blessing to be in Southern California during this pandemic where my wife and kids could be outside a lot, but to be back where it all started, to be in a building where I spent so many nights honing my craft and doing what I love to do and things that I actually love ... a lot of memories and a lot great moments that have happened in this building."

(5-5-21) Ducks-Blues Gameday Lineup

By LOU KORAC
MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- The clinching scenarios for the Blues are simple.

Win against the Anaheim Ducks (16-30-7) tonight, then wait for the late game between the Los Angeles Kings and Arizona Coyotes. A Blues win and Coyotes win in regulation over the Kings and the Blues (24-19-7), 5-0-1 their past six games, would wrap up the fourth and final berth in the West Division.

The players are fully aware of the circumstances, too. 

Puck drop is at 7 p.m. (BSMW, ESPN 101.1-FM).

"I think we have a chance to clinch today," forward Ivan Barbashev said. "We've been fighting for a playoff spot and it's going to be a big game tonight."

The standings are right there for everyone to decipher, but the coaching staff, well, they're preaching control what you can control and take it game by game, day by day.

"We're just taking it game by game and just get prepared for the game tonight," Blues coach Craig Berube said. "They gave us a tough game last game (a 3-1 Blues win on Monday) so I expect the same. We've just got to be ready to go. The start of the game is big.

"I don't really worry about it much. I don't look at standings. I already know where everything is in my head."

- - -

The Blues will have some lineup changes in store with both Vladimir Tarasenko and Sammy Blais out of the lineup tonight and Kyle Clifford and Mackenzie MacEachern back in.

Berube said Tarasenko reaggravated the lower-body injury that kept him out of the last two games against the Minnesota Wild and Blais sustained an upper-body injury on Monday.

"Yes, he reaggravated it, so he's out right now," Berube said of Tarasenko.

Clifford was a healthy scratch on Monday and comes back in, but MacEachern will play for the first time since March 13. He missed 16 games with an upper-body injury but has been a healthy scratch the past six.

"He's been out for a while," Barbashev said. "I think it will be big for a physical game. He's the guy with the good speed and he can bring some energy. I'm looking forward to it."

"He's got speed and can really skate, big body," Berube said. "He's going to get on the forecheck and forecheck hard and play good defense and provide energy for our hockey team."

As for defensemen Torey Krug (upper body) and Vince Dunn (upper body), each skated on Wednesday during the morning skate but will not play tonight.

"It's tough to say really," Berube said of their potential return. "I think it's a day to day think with both of them pending on how they feel and we just go from there. I don't really have a timeline on them."

- - -

Berube will stick with the larger defensive tandem of Colton Parayko and Niko Mikkola tonight.

That duo saw extensive action together on Monday and performed well together, but it will be their first game starting off together and is reminiscent of the Jay Bouwmeester-Parayko tandem.

"They're hard top play against for the size and not a lot of room out there, the aggressiveness," Berube said. "It's unfair to compare Mikkola to Bouwmeester, but they're both big guys that are hard to play against and there's not a lot of room out there."

- - -

Blues 2017 first-round pick Klim Kostin, fresh off a KHL Gagarin Cup title with Avangard Omsk, was expected to arrive in St. Louis today but will have to quarantine for at least seven days, if not longer, before he can take the ice with the Blues.

"I haven't talked to him yet," Berube said. "I believes he arrives today, but I don't know for sure."

- - -

Former Blue David Backes, a 2003 second-round pick who spent 10 of his 15 NHL seasons with the Blues, including captain from 2011-16, will possibly play his final game at Enterprise Center for the Ducks tonight.

Ducks coach Dallas Eakins confirmed Backes to be in the lineup tonight.

"We have him in the lineup tonight, but it's not just what he's meant to our organization, it's what he's meant to the St. Louis Blues organization too," Eakins said. "When you have a player like that who is so highly regarded everywhere he goes, you certainly start to understand the man, the human being that he is."

