(11-9-21) Blues-Jets Gameday Lineup

By LOU KORAC
The time has arrived, and it's D-Day for Jake Neighbours.

As in Decision Day.

Neighbours, the Blues' 2020 first round pick, will play in his alloted ninth game today at 7 p.m. when they finish off a four-game trip against the Winnipeg Jets (6-3-2) on BSMW, ESPN 101.1-FM.

After tonight, the Blues (7-2-1) must make a decision on the forward, whether they keep him in the NHL for the remainder of the season and allow his entry-level contract to kick in its first season or return him to the Edmonton Oil Kings of the Western Hockey League.

Neighbours, 19, has a goal and an assist and is a minus-2 in eight games thus far and has had his moments where he's looked really good, and then as coach Craig Berube put it, scores of games have dictated ice times in other games and the amount of usage they've needed from Neighbours in others.

"I think there's been games where I've really liked him," Berube said. "He's done some real good things. A lot of the games and the score, the time of the game, just a lot of things playing to how much ice time that he got. It's not easy if you don't get a lot of ice time. We all know that, but overall, I think he's done really well. He's a smart player like I've always said, he's killed penalties for us in these eight games, he's done a good job, he's scored a goal, he's around the puck all the time, he's got a nose for the puck. It's going to be a learning process for him, a kid that young coming into the league."

Here's a breakdown of Neighbours' games:

Oct. 16 at Colorado: 9:00 TOI, no points, one shot on goal, even plus/minus, 15 shifts

Oct. 18 at Arizona: 11:04 TOI, one assist, one shot, even plus/minus, 17 shifts

Oct. 20 at Vegas: 10:01 TOI, no points, no shots, even plus-minus, 13 shifts

Oct. 23 vs. Los Angeles: 11:49 TOI, one goal, two shots, minus-1, 15 shifts

Oct. 25 vs. Los Angeles: 7:55 TOI, no points, one shot, even plus/minus, two penalty minutes, 11 shifts

Oct. 28 vs. Colorado: 9:22 TOI, no points, no shots, minus-2, 14 shifts

Oct. 30 vs. Chicago: healthy scratch

Nov. 3 at Los Angeles: healthy scratch

Nov. 4 at San Jose: 9:23 TOI, no points, two shots, plus-1, 14 shifts

Nov. 7 at Anaheim: 9:32 TOI, no points, one shot, even plus/minus, 15 shifts

The Blues have really liked Neighbours, but it could be a situation where they may have to send him down from a cap-related purpose, or they like him so much that they feel he's better suited to remain in the NHL.

Neighbours will skate on the fourth line again tonight with veterans Tyler Bozak and James Neal.

"I think he's a great player," Bozak said of Neighbours. "I think he's very mature for his age, does a lot of the little things, all the tough stuff, battles extremely hard and has a ton of skill on top of it. He's been fun to play with, he's a great player, he's going to have a really long career. Obviously he's gotten close to all of us. It would be really fun if he stuck around."

- - -

Aside from the facing the Colorado Avalanche twice already, the Blues (7-2-1) will face only their second Central Division opponent tonight, with the Chicago Blackhawks being the other and first matchup with the Jets since Feb. 6, 2020.

"They're deep down the middle," Berube said of the Jets, who are 6-1-2 their past nine games. "They've got (Pierre-Luc) Dubois, (Mark) Scheifele and (Andrew) Copp. They're a pretty deep forward group, they can score goals, power play, their power play's always been dangerous. They've got some real good offensive players. It's important that we understand what we need to do when out there in terms of checking and managing pucks. We've got to play our game. We've got to forecheck hard here tonight, we've got to attack the offensive zone and put pucks on net, get some goals against this team."

The Blues are 1-1-1 on the trip and looking to end it on a high note tonight, although they don't want a repeat of Sunday's 4-1 loss against the Anaheim Ducks.

"I thought we played a little slow at times," Berube said. "Just with our transition game, we didn't move the puck quick enough. Our defense didn't get it up to our forwards' hands quick enough. Just getting them on their heels a little bit more. I thought we created a lot of opportunities offensively. Gibson I thought played well. We've got to find a way to get more of the types of goals we got in San Jose. I didn't think there were a lot of second and third opportunities offensively in that Anaheim game."

All things considered though, taking 15 of a possible 20 points thus far in the season isn't anything to scoff about.

"I think as a whole, it's a really good start for our team," Bozak said. "I didn't think we had our best that night obviously, but stuff like that's going to happen. It's a long season, you're going to have games like that, you're going to have stretches with some tough games mixed in there. I think what we've got to do is just reset and get back to what's made us successful this year, go back to that and just play our game."

- - -

* Berube said goalie Ville Husso, in COVID-19 protocol, can resume skating with the team Thursday, he believes.

* Forward Kyle Clifford and defensemen Torey Krug and Niko Mikkola remain in COVID protocol and will miss tonight's game.

* Blues forward David Perron will play in his 617th game as a Blue, passing Bob Plager for 10th in team history.

* Blues forward Brandon Saad comes in with four goals in his past four games.

