St. Louis Blues 22-23

pruman91 · Sep 30, 2022

St. Louis Blues' Scott Perunovich injury opens up a roster spot

Coach Craig Berube is still evaluating several candidates for the seventh St. Louis Blues defenseman spot after Scott Perunovich injury.

www.stltoday.com

Jim Thomas

Coach Craig Berube had no update on injured defenseman Scott Perunovich on Thursday.
“He’s still being looked at,” Berube said. “I can’t really give you any information on it right now.”
In this case, that figures to be more than just coach-speak. Because when Perunovich initially suffered a left wrist injury last season, which subsequently required surgery, it took doctors a while to zero in on what actually was going on with the wrist.
There’s nothing official, but it looks very much like Perunovich may have reinjured the wrist by the way he reacted after getting shoved into the boards by Chicago’s Michal Teply in Tuesday’s game against the Blackhawks.
When talking about Perunovich’s offseason commitment to earning an opening-day job, Berube’s comments were revealing.
“(Perunovich) worked hard this summer coming in to be a permanent player — find a spot. Now he’s got to wait,” Berube said.
“Now he’s got to wait.”
So even though the exact nature and severity of the injury may not be known, it’s clear that Perunovich will be out for a while.

After the re-signing of Nick Leddy in July, a common refrain was: What will the Blues do with eight defensemen on the roster?
Well, that eight has quickly shrunk to six with the regular season still more than two weeks away. An offseason training injury led to hip surgery that will sideline Marco Scandella at least until March. And now Perunovich.

pruman91 · Oct 1, 2022

Blues notebook: Nathan Walker is the Fighting Aussie

The diminutive Australian had a spirited fight Thursday against Columbus.

www.stltoday.com

Jim Thomas

One thing about Nathan Walker, he never backs down. That was the case once again Thursday against Columbus when he fought Blue Jackets defenseman Gavin Bayreuther. Half a head taller than the diminutive Walker, Bayreuther had the early advantage, but Walker hung in there and rallied with some late punches.
“I was just trying not to get beat up too badly,” Walker said, always a portrait in modesty.
One stall over in the Blues locker room, Brayden Schenn heard this and chimed in: “He’s not giving himself enough credit.”
According to the wonderfully thorough hockeyfights.com, Walker has been involved in three NHL fights — all coming in the preseason. But over the course of his career, dating all the way back to junior hockey, Walker has been involved in 26 fights. Not exactly a Berube-like total but impressive nonetheless.

“It’s just one of those things that kind of happened,” Walker said of Thursday’s tussle. “It’s part of the game. Emotions run high and low here and there.”
For Berube, it was just another example of the feistiness Walker brings every time he’s in the lineup.
“He’s a tough guy,” Berube said. “He doesn’t back down from anything. He’s one of those guys who fits in here that way. He’s a character guy.”

pruman91 · Oct 2, 2022

Quick hits: Once again, no KC Masterpiece for Blues

Blues suffer first preseason loss, 5-2 to Dallas Stars on a night when they had only 17 shots on goal.

www.stltoday.com

Jim Thomas

INDEPENDENCE, Mo. – For the second straight preseason, the Blues made an appearance at Cable Dahmer Arena in suburban Kansas City, home of the ECHL’s KC Mavericks.
For the second year in a row, they sent a representative squad. Last year, heavyweights Ryan O’Reilly and David Perron were on the travel squad – delighting the crowd by tossing about a dozen pucks into the crowd after pregame warmups.
They didn’t toss many into the net that night, losing 5-1 to the Chicago Blackhawks.
On Saturday, they sent their top line of Pavel Buchnevich-Robert Thomas-Vladimir Tarasenko, and their top defensive pairing of Nick Leddy-Colton Parayko. Half of the 20-man roster is certain to be on the opening-night roster Oct. 15 against Columbus.
Nonetheless, they again had trouble tossing pucks in the net in Kansas City, losing 5-2.