Backes has played in 964 games, including 727 with the Blues, and has 561 points (248 goals, 313 assists), of which 460 points (206 goals, 254 assists) have come with the Blues.
He took part in the morning 

"We've been skating here for the last couple days, so there's been a little bit of that," Backes said of the nostalgia of returning to St. Louis. "I've been back here a few times since leaving town but knowing that it could be the last little free skate out there, morning skate, a lot of memories and a lot of great moments that have happened in this building.

"... St. Louis is still looking to clinch a playoff (berth) so amidst the festivities and kind of the specialness for me personally, I expect it to be another hard-nosed NHL game, going down the stretch with them trying to clinch the playoffs, so we're going to try and play spoiler tonight. There will certainly be some special emotions and special feelings being out there knowing it's likely my last tour through the building as a player. I'm going to soak that all in, every moment of it, every time I get to tough the ice and do something out there. I'm going to try and make the most of it and just really imprint all the memories and probably have some old memories flood back in."

The Blues will have to be mindful that Backes, 37, will be playing with a tremendous amount of emotion.

"He was a very good leader and two-way player for the Blues for a number of years here, was the captain," Berube said. "He was the captain for some very good teams here. Obviously he was a hard guy to play against. He gave you everything he had every night doing different things for the team whether it was checking, shutting teams down, physical play in front of the net on the power play. He played a number of different roles for the team. Obviously was a good leader under him being the captain. They had a lot of good years here. He's had a very good career."

* Will have more on Backes possibly playing his final game in this building in another piece, and what he meant to the Blues and St. Louis.

- - -

The Blues' projected lineup:

Brayden Schenn-Ryan O'Reilly-David Perron

Jaden Schwartz-Tyler Bozak-Vladimir Tarasenko

Jordan Kyrou-Robert Thomas-Mike Hoffman

Sammy Blais-Ivan Barbashev-Zach Sanford

Marco Scandella-Justin Faulk

Jake Walman-Colton Parayko

Niko Mikkola-Robert Bortuzzo

Jordan Binnington will start in goal; Ville Husso will be the backup. The healthy scratch includes Steven Santini. Torey Krug (upper body) and Vince Dunn (upper body) are out tonight. Carl Gunnarsson (knee) and Oskar Sundqvist (knee) are out for the season.

- - -

The Ducks' projected lineup:

Max Jones-Ryan Getzlaf-Sam Carrick

Alexander Volkov-Isac Lundestrom-Rickard Rakell

Max Comtois-Trevor Zegras-Troy Terry

Nicolas Deslauriers-Derek Grant-David Backes

Cam Fowler-Jacob Larsson

Haydn Fleury-Jamie Drysdale

Simon Benoit-Kevin Shattenkirk

Anthony Stolarz is projected to start in goal; Ryan Miller would be the backup. Healthy scratches include Adam Henrique, John Gibson, Danton Heinen, Josh Mahura and Sam Steel. Sonny Milano (upper body), Carter Rowney (knee), Andy Welinski (lower body) and Josh Manson (upper body) are out.

Bortuzzo gaining confidence, making major strides for Blues as season winds down

Defenseman had been healthy scratch from April 7-24, 

has since returned to play strong with Blues' defensemen down

By LOU KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- Robert Bortuzzo was able to put himself in a soft spot in front of Anaheim Ducks goalie John Gibson, take in a Jordan Kyrou pass and whip a shot inside the near post for a lead Monday.

(St. Louis Blues photo)

Blues defenseman Robert Bortuzzo celebrates his goal Monday in a 3-1

win against the Anaheim Ducks at Enterprise Center.

It was Bortuzzo's third NHL game-winning goal during a 3-1 Blues win over the Ducks, inching them ever-so-closer to a playoff berth as the fourth seed in the West Division, and since he doesn't score goals often, it set off a celebration of sorts for the 32-year-old defenseman from Thunder Bay, Ontario.

"Yeah, I think the guys on the bench think it was the right amount, which I'm happy with," Bortuzzo said of the celly. "It's nice to show a little emotion there, especially this time of year. Games and points are huge for us."

They most certainly are, and Bortuzzo is glad to be pitching in doing his part, which he has done since returning to the lineup April 24, or six games ago.