- - -

The Blues' projected lineup:

Brandon Saad-Ryan O'Reilly-David Perron

Jordan Kyrou-Robert Thomas-Vladimir Tarasenko

Klim Kostin-Ivan Barbashev-Pavel Buchnevich

Jake Neighbours-Tyler Bozak-James Neal

Marco Scandella-Colton Parayko

Jake Walman-Justin Faulk

Calle Rosen-Robert Bortuzzo

Jordan Binnington will start in goal; Joel Hofer will be the backup.

The Blues report no healthy scratches. Oskar Sundqvist (knee) remains out although he is eligible to be removed off long-term injured-reserve beginning with tonight's game after being out the required 10 games and 24 days when he was put on it, and Brayden Schenn (upper body) will miss his second game. Torey Krug, Kyle Clifford, Niko Mikkola and Ville Husso are out due to COVID-19 protocol.

- - -

The Jets' projected lineup:

Kyle Connor-Pierre-Luc Dubois-Evgeny Svechnikov

Jansen Harkins-Andrew Copp-Nikolaj Ehlers

Adam Lowry-Mark Scheifele-Blake Wheeler

Dominic Toninato-Riley Nash-Kristian Vesalainen

Josh Morrissey-Nate Schmidt

Brenden Dillon-Neal Pionk

Logan Stanley-Dylan DeMelo

Connor Hellebuyck will start in goal; Eric Comrie will be the backup. 

Nathan Beaulieu is the lone healthy scratch. Dylan Samberg (ankle) and Paul Stastny (lower body) are out with injuries.

(11-7-21) BLUES NOTEBOOK

O'Reilly looks set to return, hated missing games; Blues in tough spot 

cap-wise; Rosen to make Blues debut; team equipped without Schenn

By LOU KORAC
Ryan O'Reilly hates watching.

That part is obvious after the Blues captain had to sit and watch the past four games after being put in the league's COVID-19 protocol for testing positive for COVID-19.

"It was very weird. I haven't done that in a long time," O'Reilly said Saturday. "Just watched from home, it was different. I didn't like it. It was tough to not be able to do anything, but it is what it is. These kind of things happen. I'm excited to be back. It's going to be fun. Boys are playing well, had some good wins there. I'm excited to join them.

"I don't know if I was screaming at the TV, but definitely was anxious. It's tough not being in control of anything, just having to watch the boys play and little things, but again, they did well, found ways to win games. It was good."

The Blues haven't made the official call, but it looks like O'Reilly will be back in the lineup Sunday night against the Anaheim Ducks in the third of a four-game trip.

It comes at a good time for the Blues too, who sent Brayden Schenn (upper-body injury) to get evaluated and the losses of defensemen Torey Krug and Niko Mikkola, each placed in COVID-19 protocol Friday night. Forward Kyle Clifford and goalie Ville Husso are currently there now. Forward Brandon Saad returned from protocol two games ago.

"I don't think it's official. I don't think we've talked about it, but I feel good, I've skated twice now and I feel good," O'Reilly said. "The stamina's not great, but still, energy's good and I think I'll be fine. I don't think we've confirmed that. I haven't talked with Ray (Barile) and Chief (Craig Berube) to make sure that I'm in for sure. I'm sure we'll know soon."

O'Reilly skated on his own before joining the team in California, then skated with a few players Friday and was slated to practice with the team Saturday.

"It's obviously exciting," defenseman Colton Parayko said. "We obviously missed him. A big part to our team. A key piece. Just even having him around the room and at the rink and stuff like that, it's obviously a big part of our team. Looking forward to having him back. It's what we're going to have to battle through this year is that kind of stuff. Next guy up or whatever you want to call it, but every team's going through it. At the end of the day, we're just happy to have him back."

Berube is optimistic O'Reilly will play.

"I am," he said. "He's the type of guy that keep himself in great shape. He's going to want to play.

"He's skated on his own once. Yesterday he skated with some extra guys here and he's going to skate today with us."

When Saad tested positive, he said he was surprised by it. O'Reilly wasn't.

"I actually kind of felt it towards the end of that game, the game before I tested positive, I can kind of feel I was starting to get a little short of breath," O'Reilly said. "I wasn't sure and I was hoping that it wasn't anything and then I got home that night and started to cough quite a bit and energy level was really, really low. I figured and sure enough, I get the call in the morning. Was very disappointed, but it happens and I had probably two rough days where I was kind of really tired and coughing quite a bit, but after that, it wasn't too bad. I was able to work out a bit and hopefully try to stay in shape. I think it made the transition back a little better, but overall, I feel good. My energy's good and hopefully I can come in and make an impact."

With Krug and Mikkola joining Clifford and Husso in COVID protocol, and with Saad and O'Reilly out, that makes six skaters that will have missed the minimum of 10 days.

"We all want to be responsible and such, but it's tough. It's happening," O'Reilly said. "It's not just our team. You look around the league, it's happening everywhere. It is what it is. You have to deal with it. The good thing about it, I think it shows how deep we are and how good of a team we have that we can still compete and find ways to win. We're losing bodies at this, but we're trying to be smart, we're doing what we can and we'll have no more incidents.

"Something pops and you can tell we're all disappointed. It's frustrating, especially when guys are feeling good and don't feel like they don't have any symptoms. It's tough that way, but it's out of our control. It is what it is and we've just got to keep moving forward, hang on and hopefully no more."

It probably makes the Blues wonder what else they can do differently, but ...