Oh well, the Blues had to lose sometime, right? Entering the night, they were 4-0 in the preseason, having outscored their opponents by a combined 17-7. Among those victories was a 4-0 triumph in Dallas on Monday.
This time around, the Stars returned the favor, even though they fielded a much less experienced lineup than the Blues. They did, however, have Jake Oettinger in goal who figures to be their starting goalie.

pruman91 · Oct 3, 2022

This time around, Noel Acciari won't get tripped up by Blues

The veteran forward is looking forward to competing for a Cup with his new team.

www.stltoday.com

Jim Thomas
Noel Acciari already had done a couple of offseason interviews in St. Louis after signing a one-year, $1.25 million free-agent contract with the Blues on July 13.
So by the time the first week of training camp rolled around, the veteran forward made it clear he had grown weary of the subject.
Namely, this question: “So was it a trip or not by Tyler Bozak?”
“This will probably be the last time I want to answer this,” Acciari said. “But I do think he did. Honestly when I hit my head, I don’t remember coming to until later on the bench.”
In Game 5 of the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs, Bozak came in behind Boston’s Acciari in the St. Louis offensive zone. He reached with his stick for the puck behind Acciari, his stick got caught in Acciari’s skate. And down went Acciari.

There was no tripping call by officials, and while Acciari still was lying on the ice, David Perron scored to give the Blues a 2-0 lead in a game they eventually won 2-1. The victory gave them a three-games-to-two lead in the best-of-seven series. (And we all know who went on to win the Cup.)
The Post-Dispatch headline summing up that game, glibly proclaimed: “What a trip! Blues on brink of winning franchise’s first Stanley Cup.”
Boston fans were livid at TD Garden, as were Bruins coaches and players.
“That’s a penalty every time,” Bruins defenseman Torey Krug said after the game. “There’s no ifs, ands, or buts about it.”

pruman91 · Oct 3, 2022

Blues notebook: Berube impressed with play of young defenseman Tucker

Talking after a practice session last week at Centene Community Ice Center in Maryland Heights, Blues defenseman Tyler Tucker chose his words carefully.

www.stltoday.com

Joe Lyons
Talking after a practice session last week at Centene Community Ice Center in Maryland Heights, Blues defenseman Tyler Tucker chose his words carefully.
But that’s to be expected.
On a squad that features veteran defensemen Justin Faulk, Torey Krug, Nick Leddy, Colton Parayko, Robert Bortuzzo and Niko Mikkola, the focus for Tucker is to quietly do his job and to learn as much as possible.
But Blues coach Craig Berube likes what he’s seen of the 22-year-old.
“To this point, I think he’s played well,” the coach said. “In his first game, we were down to five defensemen (after Scott Perunovich was injured) and I really like the way Tucker responded. We all know he’s a big, physical guy, but I really liked the way he moved the puck. He was confident, he skated well and he was aggressive with his defending. He stayed tight on people and he didn’t get gapped out at all. I thought he played a solid game.”

With Perunovich’s status uncertain and veteran Marco Scandella out after undergoing hip surgery in September, other defenseman still on the training-camp roster include veteran Calle Rosen and 22-year-old Matthew Kessel, who was selected in the fifth round of the 2020 draft.
Set to begin his third professional season, Tucker scored three goals and assisted on 15 last year while picking up 114 penalty minutes with the Springfield (Mass.) Thunderbirds of the American Hockey League.
“I had a good season last year at Springfield and now I’m trying to build off that,” said Tucker, who was born in Thunder Bay, Ontario. “I think the more time you spend up here around these guys, the more comfortable you get. Every day, I’m trying to improve my game and my competiveness.”

pruman91 · Oct 4, 2022

Blues notebook: Blues return high-scoring Bolduc to his junior squad

As expected, the Blues returned forward Zachary Bolduc to the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League over the weekend.

www.stltoday.com

Joe Lyons
As expected, the Blues returned forward Zachary Bolduc to the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League over the weekend.
“He’s a kid. He’s not ready yet for this level,” coach Craig Berube said during Monday’s news conference at the Centene Community Ice Center in Maryland Heights. “He’s gotta go down and play with more pace. I think he has ability with his feet to do a lot more than he does with the puck. He’s gotta skate more, make more plays and not just be a shooter. He’s capable of doing more with his ability….”
Berube continued: “And defensively, he’s gotta improve. He’s gotta be more responsible defensively. He has to understand the responsibilities of playing good ‘D’ and checking.”

The Blues’ first-round draft pick, No. 17 overall, in 2021, Bolduc scored 55 goals and added 44 assists in 65 regular-season games with the Remparts last year. Including playoff contests, he finished the season with 63 goals.
The 19-year-old, listed at 6 feet and 187 pounds, tied for second in goals and for eighth in points in the QMJHL last year.
But he needs to develop his all-around game.
“In the games he played, I think he realized how quick it is — and we’re not even in the regular season yet,” Berube said.