But Bortuzzo has been down this rodeo before, in and out of the lineup during his six-plus years with the Blues.

And lately, the arrow is trending in the right direction for Bortuzzo and the Blues, who are 5-0-1 their past six games and lead the Arizona Coyotes by five points in the division.

Bortuzzo last played April 5, a 6-1 loss to Vegas in which he was a minus-3 in the game, then sat out the ensuing six games. In the six games since, Bortuzzo is a plus-5 on the ice and has been a factor in each game.

Well, it may not have looked like it on the April 29 game at Minnesota in which Bortuzzo played just 4:53 in it, but Blues coach Craig Berube will take Bortuzzo's contributions away from the time on ice with the 22 penalty minutes he earned in that game, mainly protecting teammate Jordan Kyrou.

But that's neither here nor there. 

Bortuzzo has found himself in another comfort zone with his play on the ice. He's averaged over 15 minutes, including a high of 17:05 on May 1 at Minnesota, in time on ice and doing so being responsible in his own end, using his 6-foot-4, 216-pound frame wisely and, as Blues fans saw in the win against the Ducks Monday, pitch in when needed offensively.

"Big goal tonight. Again, he’s been playing good hockey for us," Berube said. "Doing a lot of different things. It was nice to see him get a goal.

"Just reliable and heavy. He’s physical and making real good decisions with the puck. Defending well. Offensively, I think that he really reads the play well. Jumps in the holes and things like that. He’s not a gifted scorer or anything like that. Or gifted puck guy. But he has a very smart brain. Uses his head well out there."

Bortuzzo's individual Corsi-for of seven was the highest on the team Monday, and his individual scoring chances-for of three was tied for second behind Kyrou's four.
Bortuzzo's ice time has grown since his return from 12:00 to 15:14 to 15:45 to 4:53 (due to the 22 minutes in penalties) to 17:05 to 15:31. He's been partnered with Niko Mikkola and Jake Walman.

"I think maybe after being out for a few games, it re-energized him to come in and I think, like when I talked about the simple things, it's being hard to play against, boxing guys out, blocking shots, having a good stick, making hits, really just being a tough defender to play against," forward Brayden Schenn said of Bortuzzo. "As a forward, I know when there's a guy on the other side who's going to make it hard on you each night and he's certainly a guy that's capable of doing that. I think that's what you're seeing as of late. I think as games get bigger, his game only gets better and down the stretch he's been really good for us back there."

The Blues have been dinged up not only with their forwards all season but also their blue line with Colton Parayko, Marco Scandella, Vince Dunn and Torey Krug now all missing a variety of games, and Carl Gunnarsson for the season.

"He’s been playing great and it’s good to see him get rewarded, being aggressive, getting up in the play and he’s got a strong celly too," Blues goalie Jordan Binnington said.
"Celly, it was pretty good," Binnington added. "I haven’t watched the replay yet, but you can feel the passion behind it."

Berube and assistant coach (defense) Mike Van Ryn keep giving Bortuzzo more responsibilities, including his customary role on the PK, and Bortuzzo is thriving with it these days.

"I'm confident in my abilities," Burtuzzo said. "It's nice to get a bit of more opportunity, but we don't take that for granted at the end of the day. It's going to be about playing intense, hard hockey. What I do matches the time of the season. Maybe that's why things have elevated a bit here for myself, but we've got some guys out. That goes for our whole lineup. Guys have been stepping up all year. It was my chance tonight to chip in. Just happy to get this win."
As for scoring Monday, it's been nearly 14 months since he last scored March 8, 2020 in a 2-0 win against the Chicago Blackhawks, so the celebrations don't come often.

(St. Louis Blues photo)

Blues players (from left) Jordan Kyrou, Mike Hoffman and Jake Walman

celebrate with teammate Robert Bortuzzo (second from right) after scoring.

"Yeah, something like that. I'm sure John Kelly let the fans know at home how many games it's been," Bortuzzo said regarding his last goal. "Happy to contribute and get the win here.