"I don't know what. It's just one of those things," Berube said. "We follow protocols, we're all vaccinated. Obviously it's just part of life, it's part of hockey, part of all sports. I've talked to the team and I'm telling you guys, it's obstacles that you just got to overcome."

* Tough setback for Krug -- Krug was off to such a solid start this season with eight points (two goals, six assists) in nine games, but not just because of the offense, but he and d-partner Justin Faulk have gotten off to a solid start to the season.

Krug will miss the next four games and would be eligible to return as soon as Nov. 14 against Edmonton.

"It's kind of the year we have to go through here with all this stuff, but he's been playing unbelievable for us," Parayko said of Krug. "It's been fun to watch and tough to lose him right now, but looking forward to getting him back obviously soon and it'll be good."

* Blues in tough spot cap-wise -- As it stands, the Bues are down to 20 available skaters on their roster to play, and any more injuries and/or players placed in COVID protocol, they will have to play shorthanded because of cap constraints, something that is not only strapping them but other teams in a similar situation.

"We were talking about that a little bit," said Parayko, the Blues' player rep with the NHL's Player's Association. "I don't know if we really necessarily thought it was going to get to this calling guys up and not, how that was going to work. I think that's just the nature of the year. I think we're just going to have to kind of push forward. Obviously it's something that you want to maybe look into and maybe kind of address, but I don't think that we thought that was where it was going to go. It's kind of the nature of the beast this year. Every team, it's not just us. Every team's going through it where you just got to push through in times like this and get through it."

Needless to say, Berube would like it to change.

"Doug (Armstrong) has done a great job of putting a team together with a lot of depth, whether it's the group of people we have here or in the minors," Berube said. "We've got guys that are capable of coming up and filling in and playing. That's definitely an important part. It's part of the job, part of the coaching is adjusting and putting new combinations together, people being put in different roles and asked to do different things.

"Yes, it's important. What we've got going on here, there's nothing that we can do about it. It's running through the league and that's the way it is. I believe something should be done."

* Rosen to step in -- Defenseman Calle Rosen, recalled from Springfield of the American Hockey League on Friday after the Blues reassigned Dakota Joshua, will make his Blues debut on Sunday against Anaheim.

He was slated to be the extra d-man when Krug was put in COVID protocol, but when Mikkola was also put there late Friday, it thrust Rosen into the lineup.

"He's a good skater. His head's up, he makes plays with the puck," Berube said. "Smart player, but his feet are really good. I thought he had a really good camp. I really liked the one game he played was excellent. Second game was just OK, but the whole team was just OK in that game. I think that had something to do with it, but he's a heady player, the way I look at him. He's solid."

Rosen played in two preseason games with the Blues and had a goal and four assists with the Thunderbirds in seven games.

"He's a great player," Parayko said. "He's been around for a while. He reads the play well, makes great plays, good with the puck, good puck mover and obviously those are the guys you want on your team. I'm looking forward obviously to having him back there. He's just consistent, smart and just makes the right plays, always in the right spot. When you have that, that's exactly where you want to be as a defenseman."

* Blues equipped at center without Schenn -- The loss of Schenn, who will miss at least the next two games and perhaps longer, will be hard to overcome, but getting O'Reilly back, having Robert Thomas, Tyler Bozak, Ivan Barbashev, even Pavel Buchnevich who is normally a wing that can play center, really sets the Blues up to overcome Schenn's loss for the immediate future.

"It's a tough loss. I feel for Schenner," Berube said. "He's one of our guys that fights through anything, whether it's injuries or things like that. He's a battler. It's unfortunate that we lost him here. Hopefully he's back sooner than later, but it's a tough loss. 

"Barbashev's been used on the wing for most of the season, but he's played center for us before, we all know that. That's how valuable a guy like Bozak is. Here's a guy that is capable of moving up and down your lineup and put in a different role and doing different things. A very valuable guy. Buchnevich can play center too."

* O'Reilly streak broken -- O'Reilly had never missed a game with the Blues since he was acquired via trade from the Buffalo Sabres on July 1, 2018, a string of 214 regular-season games and 39 playoff games.

"I was definitely a little heartbroken when I found out I'm not going to be able to go out there and play," O'Reilly said. "It's weird. I don't like it, I don't like watching the game from that angle. It's tough. You can't really control anything and seeing it from there, it's tough to get a good feel of what's going on in the room and the bench and just the whole game, it's tough. It's not a fun place to watch the game. I like to be out there and helping. But I'm back now and looking forward to playing."

The Blues went 2-1-1 without O'Reilly, who was able to maintain communication with teammates through group chats and calls.

"It was nice," O'Reilly said. "Obviously guys were concerned and I was talking to them. It was good. We obviously have the group chat and was talking to the guys on that. It was good. I think they miss me. That's what some of them said, which is nice. It's good to have contact with them and it's good to be back to join them."

Even his buddy David Perron?

"When I saw him, he started crying," O'Reilly joked. "He was pretty emotional and gave me a big hug and he tried to kiss me. It was good. It's good to see him."

About the kissing part ... 

"No, I don't think (it happened), but we definitely missed him, that's for sure," Parayko laughed.

Schenn returned to St. Louis, Krug added to COVID protocol list

Blues take hit to impact players with center reaggravating upper-body injury; 

defenseman is fifth player put on COVID list; O'Reilly expected to return Sunday

By LOU KORAC
Seems the Blues are going through some adverse times right now despite the successful 7-1-1 start to their season.