IlliniFaninHoosierLand · Oct 4, 2022

Another week, another Blues defenseman with an injury:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1577475431099498503

pruman91 · Oct 5, 2022

Quick hits: Blues put their best out and get a 4-2 win over Minnesota

The Blues get goals from Buchnevich, Neighbours, Walker and Kostin in a 4-2 win over the Wild to go to 5-1 in the preseason

www.stltoday.com

Tom Timmermann
The Blues, with their closest thing to a regular-season roster so far in the preseason, dominated a Minnesota team with something less that a regular-season roster in a 4-2 win on Tuesday night at Enterprise Center.
The Blues were missing only Vladimir Tarasenko, Ivan Barbashev and Logan Brown, who are under the weather or banged-up, and Robert Bortuzzo, who had the night off, from what could be the lineup they use on opening day on Oct. 15. It was a chance for some of the players competing for the last roster spot to make their cases and for the bulk of the team to continue its trek toward game shape.
The Blues got goals from Pavel Buchnevich, Jake Neighbours, Nathan Walker and Klim Kostin, and Josh Leivo continued his bid for a roster spot with two assists. Jordan Binnington played the first two periods and stopped all 11 shots he faced on a pretty easy night for him. Minnesota had just three shots on goal in the second period. Joel Hofer came on in the third period, and in 13 minutes faced as many shots as Binnington had in 40.

Hofer missed by inches scoring a goal when Minnesota had a late power-play and pulled its goalie. Hofer, who scored a goal in the AHL last season, took a big swing at the open goal from behind his own net but his shot was just wide left passing through the blue paint of the crease and outside the post. He tried another one when the teams were back at even strength that was on target but was blocked by a Minnesota player about 30 feet in front of the net.
The Blues are 5-1 in the preseason and have scored four or more goals in each of the five wins.
The Blues play in Columbus on Thursday and then close out their preseason at home on Saturday against Chicago. After that, they have a week-long wait until their season opener against Columbus.

pruman91 · Oct 6, 2022

After a career of bouncing up and down, Nathan Walker may have finally found a home with Blues

Nathan Walker's play late last season solidified a spot with the Blues, who gave him a contract extension he wasn't expecting.

www.stltoday.com

Tom Timmermann

After last season, the Blues showed how much they valued forward Nathan Walker by something they didn’t do.
When the Blues were eliminated by Colorado in the playoffs and their season over, Walker was one of the players on the roster who was eligible to be sent back to Springfield of the AHL for the Calder Cup playoffs. But Walker had been in the NHL long enough that season that to send him back down, he would have to go through waivers, which would allow any other team to claim him. The Blues put Mackenzie MacEachern on waivers to send him back; they didn’t do that with Walker, whom they didn’t want to risk losing.
After five seasons in the NHL, all of which were mostly spent in the AHL, Walker had finally arrived.

“I guess when you say it like that, it puts that little bit of assurance in your head that there was a risk factor in potentially losing me,” Walker said. “If they value that, it’s obviously nice to have.”
The Blues went one step further in July when they gave Walker, who was going to be an unrestricted free agent after this season, a one-year contract extension.
“It was quite unexpected,” he said.
Walker played more games in the NHL last season, 30, than he had in the parts of four seasons he had played in the NHL, 25. His eight goals and four assists make up the bulk of his career totals of 11 and six. More importantly, some of his defensive analytics were some of the best in the league. Hockeyviz.com figured his isolated impact defensively as holding opponents 12% below the league average for expected goals when he was on the ice. Walker firmly solidified his position with the Blues last season.

pruman91 · Oct 7, 2022

Quick hits: Blues can't get off the ground in lopsided loss to Columbus

Game starts late due to plane issues in St. Louis; Blues never really get started.

www.stltoday.com

Jim Thomas
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Blues had plane issues in St. Louis that delayed their departure from St. Louis and delayed the start of Thursday’s preseason game against Columbus at Nationwide Arena.
And that was the least of their problems. Preseason or not, they were embarrassed by the Blue Jackets 7-0, dropping their exhibition record to 5-2.
It took Columbus just 63 seconds to take the lead, when former Winnipeg Jet Patrik Laine chipped a puck high past Thomas Greiss at the net front for the game’s first goal.
Next, Yegor Chinakhov skated past Robert Bortuzzo for a loose puck along the boards and then skated in to beat Greiss for a 2-0 Columbus lead with 7:57 left in the first. It was Chinakhov’s fifth goal of the preseason; he had two a week ago in at 4-2 Columbus loss in St. Louis.