"No one made a prediction tonight. Maybe that was the secret sauce. No one had to say anything. Happy to contribute. It's a big game for us coming off a road trip, those games are tough sometimes. A lot of guys stepped up tonight and it's a big win for us."
His teammates have heckled him enough regarding scoring, and at this point, Bortuzzo doesn't care how they come. As long as they come.

"Yeah, guys love when he scores," forward Brayden Schenn said of Bortuzzo. "Obviously G-dub-W (game-winning goal) big goal tonight, and obviously scoring goals is one thing, but I think we all know what he does for our team. He's a team-first guy, brings a ton to our locker room and does the little things on the ice to make our team win. So when you see him get rewarded, guys couldn't be happier for him."

(5-3-21) Ducks-Blues Gameday Lineup

By LOU KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- The Blues know the situation and are fully aware of what they have to do.

Win and they're in.

No outside help, no relying on anyone else to help them achieve their goal, which is to reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

They're three points ahead of the Arizona Coyotes for the fourth and final spot in the West Division, and the Blues (23-19-7) get get to open a two-game home set with the last-place Anaheim Ducks (16-29-7) at 7 p.m. (BSMW-Plus, ESPN 101.1-FM).

On paper, these are games the Blues should win, but what they have to take into account is the fact that the Ducks are playing for jobs, and sometimes teams playing younger players who are trying to make an impression for next season can be dangerous, and the Ducks came into Enterprise Center the last time and won both games after the Blues won the first four matchups at Honda Center earlier this season.

So they can't afford to take anyone lightly.

"They should know better, but we discuss it for sure," Blues coach Craig Berube said. "I look at the way they played against the LA Kings the last three games. They've played really good hockey. They've got a lot of young guys in their lineup that are doing some real good things. They look good to me and they're going to give us a tough game. Obviously their team's changed since the deadline and things like that, got a lot more youth in there. We're going to have to be good.

"They're loose, they go play and they're obviously playing for different reasons than we are, but in the end, they're trying to prove themselves."

Anaheim won two of the past three against the Los Angeles Kings, another team playing out the string even though the Kings haven't mathematically been eliminated, but it's an opponent the Blues want to take seriously.

And coming off a three-game stretch of taking five of six points against the Minnesota Wild, the Blues want to build on the 4-0-1 run they're on.

"I think we definitely did a good job in Minnesota getting five of six, but it's kind of we want to come in and approach each game and make sure that we're ready for each game," defenseman Colton Parayko said. "I think if we do the right things, we prepare the right way, we play the way that we can in each game and we get kind of geared towards playoffs, I think that things will take care of themselves. Obviously you're aware of the situation that we're in with the points in the standings, at the end of the day, it's on us to prepare the right way, just be ready for each match and the rest will take care of itself.

"It's on us to show up each night to make sure we do what we've got to do to get the two points each night and get into the playoffs. Game by game, make sure we approach it the right way and just try and get into the playoffs and build something. It's about building something these last seven games too and making sure that going into the playoffs, we're ready and we have something going, a little bit of momentum."

The Blues have their fate in their own hands, which is what they want.

"It doesn't really matter where the other teams are," forward Jaden Schwartz said. "We've got to focus on us and they're obviously a big, big two points that are available tonight and we're going to approach it the same way. It doesn't matter who we're playing.

"That's our goal is to get in. These are big points and these are fun games and we're really coming together as a team. We've got a lot of gamers on this team, guys that like raising their games at the right time. It's a lot of fun doing it that way, so we're excited for the opportunity that's in front of us."

- - -

It appears that Vladimir Tarasenko will return to the lineup after missing the past two games with a lower-body injury.

Tarasenko took part in his second straight morning skate but was working with the top power-play unit on Monday. He also took part in the morning skate Saturday but did not play.

The Blues hope Tarasenko can return to the game he was building before sitting out the last two.

"There's a good chance it will play; we'll see in warmup," Berube said. "I thought that he was getting better looks. I liked that line before he got hurt. I thought they were doing some good things. Power play-wise, he was doing a good job at the net front, got a goal, just being at the net, he's a guy that can make plays down there at the goal line and he's strong and he can find rebounds around the net. He's a big body. He's effective down there."