(St. Louis Blues/Scott Rovak)

Defenseman Torey Krug became the fifth Blues player to be placed on the

COVID-19 protocol list when he was added there Friday.

There was some good news on the team's front, and we'll get to that in a moment, but the Blues did return center Brayden Schenn to St. Louis for further evaluation for an upper-body injury and placed defenseman Torey Krug on the non-roster COVID-19 protocol list while recalling defenseman Calle Rosen from Springfield of the American Hockey League and assigning center Dakota Joshua to the Thunderbirds.

And on Friday night, more bad news came when defenseman Niko Mikkola was placed on the non-roster protocol list, meaning Rosen will be in the lineup Sunday night against the Anaheim Ducks.

Schenn, who was initially injured in the third period of a 1-0 win against the Chicago Blackhawks, played the third period of a 5-3 win at San Jose Thursday but did not return.

"He got injured a couple games ago (against) Chicago. He came back and tried to play," Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said. "The injury got aggravated yesterday so we decided to fly him home. He's going to see our doctors over the next couple days and we'll reevaluate everything and have an update when the team returns from the road trip."

Schenn has six points (three goals, three assists) in nine games this season.

As for Krug, who has eight points (two goals, six assists) in nine games, he becomes the fifth Blues skater to go on COVID protocol, joining Brandon Saad, Ryan O'Reilly, Kyle Clifford and Ville Husso.

It means Krug will miss the remainder of the trip, Sunday at Anaheim, Tuesday at Winnipeg, Nov. 11 at home against Nashville and Nov. 13 at Carolina and could possibly return Nov. 14 at home against Edmonton. 

"I think that the people that have had COVID that I've talked to haven't had many symptoms, so that's the positive is that the vaccine seems to be working and the symptoms that the players are getting are very minor," Armstrong said. "I think in today's world, it's very difficult to put a curb on it that society's open now. Our players are doing the best that they can do, but I think it's just a reality of today's world that if you test every three days, you're going to catch people, and asymptomatic people are going to get caught in the web."

Saad has since returned the past two games, and the good news is that O'Reilly is expected to return Sunday against the Ducks.

"Yes he is back. His quarantine period is over," Armstrong said of O'Reilly. "He's with the team now and skated today, I believe, and I think he'll be ready to play on Sunday, which is a real positive with 'Schenner' going out. I thought the guys did a yeoman's job of that. Robert Thomas had a fantastic game last night, which was great to see. Sometimes opportunity is created by different ways and it was great to see a guy like Robby take full advantage of that. I thought Tyler Bozak's best game was last night too so our depth is being tested, but the guys are rewarding their teammates with really solid play."

Rosen, who had a goal and four assists in seven games in Springfield, joins the Blues on the road trip as the seventh defenseman, was a bit of a surprise recall instead of 2020 Hobey Baker Award winner Scott Perunovich, who has 10 points (two goals, six assists) in six games with the Thunderbirds, but Armstrong explained why.

"That's cap-related," Armstrong said. "A COVID injury is basically viewed like a sprained ankle or any other injury. There's no cap relief, so with Krug, Husso, Clifford, there's no salary relief. It's a cap reason, and one of the (other) reasons that Scott can't be here is because of his contract. The bonuses in his contract are so high that when you start the season on LTI, not only the face value of the contract goes against the recall and it's all potential bonuses. When you're creating these contracts, everyone's aware that it does have ramifications on recalls and this is one of the ramifications of having excessive bonuses in your contracts."

Perunovich carries a a cap hit of $925,000 but has a $1.3 million performance clause in his contract raising his average annual value to $2.175 million.

(St. Louis Blues/Scott Rovak)

Ryan O'Reilly (90), congratulating Jordan Binnington after a recent win,

rejoined the Blues in California and is expected to return Sunday.

The danger for the Blues, who have 20 players with O'Reilly back, is if anyone else joins the COVID protocol list or through injury, they may have to play shorthanded because of cap constraints and no relief from those added to the non-roster list.

"Yeah, we are out of salary cap space," Armstrong said. "Right now, we have 21 players. We're very close to having to play short because of these COVID situations that if we sustain any injuries, we're going to have to play short for the guidelines for the way they're set now.

"... When you have people traveling across North America, I don't see how this is not going to happen. I'm not an expert, but my understanding was the vaccine was put into play to protect you more from having adverse affects to severe reactions to getting COVID and hopefully minimizing the likelihood of getting it but it was never going to make it getting the vaccine and you're removed from the possibility of getting COVID."

From world juniors to NHL, Joel Hofer debuted for the Blues, not only won, had assist in 5-3 win against Sharks

Goalie was bombarded early, settled in nicely making 23 

saves to help Blues offset loss of Husso inside COVID-19 protocol

By LOU KORAC
Playing in his first NHL game, Joel Hofer had to be hoping to ease into it.

Not a chance. That would have made the goalie's night too easy.

(St. Louis Blues photo)

Blues goalie Joel Hofer adjusts his mask in his NHL debut on Thursday, a

5-3 win over the San Jose Sharks Thursday at SAP Center.