Tyler Tucker tried to light a spark, dropping gloves with Matt Olivier just three seconds after the Chinakhov goal. But Olivier dominated the fight, taking Tucker to the ice.
Then came a shorthanded goal by Columbus native Jack Roslovic, making it a 3-0 game — still in the first period. And that was pretty much it.
Columbus would score four more times before the night ended. Thomas Greiss, who will back up Jordan Binnington this season, was scheduled to play the entire game. But after allowing his seventh goal on 31 shots, Greiss was pulled in favor of Joel Hofer with 10:39 left in the contest.
Greiss had allowed only two goals on 33 shots on goal in two previous appearances encompassing three periods.

pruman91 · Oct 8, 2022

Hochman: Why Blues’ Jordan Binnington cannot have a prolonged slump this season

“Mentally, he always finds a way to battle back,” Blues coach Craig Berube said. “He’s a battler, man. He knows what he can do.”

www.stltoday.com

Benjamin Hochman
Looming behind Jordan Binnington at the Blues’ practice rink is a huge photo of Jordan Binnington.
It really is an amazing image, among others from the night they won the Cup. You see Binnington’s back. His hands are pressed against the glass, as if he’s high-fiving a fan’s hands on the other side. And the fan’s mouth is wide open. He’s probably cheering. But it looks like he is in true wonderment that he’s actually this close to the instant St. Louis sports hero.
At every practice, the photo is a subconscious reminder of what Binnington was — and could be again.
Now, believing in Binnington is like being a believer in Bitcoin — you have faith it’ll pay off, but it can sure be a bumpy ride.

If Binnington’s 2021-22 had ended on April 1, his season would’ve seemed like one big joke.
That night, he allowed four goals on 13 Edmonton shots. His record was 13-13-4 and his save percentage was a disappointing 89.9.
“I really got to feel the not-so-good part of the NHL,” Binnington said. “I’ve got to use that experience to my advantage — that's something I take away from it.”
Sure enough, he salvaged his season. He won his next five games (with a respectable 92.4 save percentage). And then, he came off the bench in the playoffs and resuscitated St. Louis against Minnesota … and thrived until the infamous injury to his knee against Colorado.

pruman91 · Oct 12, 2022

Blues notebook: As expected, Jake Neighbours and Josh Leivo are back on Blues roster

Both had been "sent down" to Springfield on Monday in some salary cap gymnastics to become cap compliant.

www.stltoday.com

Jim Thomas
CHARLESTON, S.C. — Having never left Charleston, forwards Jake Neighbours and Josh Leivo are back with the Blues, having been recalled Tuesday from the Springfield Thunderbirds of the American Hockey League.
In a paper move under the complex NHL salary cap rules — which are about 10 times more complicated than the NFL version — Neighbours and Leivo were “sent down” on Monday, which was the deadline to become cap compliant and send in the initial roster for the regular season.
After placing defensemen Marco Scandella (hip) and Scott Perunovich (shoulder), plus forward Anthony Angello (concussion) on various forms of injured reserve, the Blues had the money to recall Neighbours and Leivo.
According to PuckPedia, the Blues have $1.66 million in space after all that cap-dancing.
According to what has transpired on the ice in Charleston, that leaves the Blues with the following lineup at forward for Saturday’s season opener against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Enterprise Center:

Help wanted?

If those are indeed the lines, Logan Brown and Alexey Toropchenko would be the extras at forward. But after a sizzling start in the preseason — four goals and one assist in three games — Brown hasn’t played since Oct. 1 because of what looks like a left shoulder injury.

Brown has been on and off the ice for practice recently. He left early in Monday’s practice here and did return, and he did not practice Tuesday. His status for the season opener appears very much in doubt.

IlliniFaninHoosierLand · Oct 15, 2022

Quality season opening win tonight over Columbus 5-2.

pruman91 · Oct 16, 2022

Quick hits: Ivan Barbashev takes the tension out of season opener in 5-2 Blues win

Barbashev's game-winner is first of three third-period goals to break 2-2 at Enterprise Center.

www.stltoday.com

Jim Thomas
For openers, it was too close for comfort. Columbus limped into town 0-2-0, minus the injured Patrik Laine, and having played at home (and lost) on Friday night.
But you would’ve never known it by what transpired for the first 2 1/2 periods of Saturday’s Blues season opener at Enterprise Center. After the Blues squandered a 2-0 lead, things settled into a tight, tense checking affair at 2-2.
The Blue Jackets were scratching and clawing and checking, and with rare exception the Blues had trouble generating much sustained offense. Home openers were supposed to be more fun than this, right?
As the third period wound down, the sellout crowd was nervous. The Blues themselves looked a little tight. But there would be no heartbreak at the House of Blues on this night. Just when things were at their most tense, along came Ivan Barbashev — taking a short pass from Brayden Schenn and beating Columbus goalie Elvis Merzlikins to make it a 3-2 game.

