With injuries to pending unrestricted free agent (UFA) veteran leaders Ryan O’Reilly and Vladimir Tarasenko, the St. Louis Blues are getting a potential preview over the next four-to-six weeks as to what the team may look like next season. In their first game sans O’Reilly and Tarasenko, the Blues pulled off a 6-5 shootout victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs, improving their record to 18-17-3 (39 points).
The rash of players heading to the injured reserve has forced a few veterans, notably Brayden Schenn and Brandon Saad, into more prominent roles. Both were up to the task against the Maple Leafs. Schenn recorded one goal (8), one assist, led the forwards in ice time (22:49), and had a team-high eight hits. Saad scored two goals (10), one of which came when the team was short-handed. The other two goals were credited to Jordan Kyrou (18) and Josh Leivo (4).
Next up for the Blues is a trip to the East Coast to take on the slumping New Jersey Devils (24-11-3), whose hot start to the 2022-23 season has since turned cold. Prior to Dec. 1, they were 19-4-0 and just behind the Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference. Since Dec. 1, they’ve gone 5-7-3 in 15 games. The Blues will try to take advantage of a good-yet-struggling team to springboard them into 2023.
Related: Blues Must Watch Games in January 2023
St. Louis Blues Projected Lineup
Forwards
Pavel Buchnevich – Robert Thomas – Jordan Kyrou
Brandon Saad – Brayden Schenn – Ivan Barbashev
Jake Neighbours – Noel Acciari – Josh Leivo
Alexey Toropchenko – Nikita Alexandrov – Tyler Pitlick
Defense
Niko Mikkola – Colton Parayko
Nick Leddy – Justin Faulk
Calle Rosen – Robert Bortuzzo
Goalie
Jordan Binnington – Thomas Greiss
Blues Shuffle Defenders
The Blues made a roster move on Jan. 4, recalling right-handed defenseman Steven Santini from their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds. In 32 games in the AHL this season, he’s logged five points (two goals, three assists). The former second-round pick of the Devils has seen action in 119 NHL games, three of which came in 2020-21 with the Blues. He spent all of 2021-22 in the AHL, appearing in 66 games for the Thunderbirds. For now, he will serve as head coach Craig Berube’s seventh defenseman.
In a corresponding move, recently recalled rookie defenseman Tyler Tucker was reassigned to Springfield. He was recalled on Dec. 27 when Torey Krug was assigned to long-term injured reserve (LTIR). He didn’t appear in any games in his most recent recall, but saw action in four NHL games in November. Reassigning him now allows the 22-year-old a chance to get more ice time and develop in Springfield rather than being a depth piece in St. Louis.
New Jersey Devils Projected Lineup
Forwards
Dawson Mercer – Nico Hischier – Jesper Bratt
Erik Haula – Jack Hughes – Tomas Tatar
Yegor Sharangovich – Jesper Boqvist – Fabian Zetterlund
Miles Wood – Michael McLeod – Alexander Holtz
Defense
Jonas Siegenthaler – Dougie Hamilton
Ryan Graves – Damon Severson
Brendan Smith – Kevin Bahl
Goalie
Mackenzie Blackwood – Vitek Vanecek
Players to Watch
St. Louis Blues: Jordan Kyrou
Along with Shenn and Saad, the aforementioned injuries to O’Reilly and Tarasenko are also going to force the Blues to lean more heavily on Jordan Kyrou. He scored a goal in their win over the Maple Leafs and now has 15 points (eight goals, seven assists) over his last eight games. He leads the Blues in goals (18) and total points (37).
New Jersey Devils: Jack Hughes
Even though the Devils have been struggling as a team from December until now, center Jack Hughes has been on fire. Over his last 18 games, he’s scored 15 goals and tallied eight assists, including one goal and one assist in their victory over the Detroit Red Wings last night (Jan. 4). For the season, his 44 points (22 goals, 22 assists) ties him for 10th overall in the NHL.
How to Catch the Game
The Blues and Devils will face-off tonight at 6:00 PM CT at the Prudential Center. Blues fans can watch the game on Bally Sports Midwest and Bally Sports+. Listeners will be able to hear the broadcast on 101 ESPN and the Blues App.