So when the Blues, who downed the San Jose Sharks 5-3 Thursday at SAP Center in San Jose to give Hofer his first win, began the game with a plethora of penalties, eight minutes of them to be exact to three different players, including Ivan Barbashev's four-minute high-sticking penalty in a 49-second span, it spelled trouble for the 21-year-old fourth-round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft.

"That was definitely crazy," Hofer said. "We obviously got into some penalty trouble, but I thought we did a pretty good job at killing it and the four-minute (penalty), that kind of sucks, but it is what it is. After that, we got our legs under us."

The Blues (7-1-1) escaped the Sharks (6-4-0) having over seven minutes of power play time and came out of it dead-even at 1-1 despite giving up just one power-play goal to Brent Burns out of all that and getting a shorthanded tally from Brandon Saad, the first of two goals for Saad. 

Hofer, whose parents Steve and Elaine couldn't be in attendance having to travel from Canada to do so, would allow two goals in the period and when San Jose went up 3-2 in the second on their 14th shot of the game, Hofeer settled in and made the final 12 saves to not only get his first win of his NHL career in his first start, bevoming the first Blues goalie to win his first NHL start since Cody Rudkowsky at Edmonton Oct. 24, 2002, he also got an assist on Robert Thomas' empty-net goal that sealed the win.

"I didn't do much with it," Hofer said after making 23 saves. "I gave a pretty simple pass, but 'Pary' (Colton Parayko) made a good flip pass to 'Tommer' and obviously put it in. It's nice though."

Hofer was playing with backup Ville Husso in St. Louis in the league's COVID-19 protocol and Jordan Binnington getting the night off after making 33 saves in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday.

It would have been a night in which Husso would get the start, but pressed into action, Hofer settled in nicely and stopped the final 12 shots he would face.

"I think he did a good job," Saad said. "We took a lot of penalties, he saw a lot of action early on especially. Obviously we're all excited for him. It's a big first win and a special moment for him."

Hofer found out on gameday he would be between the pipes and took advantage of the opportunity. This is a player thrust into action at the 2020 World Junior Championship and helped Canada win gold by going 5-0-0 with a 1.60 goals-against average, .939 save percentage and one shutout.

At 21 years, 97 days, Hofer became the youngest goalie to win his NHL debut with the Blues, previously set by Michel Plasse on March 30, 1971 (22 years, 302 days).

"I found out this morning. It was obviously a lot of emotions going through my head," Hofer said of his NHL debut. "It's super special. You dream of it your whole life and to get the win in the first game, too, is just the cherry on top."

Burns and Logan Couture (shorthanded) scored first-period goals and Nick Merkley's redirection at 4:49 of the second period would be the final goal Hofer would allow past him. He kept the fortress locked the final 35:11, enabling the Blues to score the final three goals of the game.

"Hofer was great in net," said veteran forward James Neal, who made it 4-3 at 11:42 of the second and turned out to be the game-winning goal. "... Maybe some d-men talked to him a little bit, but I think just the way he was preparing tonight, I think he was in a zone and he was ready to go. He had lots of shots early with the power plays they got. He was ready to go, he did a great job standing in there and made some big saves for us."

Perhaps getting bombarded actually helped Hofer settle in. The Sharks threw eight shots on goal during that power-play sequence but could not get a lead.

"I think he did (settle in)," Blues coach Craig Berube said. "I think we did a good job in front of him too, but it's his first NHL game and you start a period with 5-on-3 for I don't know how long, four minutes or however long it was. That's tough, but he battled and good job and the team did a good job in front of him.

"... You need two goalies in this league now. We all know that. With Husso out of the lineup, we needed Hofer to step up and he did and won us a game."

With the game already being so scrambly in the first period, Hofer made one of those rare how-did-he-make-that-save moments by kicking up his legs with the puck behind him and keeping the puck out of the net.

Perhaps it was that very play that enabled the confidence to show.

"I'm just trying to battle out there doing anything I can to not let in any goals," Hofer said. "I'm taking lots of deep breaths. That personally helps me a lot. Just treat it like any other game and just go out there and have fun. I think that was the biggest thing for me no matter what. As long as I had fun out there, it was a dream-come-true for me, so it was pretty special."

Hofer got off to a 3-0-1 start with a 1.74 GAA and .936 save percentage with Springfield (Mass.) of the American Hockey League and was obviously feeling confident there before unexpectedly getting the call to make his way to St. Louis and the NHL.

(St. Louis Blues photo)

Blues goalie Joel Hofer (left) covers a loose puck in front of Sharks

forward William Eklund (middle) Thursday at SAP Center.

"Obviously you want to get to the NHL as quick as you can," Hofer said. "I'm obviously super-grateful for the opportunity. It's something I'll never forget.

"It helps a lot knowing they got my back and I've got theirs. I obviously got lots of support from the guys."

Hofer worked himself into good graces with the organization when he came and worked with the Blues during the COVID-shortened season, earned the coaching staff's trust and was thrust into action Thursday, passing with decent colors.

"Every day I just try to go out there and do my best and focus on the things I can control, " Hofer said, "whether that's work ethic or effort or any of that stuff, but I'm super grateful I'm given the opportunity to come up here and play games, definitely super-special and thanks to them."

Krug plays arguably best game as a Blue in shootout loss to Kings

Defenseman tied it in waning seconds to secure point, 

displayed excellence at both ends of the ice in over 20 minutes

By LOU KORAC
As he skated in from the left point, seeing a chance to pounce on a split-second opportunity, Torey Krug scoring to help the Blues at least salvage a point against the Los Angeles Kings was fitting.