Barbashev scored a career-high 26 goals a year ago, and since that was almost twice as many as his career high of 14 set during the Blues’ Stanley Cup season, conventional wisdom said he wouldn’t be anywhere near 26 this season.
Barbashev, always a positive thinker, told the Post-Dispatch during the team’s bonding trip to Charleston, S.C., that maybe he’d do better than that this season. Well, he’s got one goal. And counting. The game-winner in a season-opening 5-2 win over the Blue Jackets.
Just 20 seconds after the Barbashev goal, Jake Neighbours provided some insurance with some nifty maneuvering through traffic in the slot and a backhand past Merzlikins.

pruman91 · Oct 16, 2022

BenFred: Time for Craig Berube's Blues to turn up volume after quiet offseason

Hockey experts are tripping over themselves to predict a down year for Craig Berube's blue-collar Blues

www.stltoday.com

Ben Frederickson
Now taking the ice, your St. Louis Snooze.
I mean BlueZZZ.
Dang keyboard. Blues. There we go. That’s better. Speaking of better, did this Blues team get any better?
David Perron‘s precision and playoff horsepower now helps power the team in Motor City.
New Florida Panther Matthew Tkachuk became nothing more than a trade-drama mirage.
The biggest needle-moving moments during a quiet Blues offseason revolved around a player who left (Perron) and another who did not arrive (Tkachuk).

And Colorado, I’m sorry to report, is still an Avalanche. With heartfelt apologies to Nazem Kadri — sarcasm font — the defending Stanley Cup Champions who happen to share a division with the Blues are not going to melt without him. Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar will make sure of that. The division goes through Denver.
Add it all up and you will find rather tame expectations for Craig Berube‘s team following a second-round exit against Colorado last postseason.
The chance to prove doubters wrong starts with Saturday night’s puck drop against Columbus.
On paper, the Blues look prepared to take a step back.

pruman91 · Oct 17, 2022

Blues notebook: It took a while for team to get up to game speed on opening night

The first game of the season got off to a slow start but by the third period, Craig Berube thought the team was dialed in

www.stltoday.com

Tom Timmermann

Training camp and preseason games can only tell a coaching staff so much. On Saturday, Blues coach Craig Berube got his first view of his team under actual NHL game conditions.
And he felt, at times, his team looked like one playing its first game.
“Just managing the puck,” Berube said after a rare Sunday practice for the team. “We kind of got out of the summer hockey mode after a little bit. The third period, we took over. Played more direct. Just understanding pressure situations and puck placement. I think we tried to force things too much in critical areas when we don’t need to. You gotta put it deep sometimes and go to work. Neutral zone, a little bit too sloppy.

“It takes a bit to get out of it, for sure. Even with exhibition games. They’re not the most intense games. So we expected it. I expected it. I actually thought the first period, watching (it again) today, was pretty good. Other than our shot totals were not good. We missed the net a few times.”
The Blues had only four shots on goal in the first period — and none in the last 14:09. In the game, they had 13 shots blocked and 14 shots that missed the net. The team had scoring chances in the first period it couldn’t put away.
“Yeah, didn’t capitalize on ’em,” Berube said. “But second period was a little bit — like I said — too sloppy with the puck.”
Noel Acciardi was credited with six hits in his Blues debut, Alexey Toropchenko had five and Jake Neighbours four.

pruman91 · Oct 18, 2022

Hochman: Alexey Toropchenko is a torpedo. Blues forward is sure fun to watch

“He anticipates the game,” said coach Craig Berube, whose Blues begin a three-game road trip Wednesday at Seattle. “And speed. Has great speed. But he’s moving — he’s skating and

www.stltoday.com

Benjamin Hochman
The Blues scored five times in their first game of the season, and by Towel Man’s fifth arm-pumping, socket-shifting celebration, one wondered if he’d soon need to see Alexey Toropchenko’s shoulder doctor.
That doc seems to know how to handle things. Toropchenko’s shoulder sure shouldered the load in last Saturday’s opener, as Alexey executed five hits in his first game since summertime surgery.
Coach Craig Berube thought Toropchenko would be back in December. The guy made it back even before November.
It was a fun surprise and enhances the Blues’ chances to make a tone-setting start to the season. To me, Toropchenko is must-see hockey because he plays the game with a boy-like passion and a man-like intensity. Yes, he’s a fourth-line player — he isn’t the next Vladimir Tarasenko. But he’s an emerging impact player who plays above his age (now 23) and experience level.