As for defensemen Torey Krug and Vince Dunn, they are not ready to come back in.

Krug will miss his second straight game with an upper-body injury and was not on the ice Monday, but Dunn (upper body), who missed the three-game series with the Wild, was on the ice and showed some encouraging signs.

"I think he's doing well," Berube said of Dunn. "I think you can see him in the lineup this week, I would think, but right now, I'm not sure. I think him being out there today with us is positive. We'll get him to get some contact here, hopefully tomorrow, and go from there."

- - -

Blues forward David Perron will dress in his 900th NHL game tonight, including his 600th with the Blues.

Perron has 599 points (238 goals, 361 assists) and needs one point for 400 in his Blues career (165 goals, 234 assists), which has accounted for 10 of his 14 NHL seasons.

"He's had a long road," Schwartz said of Perron. "He's been on a couple different teams and a few different stretches here. It just never seems to bother him. He's believed in himself. He's a guy that really works hard. You can see him in practice, he works on little things and in games, he's very, very competitive. I think that's one thing where separates him a lot is how competitive he can be, how strong he is on the puck. His skill level's as good as anyone, I think, as far as his puck handling and seeing the ice. When he's got the belief in himself and he's confident, he's a hard guy to stop. As he gets older, he's still learning, he's still looking to get better and you can see it games how much he's improved."

Perron, drafted by the Blues in the first round of the 2007 NHL Draft, leads the Blues with 49 points (15 goals, 34 assists) in 49 games this season.

"Since I've had him, I've really liked him a lot," Berube said of Perron. "I talk about how competitive he is as a player. There's not many guys that have been around that are more competitive than him. He's got some real good ability obviously with his stick and the puck skills, but I think his game all around has gotten better for me since I've been here coaching him, just the defensive side of things and the care defensively and the care of managing the puck, putting it deep, just driving that team game. I think he does an excellent job of that. I really do. He stressed it on the bench constantly and he puts pucks in deep constantly and forechecks and works.

"We all like guys that have some jam and energy. They bring that out in the game and they drag other people into it for sure."

- - -

Former Blues captain and second-round pick David Backes, who has hinted that this season, his 15th, may very well be his last in the NHL.

Backes, drafted by the Blues in 2003, is playing in the final year of a five-year, $30 million free agent contract he signed to join the Boston Bruins in 2016. The 37-year-old has played sparingly for the Ducks this season, just 14 games (three goals, one assist).

Ducks coach Dallas Eakins said there is a chance Backes will play in one of the two games in St. Louis, but it doesn't appear that tonight will be the night. 

The Ducks also play here Wednesday.

"The one thing I'll add on Backes is, I know what he has meant to the St. Louis organization in the past," Eakins said. "Obviously being a captain and I think really setting a standard for leadership, character and work ethic. Even though he has been limited in the number of games he has played for us, he has not relented with his leadership, with his character or with his work ethic. I think he has been a real shining light for our veterans on how to conduct yourselves through adverse times and I think he's been an inspiring figure for our younger players. I just can't say enough about that young man on not only how he's handled himself throughout his career, but just how he's gone about his business with our organization, his interactions with me, our staff and our players over this year."

Backes has played in 964 games, including 727 with the Blues, and has 561 points (248 goals, 313 assists), of which 460 points (206 goals, 254 assists) have come with the Blues in 10 seasons.

"He's a guy that played hard every night," Schwartz said. "He was the captain when I came in. He's a guy that really cared about his teammates. He helped me out a lot as a young guy. He was a guy that you could ask questions and learn from. He's a guy that played a lot of hard minutes. He played power play, penalty kill, he played other teams' top lines. That's not easy to do is shut down other teams' top lines and be counted on to produce. He did a good job of that. We had some good runs in the playoffs. We ran into some good teams. We were like one win away a lot of times from moving on. He was obviously a big part of this organization for a long time. I glad I got to play with him, get to know him. He was a guy that when I think about him, he did everything he did to win."