(St. Louis Blues photo)

Blues defenseman Torey Krug (47) celebrates scoring late in the third period

of a 3-2 shootout loss against the Los Angeles Kings.

Fitting to the fact that it may have, arguably, been Krug's best game with the Blues since they signed him to a seven-year, $45.5 million contract prior to last season.

Yes, it was a fortuitous bounce of the puck when Jordan Kyrou's blind backhand feed into the slot area caromed off Kings captain Anze Kopitar, but for a skater who had his handprints all over the game, Krug was in the right place at the right time to slam home the shorthanded goal with Jordan Binnington pulled with 8.1 seconds remaining in regulation and give the Blues a valuable, hard-earned point in a 3-2 shootout loss Wednesday.

It's the sixth-latest shorthanded tying goal in NHL history at 19:51.

"It was a desperation play," Krug said. "At that point, you don't worry about positions, you just try to play hockey and make a desperate play. Luckily for me, we went to the net and the puck just ended up on my stick with a wide open net and I was able to put it in."

The goal was important in itself, that's obvious, and it was Krug's second of the season and in as many games; he scored the only goal of the game, a power-play goal, in a 1-0 win over Chicago last Saturday, so his two goals have led to the last three points in the standings.

But let's take a look at the overall game for a moment, one in which Krug played 20:26, even though it seemed much more than that, with a goal and an assist, helping set up Brayden Schenn's power-play goal. He also had four shots on goal and six attempts, one hit and three of the Blues' 20 blocks on the night.

Krug, who leads Blues defensemen with eight points (two goals, six assists) in eight games, was doing the things his d-partner (Justin Faulk) has been doing in the early going, breaking up plays but not only doing that, but retrieving pucks and turning them back up the ice into one of the forwards hands. As a 5-foot-9, 194-pound smaller guy on the blue line, Krug was taking care of the puck, putting it into areas that allowed the Blues to go in on the forecheck and when defending his gaps were clean and with little room for the Kings to operate.

"Individually, I had some pop tonight, I had some juice and I felt really good about it," Krug said. "It was good to contribute. I wish we had a few more power plays, but we've got to work a little harder to earn those chances, but I felt good with the puck, defending as well. My gaps were pretty tight. All in all, I definitely tried to help our team."

It took Krug eight games this season to match his goal total he had last season in 51 games.

"I thought he did a lot of good things with the puck," Blues coach Craig Berube said. "I think he defended well, he's playing a pretty solid all-around game."

The Blues are going to need that moving forward.

Krug, in his second season with the Blues, went through a bit of what Justin Faulk went through his first season with the Blues in 2019-20, and it was obvious an adjustment period was necessary.

Krug, who led the Blues defensemen with a 22-13 edge in Corsi-for and Corsi-against in the game, and was also the leader among the d-men in Fenwick-for and Fenwick-against at 19-8, was the team leader in expected goal-for at 1.52, scoring chances for at 14 and seven high danger scoring chances-for, per naturalstattrick.com

But as the players say, at the end of the day, two points is the main objective, but at least Krug provided the necessary pop to give his team a chance, and through eight games, the Blues have collected 13 of a possible 16 points.

"I think they came out and dictated play in the third period and that resulted in us having to scramble to tie one late, and then when you do get to overtime, it's a reset and you've got to restart," Krug said. "Our penalty killers did a great job of killing it off early. Unfortunately, we couldn't come through getting the extra point. Overall, we got one and not we've got to move on and play a big game tomorrow.

"We don't quit. That's part of the DNA of this team. We continued and we got one there late and helped us out."

(11-3-21) Blues-Kings Gameday Lineup

By LOU KORAC
Brandon Saad is good to go for the Blues (6-1-0) again when they kick off a four-game road trip today at 9 p.m. (TNT, ESPN 101.1-FM) against the Los Angeles Kings (3-5-1).

The forward has missed the past four games after being put in COVID-19 protocol, the first player this season to do so.

Saad, who has a goal and an assist in three games, has skated the past three days and took part in the morning skate Wednesday.

"I'm really excited," Saad said. "Any time you're away from your team for an extended period of time, you're always looking to get back and playing hockey again. I'm definitely excited to play tonight.

"It's a new experience for me. Just getting some practices in, some workouts, seeing where your fitness level's at. Obviously you want to help the team win, so it's something you take it day by day and see how you're feeling and make sure you're ready to go."

Saad was symptomatic, which meant he had to be quarantined a minimum of 10 days, but he's vaccinated and experienced mild symptoms. 

"It was similar to a cold," Saad said. "I could go through the list, but you feel a little off, a little bit different, nothing too extreme for me. Just a matter of time in healing."

Nonetheless, the veteran said he was surprised when a positive test came up as the team was wrapping up its season-opening three-game road trip that ended in Las Vegas.

"Yeah, I was surprised actually," Saad said. "It's something that I probably wouldn't have thought anything of it if it wasn't for the times we're living in. You have a few symptoms, you might think it's a cold, things like that and you see a positive test, so it's a little bit shocking at the time. It's nice to be through it now."

Blues coach Craig Berube is working Saad in on a line with Tyler Bozak and Pavel Buchnevich and will monitor Saad's game as it progresses to see how he plays.