Last postseason, time and again, he made a hustle play or a heady play that maybe didn’t make it on the scoresheet, but made it in a reporter’s notebook.
“He anticipates the game,” said Berube, whose Blues begin a three-game trip Wednesday in Seattle. “And speed. Has great speed. But he’s moving — he’s skating and working and he anticipates where the puck is going to go. He’s always on time and makes contact.”
Toropchenko is a torpedo.
He’s a forechecking force with his effortless strides and 6-foot-6 frame (the same height as Colton Parayko). And he can occasionally play-make. There he was in the clincher against the Wild last postseason, unleashing a power move a la his fellow Russian Blue Tarasenko. While Toropchenko didn’t score, it led to an assist on a Tyler Bozak goal.

pruman91 · Oct 20, 2022

Faulk’s goal, Binnington’s saves make it a narrow escape for Blues in Seattle

Faulk scores twice and his overtime winner in the Blues’ 4-3 triumph ties a franchise record for defensemen.

www.stltoday.com

Jim Thomas
SEATTLE – Coach Craig Berube always encourages his defensemen to jump up into the play. Justin Faulk was more than happy to oblige – twice – Wednesday at Climate Pledge Arena.
His second goal of the night came 2 minutes 10 seconds into overtime, allowing the Blues to escape the Pacific Northwest with a 4-3 victory over the Seattle Kraken.
Starting just his fourth season with the Blues, Faulk tied a franchise record for most OT goals by a defenseman with his third in extra time. He shares the record with Alex Pietrangelo and Erik Johnson.
Overall, it’s his 10th game-winner since coming to St. Louis from Carolina in 2019 – tying him for sixth among Blues’ D-men with Kevin Shattenkirk.

“Good job for Thommer (Robert Thomas) to stay on it,” Faulk said, describing Wednesday’s game-winner. “He got pressured pretty good there on the half-wall (by former Blue Jaden Schwartz). And even down low (by Justin Schultz and Matty Beniers).
“Kinda kept it a little greasy and then it popped out to Vladi (Tarasenko) in front, and nice heads up play by Vladi — he saw me coming in.”
Tarasenko was in tight to Seattle goalie Martin Jones, maybe too tight to get off a good shot. Faulk was banging his stick on the ice — the universal signal for: I’m open, get me the puck.
Which is exactly what Tarasenko did with Faulk then beating Jones stick side.

pruman91 · Oct 22, 2022

Notebook: Blues GM Doug Armstrong reserving judgment on reports of cap increase

A potential salary cap hike of $4 million to $4.5 million could help the team re-sign Ryan O'Reilly and some of their other pending free agents.

www.stltoday.com

Jim Thomas

EDMONTON, Alberta — At the NHL Board of Governors meetings early this week, commissioner Gary Bettman reported that “revenue’s pretty vibrant,” to the point that the days of the league’s flat salary cap may be ending sooner than expected. Bettman said it’s possible that the cap could increase by $4 million to $4.5 million next season.
Due to revenue shortfalls caused by the league’s struggle with the coronavirus pandemic, original projections called for the cap to increase by only a $1 million for the 2023-24 season. It had remained flat for two seasons, and increased by only $1 million this year. An extra $3 million to $3.5 million could aid lots of cap-strapped teams — including the Blues.

And that could make it more likely that the Blues re-sign Ryan O’Reilly, or one of their other pending unrestricted free agents after this season — a group that also includes Vladimir Tarasenko, Ivan Barbashev and Niko Mikkola.
According to CapFriendly, the Blues have 14 players under contract for the 2023-24 season, leaving slightly more than $11 million available to fill out the roster. That’s assuming the cap goes up only $1 million to $83.5 million.
When asked about the possibility of more cap dollars, Blues general manager Doug Armstrong quipped: “I’ll believe it when I see it.”
There is skepticism elsewhere around the league about the possibility of a $4 million to $4.5 million cap bump, and a final determination on the 2023-24 cap probably won’t come until the end of this season.

pruman91 · Oct 23, 2022

Shutout win over Edmonton is a statement game for Jordan Binnington and Blues defense