- - -

The Blues' projected lineup:

Brayden Schenn-Ryan O'Reilly-David Perron

Jaden Schwartz-Tyler Bozak-Vladimir Tarasenko

Jordan Kyrou-Robert Thomas-Mike Hoffman

Sammy Blais-Ivan Barbashev-Zach Sanford

Marco Scandella-Torey Krug

Jake Walman-Colton Parayko

Niko Mikkola-Robert Bortuzzo

Jordan Binnington will start in goal; Ville Husso will be the backup. Healthy scratches include Mackenzie MacEachern and Steven Santini. Torey Krug (upper body) and Vince Dunn (upper body) are out tonight. Carl Gunnarsson (knee) and Oskar Sundqvist (knee) are out for the season.

- - -

The Ducks' projected lineup:

Max Jones-Ryan Getzlaf-Sam Carrick

Alexander Volkov-Isac Lundestrom-Rickard Rakell

Max Comtois-Trevor Zegras-Troy Terry

Nicolas Deslauriers-Derek Grant-Danton Heinen

Cam Fowler-Jacob Larsson

Haydn Fleury-Jamie Drysdale

Simon Benoit-Kevin Shattenkirk

John Gibson will start in goal; Ryan Miller will be the backup. Healthy scratches include Anthony Stolarz, Sam Steel, Chase De Leo and Andrew Agozzino. Sonny Milano (upper body), Carter Rowney (knee), Andy Welinski (lower body) and Josh Manson (upper body) are out. Adam Henrique was removed from COVID-19 protocol on Sunday but is a healthy scratch.

(5-1-21) Blues-Wild Gameday Lineup

By LOU KORAC
The Blues (23-19-6) will be a bit more shorthanded on Saturday in search of a season-high five-game winning streak.

Already playing without Vince Dunn (upper-body injury) and Vladimir Tarasenko (lower-body injury), defenseman Torey Krug will also miss today against the Minnesota Wild (31-14-4) with an upper-body injury of his own.

Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. (BSMW-Plus, ESPN 101.1-FM).

Colton Parayko, who missed Wednesday's 4-3 win against the Wild, his second straight game missed, returned to action in Thursday's 5-4 overtime win over the Wild, but this will put the Blues in a bit of a bind.

Tarasenko took part in the morning skate but will miss a second straight game and remains day to day, and Krug, who has played in all 48 games this season (one goal, 28 assists), will miss his first of the season.

"Yeah, it's tough. I thought both of them were playing well and contributing on the power play and obviously playing good hockey all around," Blues coach Craig Berube said. "We got guys that can come in, fill in and do the job. That's part of it all and we've had injuries all years so it's really no different."

Krug had missed a number of the previous morning skates, and is day to day himself. Berube indicated that the previous missed skates do not have anything to do with this particular injury.

"Not the same thing," Berube said, "but he's going to be fine."

- - -

Fresh off helping Avangard Omsk of the Kontinental Hockey League win the franchise's first-ever Gagarin Cup, Blues 2017 first-round pick Klim Kostin will return to St. Louis on Tuesday and will be assigned to the taxi squad.

The Blues assigned Kostin, the 31st pick in the draft, to the KHL in September due to the uncertainty of the 2020-21 season in the NHL due to COVID-19. 

Upon arrival, Kostin will be required to quarantine before joining the team.

"First, he's got to come back and get some practices in and we'll see how he looks and go from there," Berube said. 'I can't really give you an answer on that not seeing him. We've got to see him in practices."

In 24 playoff games, Kostin registered nine points (five goals, four assists) and a plus-5 rating. He also posted 99 hits in the postseason.

"Obviously he played really well over there and they won the championship and he was a big part of it," Berube said. "He's the type of guy (that) we really like his size and his strength, just his heavy play. He's definitely a guy that I think can help our hockey team. But again, we've got to get him here and get him acclimated and get him going and we'll see from there."

Kostin has played in four regular-season games with the Blues and has one goal against the Nashville Predators on Nov. 23, 2019. In three seasons with the American Hockey League's San Antonio Rampage, Kostin had 82 points (29 goals and 53 assists) in 181 games.