"We got a couple days of practice in and the full practice yesterday was a key sign," Berube said. "He felt good and he looked good in practice and his speed looked really good. I felt comfortable with it and he said he was good to go.

"That'll be a big part of it for sure. I'll go off how he looks and if I see him not having a lot of energy and things like that, so I'll look for it."

With Saad our four games, the Blues were 3-1-0. They've also missed Buchnevich (suspension) for two games, Ryan O'Reilly will miss his third game in COVID protocol, Kyle Clifford and Ville Husso will miss their first games, respectively, also in COVID-19 protocol.

"I think we've done a good job as a team doing the next-man-up mentality of being able to obviously with guys being out, there's no excuses, it's another hockey game," Saad said. "For us, it shows through our character and depth through our team. Obviously we're playing well, so I'm excited to be back.

"I haven't missed a lot of time. Going through it, it's different for me. I think more mentally than anything, you want to be out there, you want to be helping the team win. So it's always tough to be watching and sitting around waiting, but like I said, I'm happy to be back now.

"I feel good. Obviously you don't know until you're out there, but the plan is to be back full time and obviously trying to contribute. We'll just take it one day at a time."

- - -

Speaking of Buchnevich, the Blues will look to get one of their other new acquisitions going again.

Buchnevich, who also has a goal and an assist in five games, had those two points in the first two games of the season but doesn't have one in three games since returning from a two-game head-butting suspension and is trying to find his footing again.

"A little bit," Berube said. "We had a conversation the other day and he knows that too and he'll be better. I think he's looked better in practice me. He looked good in practice yesterday. That line looked good. I think he's going to have a good game tonight."

Playing Buchnevich with veterans Bozak and Saad could work out for the team's benefit.

"For sure, I think offense and defense," Berube said. "They're the type of line we can use tonight in all situations. You've got three veteran guys that have been around, know how to play the game, with some good speed on that line, guys who go to the net. We need them to be a good line tonight for us."

- - -

Defenseman Robert Bortuzzo returns after sitting out the 1-0 win against Chicago Saturday in favor of Niko Mikkola's first game of the season.

The veteran Bortuzzo, who will skate with Jake Walman, has one assist in six games.

"There's always a benefit," Bortuzzo said of watching from the press box. "Why not? You're going to watch the game, you're going to take in information, watch some of your last prior games. It's a chance to better yourself, so why not?"

"I just want to keep them all going," Berube said of returning Bortuzzo to the lineup. "We've got fresh bodies for tomorrow too (at San Jose). There's a good chance we can swap out a couple guys. That's really all it is. I want to keep everybody going."

Also, it appears as if veteran James Neal is OK after getting some of his teeth knocked out during a drill in practice on Tuesday and is good to go for tonight.

"I'm not sure how many fake ones he already had in there before, but it looks like he's got four missing in the front of his mouth," Berube said.

- - -

Tonight marks the third and final meeting between the Blues and Kings.

The Blues won two games in three nights against L.A. in St. Louis, 7-3 on Oct. 23 and 3-0 on Oct. 25, but the Kings come in with wins in their past two games.

"They really forecheck hard with five-man units," Berube said of the Kings. "We're going to have to be good breaking the puck out, getting the puck out of our end. They've got that 1-3-1 neutral zone setup. It makes it difficult to get through there. You're going to have to put pucks in deep and go get it. That's going to be a big part of it and we're going to have to have good special teams tonight. Their power play scored a couple goals last game against Buffalo. They've got a good power play and they're going to make you work for everything. We're going to have to have our work boots on and we're going to have to play the right way."

Did the Blues put pucks in proper areas in winning those two games last week?

"At times," Berube said. "I thought we actually skated the puck in quite a bit, more than I thought we were going to, which is OK. But there's going to be times that you've got to put it in and you've got to put it in good areas. They make you rim a lot of pucks with how that neutral zone is set up. Our rim forecheck's got to be really good off rims. We're going to have to do a real good job of getting in on the forecheck off of rims."

- - -

The Blues' projected lineup:

Jordan Kyrou-Brayden Schenn-David Perron

Ivan Barbashev-Robert Thomas-Vladimir Tarasenko

Brandon Saad-Tyler Bozak-Pavel Buchnevich

James Neal-Dakota Joshua-Klim Kostin

Marco Scandella-Colton Parayko

Torey Krug-Justin Faulk

Jake Walman-Robert Bortuzzo

Jordan Binnington will start in goal; Joel Hofer will be the backup.

Healthy scratches include Niko Mikkola and Jake Neighbours. Oskar Sundqvist (knee) remains out. Ryan O'Reilly, Kyle Clifford and Ville Husso are in COVID-19 protocol and are out tonight.

- - -

The Kings' projected lineup:

Lias Andersson-Anze Kopitar-Dustin Brown

Alex Iafallo-Phillip Danault-Adrian Kempe

Trevor Moore-Rasmus Kupari-Carl Grundstrom

Brendan Lemieux-Blake Lizotte-Arthur Kaliyev

Tobias Bjornfot-Mikey Anderson

Olli Maatta-Matt Roy

Alexander Edler-Kale Clague

Jonathan Quick will start in goal; Calvin Petersen will be the backup. 