Team is off to 3-0-0 start and has not trailed in any of the three games.

www.stltoday.com

Jim Thomas
EDMONTON, Alberta — The Blues were disciplined. They stuck with the game plan. And they had just enough offense on Saturday afternoon at Rogers Place.
But the story of their 2-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers begins and ends with goalie Jordan Binnington.
“He was exceptional again,” defenseman Nick Leddy said. “He made those key saves when we needed them, and that’s what you need to go deep and have a great year.”
“We knew he’d come in here and put on a show for us,” said D-man Torey Krug, who scored the game’s only goal — with a goalie in the net, anyway. “You can tell when he’s engaged, he’s playing the puck really well. That’s the first sign of that, and he makes the stops when we need it.

“When he’s playing confident, our whole team plays confident and it bleeds throughout our lineup.”
But what made the afternoon even more special was the state of Jordan Binnington the last time the Blues were in this building — on April 1, 2022.
He was slumping mightily at the time, you might recall. He yielded four goals in just 13 ½ minutes before being pulled in favor of Ville Husso. The Blues rallied for a point in a 6-5 overtime loss, but an exasperated Berube said Binnington simply had to play better.

pruman91 · Oct 23, 2022

Notebook: Blues' Pavel Buchnevich scratched vs. Oilers with lower-body injury

Pavel Buchnevich's absence causes Blues coach Craig Berube to go with 11 forwards and an extra defenseman against Edmonton Oilers.

www.stltoday.com

Jim Thomas
EDMONTON, Alberta — What started out as just a “maintenance” day Tuesday, has turned into something entirely different for Pavel Buchnevich.
After scoring a goal, adding an assist and logging a plus-3 in the season opener against Columbus last week, Buchnevich missed his second game in a row Saturday afternoon. He was an injury scratch against the Edmonton Oilers due to a lower-body ailment.
“We’ll have to re-evaluate it, or hopefully a little rest will help,” coach Craig Berube said. “But that’s too bad.”
In terms of practice time, Buchnevich has been on-again/off-again lately. He took part in line rushes and all of Friday’s practice here in Edmonton, leading to some optimism that he’d be available against the Oilers.

But he was a no-go.
Against Seattle on Wednesday, Berube went with Josh Leivo in Buchnevich’s place. On Saturday at Rogers Place, he decided to go with only 11 forwards but a seventh (or extra) defenseman in Calle Rosen.
The 11-7 formula worked like a charm last season — the Blues went 8-4-2 using that alignment in the regular season. And it was successful once again Saturday in a 2-0 Blues victory over the Oilers.
As was the case in Seattle, Brayden Schenn moved into Buchnevich’s left wing spot on the Robert Thomas-Vladimir Tarasenko line.

pruman91 · Oct 23, 2022

Quick hits: High-powered Oilers draw a blank against defensive-minded Blues

Binnington superb once again in goal in 2-0 shutout victory.

www.stltoday.com

Jim Thomas
EDMONTON, Alberta – About the last thing you expected when Torey Krug scored a first-period power play goal is that the goal would be the last – of the game.
After all, there was high-powered Edmonton with two of the best players in the world in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. And the balanced Blues with eight players on their roster who scored 20 goals last season.
But that’s what we had Saturday afternoon at Rogers Place – at least until Justin Faulk’s empty-net goal with 62 seconds. The Blues have yet to lose this season after a 2-0 win over the Oilers. In fact, they’ve yet to trail.
And what a turn of events for Jordan Binnington. Pulled in the first period the last time he was here; and hailed as a hero on Saturday after posting his 11th career shutout.

At 3-0-0 the Blues are off to Winnipeg, where they close out this season-opening road trip Monday against the Jets.
A new year, new time
The last time the Blues played here, on April 1 of the 2021-22 season, Jordan Binnington was pulled 13 minutes 30 seconds into the game after allowing four goals on 13 shots. A terse Berube said afterwards that Binnington simply needed to play better.

pruman91 · Oct 24, 2022

'No panic in his game' — Nick Leddy proving his worth for Blues

The veteran was part of an eye-opening performance by the Blues' defensive corps in Saturday's win over Edmonton.

www.stltoday.com

Jim Thomas
WINNIPEG, Manitoba — The Blues’ journey has just begun. Over the 79 games that remain in the regular season, there will be highs and lows, injuries and upsets, unexpected turns on the path to the postseason.
But for one Saturday afternoon at least, it was crystal clear why general manager Doug Armstrong decided to re-sign veteran defenseman Nick Leddy.
With only so many dollars left in his salary-cap cookie jar, Armstrong had to decide on Leddy or veteran forward David Perron. He couldn’t sign both.
You might recall, it wasn’t the most popular decision around town when he opted for Leddy over the popular and productive Perron with a four-year, $16 million contract on July 13. But Armstrong simply felt that defense was a bigger need on a roster loaded with 20-goal scorers.