- - -

Blues defenseman Robert Bortuzzo came into Thursday's game against the Wild with 25 penalty minutes.

He departed it with 47.

Bortuzzo kept himself busy off the ice more so than on it once he was done squaring off in separate fights, the second time he's been in two fights in one game.

He fought Jordan Greenway at 14:32 of the first period after Greenway drove him hard into the Blues' goal, then tussled with Marcus Foligno at 6:29 of the second period coming to the aid of teammate Jordan Kyrou after Foligno's hard hit on Kyrou, to which Bortuzzo received a major for fighting, two minutes for instigating and a 10-minute misconduct.

"We expect games to be fairly intense here on in and those things seem to happen when the intensity of the games goes up," Bortuzzo said. "... It was definitely a unique game for myself."
Bortuzzo played just 4:53 and had nine shifts in the game but got the appreciation of Berube, known for his fisticuffs during his NHL career.

"'Borts' has done a real good job lately with that," Berube said. "He's brought a lot of intensity to our game and physicality to our game lately, which is important. He's a great team guy, we all know that stepping in for Jordan Kyrou and taking on a tough guy. The guy's tough so we've got a lot of guys that take care of themselves and their teammates out on the ice, which is important."

Bortuzzo fought New Jersey's Jordin Tootoo twice in a game as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins on December 30, 2014.

"I wouldn't say I was pumped to get into it with that guy," Bortuzzo said.

- - -

The Wild, trying to avoid their first three-game losing streak of the season, are expected to go with Kappo Kahkonen in goal after Cam Talbot played the past two games against the Blues and allowed nine goals on 53 shots.

If Blues fans remember, Kahkonen was the sacrificial lamb of staying in goal for the entirety of the Blues' 9-1 thrashing of the Wild on April 9, a game in which Kahkonen allowed those nine goals on 38 shots.

But Minnesota will be riding high after rallying for a point Thursday, coming back from a 3-1 third-period deficit before falling 5-4 in overtime on a Ryan O'Reilly goal.

"They've played the same way all year and I don't expect anything different tonight," Berube said. "They're going to come at us hard on the forecheck like they always do and it's going to be tight, tough hockey. They're physical. They possess the puck pretty well in the offensive zone. They make you work for everything. It's going to be a hard-working game again tonight."

"That's a good hockey team with good structure," Bortuzzo said. "A proud team who's been playing really well at home all year. They're going to be coming out hard. ... Two similarly built teams in terms of structure and how they want to play. There's not going to be a ton of ice out there I'm assuming. It's going to be a good challenge for us here."

- - -

The Blues' projected lineup:

Brayden Schenn-Ryan O'Reilly-David Perron

Jaden Schwartz-Tyler Bozak-Sammy Blais

Jordan Kyrou-Robert Thomas-Mike Hoffman

Kyle Clifford-Ivan Barbashev-Zach Sanford

Marco Scandella-Justin Faulk

Jake Walman-Colton Parayko

Niko Mikkola-Robert Bortuzzo

Jordan Binnington will start in goal; Ville Husso will be the backup. Healthy scratches include Mackenzie MacEachern and Steven Santini. Vladimir Tarasenko (lower body), Torey Krug (upper body) and Vince Dunn (upper body) are out tonight. Carl Gunnarsson (knee) and Oskar Sundqvist (knee) are out for the season.

- - -

The Wild's projected lineup:

Jordan Greenway-Joel Eriksson Ek-Marcus Foligno

Kirill Kaprizov-Ryan Hartman-Mats Zuccarello

Kevin Fiala-Victor Rask-Marcus Johansson

Zach Parise-Nico Sturm-Nick Bonino

Ryan Suter-Jared Spurgeon

Jonas Brodin-Matt Dumba

Carson Soucy-Ian Cole

Kaapo Kahkonen will start in goal; Cam Talbot will be the backup. Healthy scratches include Nick Bjugstad and Brad Hunt. The Wild report no injuries.