The healthy scratch is Austin Strand. Drew Doughty (knee), Sean Walker (knee), Quinton Byfield (ankle) and Andreas Athanasiou (upper body) are out. Viktor Arvidsson and Gabriel Vilardi are in COVID-19 protocol and out tonight.

(11-3-21) BLUES NOTEBOOK

Clifford fourth Blue to hit COVID list; Saad expected to return Wednesday; 

Neal loses teeth; O'Reilly to join up on trip; Sundqvist nearing return

By LOU KORAC
MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- Add Kyle Clifford to the list of those bitten by the COVID-19 bug.

The Blues forward was the latest to test positive and placed in the league's COVID-19 protocol, and the Blues have added him to the non-roster list, becoming the fourth player to sit out because of it.

Clifford joins, in order, Brandon Saad, Ryan O'Reilly and Ville Husso as those who will miss multiple games.

With Clifford presumably out a minimum of 10 days, since the team doesn't disclose who is symptomatic and asymptomatic, he will miss the upcoming road trip to Los Angeles, San Jose, Anaheim and Winnipeg.

"It's not good. We lose players," Blues coach Craig Berube said. "I don't know, I really don't have an answer for you with how this is all going to turn out. It's four guys now. We get Saad back, which is good. He can take Clifford's spot and (Joel) Hofer's up here right now for Husso, and O'Reilly will be back on this trip."

O'Reilly has missed the past two games and will miss at least the games against the Kings and Sharks but is eligible to return Sunday against the Ducks.

Husso was put on the non-roster list Sunday when the Blues used native Mike McKenna as the second goalie at practice and will miss the road trip, prompting the team to recall Hofer, who was 3-0-1 with a 1.74 goals-against average and .936 save percentage with Springfield of the American Hockey League, to back up Jordan Binnington.

So as of now, for the time being, the Blues feel they are equipped enough to handle games without bringing up reinforcements.

"Right now, we're going to go with what we've got," Berube said.

* Saad targeted for Wednesday -- There is good news of this though, with Saad becoming the first player to get back on the ice after the forward missed the 3-1-0 homestand. He was on the ice for a third straight day Tuesday and is on target to return against the Kings on Wednesday.

"We'll go by how he feels," Berube said. "I told him that we've got back-to-back games here so I want to make sure he's ready to go.

"He always looks fast to me. He's got good speed out there. It's very noticeable. He looked good today in practice. I have not talked to him after practice to see how he's feeling and what he's thinking yet. I won't know that until later."

Saad skated on a line with Tyler Bozak in the middle and Pavel Buchnevich on the right.

"I think he feels really good out there, looks good," center Robert Thomas said of Saad, who has a goal and an assist in three games. "Hopefully he's back in the lineup soon. It's a big addition for us and a welcomed face for sure."

* Neal leaves practice early -- Veteran wing James Neal left Tuesday's practice early for, at first, unknown reasons, but Berube shed light on what really happened.

Seems as if Neal, taking part in a drill, departed practice after losing some teeth and had to get to the dentist before the team departed for Los Angeles.

"Got his teeth knocked out, so he's at the dentist," Berube said. "Unfortunate accident, so he's at the dentist right now."

Seems it's not Neal's first dive into the dentist because of teeth issues, judging by this Sportsnet article: https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/flames-james-neal-cant-explain-keeps-getting-teeth-knocked/.

In Neal's spot in the line rushes, Jake Neighbours was skating with Dakota Joshua and Klim Kostin, an all-rookie line.

* Sundqvist return nearing -- Oskar Sundqvist accompanied the team on its four-game trip and is nearing a return to the lineup after doctors cleared the forward for contact.

Sundqvist took part in contact drills for what is believed to be the first time on Tuesday.

"He's getting a lot closer now," Berube said. "We talked last week. He can start contact. He's been doing more and more, which is a good thing. We've got to just continue pushing him. Hopefully, soon, he feels good enough to play."

There is a case of the player knowing best when he feels he can return, but technically, Sundqvist, who was placed on long-term injured-reserve at the start of the season, is eligible to return Nov. 9 in Winnipeg.

"Doctors and clearing him. He's got to clear himself, when he feels he's ready," Berube said. "Also there's a date that they have. We're kind of going to go by the target date right now."

A date Berube did not wish to disclose.

* Blues look to remain perfect away from home -- The Blues opened the season with a 3-0-0 trip, winning games at Colorado, Arizona and Vegas by a combined 15-8.

They'll try to remain perfect for as long as they can beginning with a third and already final regular-season meeting with the Kings, who the Blues downed 7-3 and 3-0 on Oct. 23 and 25.

"It'll be a tough trip for sure going into L.A.," Berube said. "They've won their last two games. It'll be a tough opponent. It's a good road trip. We're going to have to play some good hockey. 

"We came home, did a good job at home going 3-1. Now it's time to get back on the road. We had a good start to the year on the road and we've got to continue to keep that success going on the road. It's important. You've just got to keep banging away at it."

The Blues (6-1-0) will play San Jose on Thursday, which will be their first back-to-back sets of the season, then have a couple days off before playing at Anaheim Sunday and finishing it off with a Central Division game against the Jets Nov. 9.

"I think it's a really good road trip for us," forward Ivan Barbashev said. "We've got four big games, especially right now since we're winning a lot. We just got to continue the same way and really looking forward to it."