Perron is up to his old tricks after signing with Detroit — he scored his fourth goal of the season Sunday . So there is no definitive answer yet on whether Armstrong made the right move. That will take a lot more games.
But seeing Leddy do his thing in Saturday’s 2-0 shutout of Edmonton, it was easy enough to see the logic in why Armstrong did what he did in July.
Leddy is an acquired tasted. Among defensemen, he doesn’t have a booming slapshot like teammate Colton Parayko. He doesn’t skate circles around the opposition like Colorado’s Cale Makar does. But don’t be misled — he can skate.
“He can take two or three strides and keep up with the fastest guys in the NHL,” fellow Blues defenseman Torey Krug said. “He’s right up there at the top of that list. He just has a calmness about him. When he does get beat, he’s able to recover and break plays up with his stick. So we’re very lucky to have a guy like that.”
Coach Craig Berube sees the same things.

pruman91 · Oct 24, 2022

Blues notebook: Team's penalty-killing unit has a clean sheet so far

Team is 4-for-4 on the penalty kill and has yet to allow a shot on goal.

www.stltoday.com

Jim Thomas
WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Blues assistant coach Craig MacTavish didn’t want to talk about it, because he didn’t want to jinx it.
“Because once you’ve talked about taking (few) penalties, you generally take seven or eight the next game,” he said Friday. “But we’ve been pretty disciplined so far, I’ll say that, and stayed out of the penalty box.”
It turns out he didn’t jinx it. With one exception, the Blues stayed out of the penalty box Saturday against the Edmonton Oilers.
“It’s huge,” defenseman Nick Leddy. “Against any team, you want to keep their best players to limited chances. Going on the ‘PK’ can give other teams some momentum as well.”

At the 9:57 mark of the third period at Rogers Place, Nathan Walker was whistled for interfering with Edmonton defenseman Tyson Barrie. With the Blues clinging to a 1-0 lead, the game hung in the balance.
Edmonton was six for 16 on the power play entering the game (37.5%). The Oilers had the league’s third-best power play last season, 26.0%.
But there were no fireworks over these two minutes of short-handed Blues hockey. With something like 10 Blues skaters getting time on the ice, the Oilers were held without a shot on goal. Noel Acciari blocked a shot by Evan Bouchard, and that was about it.
Getting a late empty-net goal by Justin Faulk, the Blues went on to win 2-0.
“Well, the ‘PK’ was huge,” coach Craig Berube said. “They did a really good job. Really good job.”

pruman91 · Oct 27, 2022

Quick hits: Offense once again eludes Blues, who lose 3-1 to Oilers

Team has scored only three goals total in their past three games — two of which have been losses.

www.stltoday.com

Jim Thomas

The Blues have been playing strong defense this season, and Wednesday’s game against the Edmonton Oilers was no exception. But you have still have to score goals to win hockey games, and the Blues’ normally reliable offense struggled to light the lamp at Enterprise Center.
On the heels of a 4-0 loss to Winnipeg on Monday, the Blues fell behind 2-1 on a Ryan Nugent-Hopkins goal with 6:16 to play in the third period Wednesday against the Oilers.
The Blues worked hard, dominating the second period — when they outshot Edmonton 20-6. They had 39 shots on goal, easily a season high and were pressuring the Oilers until Zach Hyman scored an empty-net goal with 26.7 seconds left.

The result was a 3-1 Blues loss, dropping their record to 3-2-0 with a second consecutive loss. Edmonton improved to 4-3-0.

Where’s O’Reilly?

Here’s O’Reilly, tying the game at 1-1 late in the second period. O’Reilly didn’t have a goal or an assist this season entering Wednesday’s game. That is, until he swatted in the rebound of a Justin Faulk deflection of a Brayden Schenn shot with a mere five seconds left in the second.
The score came on the power play, with Evander Kane off for hooking Jordan Kyrou with 1:49 left in the period.

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The Blues really miss Pavel Buchnevich big time,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Heady player , 30 goal scorer and linemate with Rob Thomas and Tarasenko.......

St. Louis Blues 22-23

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