St. Louis Blues on The Hockey News

ST. LOUIS -- Here's the thing: nobody expects perfection. Nobody expects 82-0-0. It's impossible.

But for the St. Louis Blues, what stood between a five-game winning streak into six and feeling good about themselves heading into the All-Star break was simply a solid effort against the lowly Columbus Blue Jackets at Enterprise Center on Tuesday.

Blues defenseman Tyler Tucker (left) tried to ignite his teammates with a fight with Blue Jackets forward Mathieu Olivier in the second period on Tuesday night.

Jeff Le-USA TODAY Sports

Interim coach Drew Bannister spoke in the morning of not looking ahead and focusing on business on Tuesday night.

Here's what he said when I asked him about being focused on an opponent, the first one they've faced this month, that's below them in the standings:

"I just think we've come too far, we've worked too hard to get ourselves to this position to not be ready for tonight," Bannister said. "It shouldn't matter who we're playing. Our break ends after the game here tonight, so we've got to make sure that we're ready to start."

Well, that message apparently was either never relayed, which I have a hard time believing, or the players just didn't take another lower opponent seriously, which has been evident already this season.

In the end was a 1-0 loss against the Blue Jackets, who came into the game last in the Metropolitan Division, wipes away what the Blues (26-21-2) had just done the past week and a half. I say that only because of the fashion in which they lost this game.

View the original article to see embedded media.

And when I say this isn't the first time they were no-shows against some of the lesser opponents, they are now 3-4-0 against the four last place teams from each division, including the Blue Jackets, Ottawa Senators, Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks, who all have a combined record of 62-115-18, good for a robust .318 winning percentage.

Yikes.

Aside from Jordan Binnington, who allowed just one goal on 22 shots, it was hard to pick anyone on this night that stood out and could be classified as a difference maker.

This was a team that was in a dead-heat race, and still is, for a spot in the Western Conference wild card. They came in tied with the Los Angeles Kings and Nashville Predators tied with 54 points. A win guarantees you're in that position with 10 days to think about how far you've come for another 10 days until the next game Feb. 10 at Buffalo.

Instead, "I think this one's going to sit there for a while," Bannister said.

It won't taste as good as an Imo's Pizza, I can tell you that. It'll sit in their stomachs more like a can of pickled beets.

It was evident from puck drop that nobody was interested in skating, nobody was interested in "playing for one another," which has been echoed in the locker room this month, it was evident effort was lagging severely. Columbus came to play a hockey game. The Blues were more concerned with their flight times to whatever beaches they'll be on Wednesday.

Passes weren't crisp, they weren't in sync. Shooting pucks seemed like a foreign concept. 

Plain and simple, the Blues got exactly what they deserved on Monday.

"Yeah, we did," Bannister said. "We didn't play well enough to win a hockey game here tonight, no question about that.

"The first period, we weren't skating, we weren't engaged at all. The second period I thought we started to skate a little bit more, but we were playing cute hockey and cute hockey doesn't win at this level.

"Everybody was a passenger tonight. There was no one that really stood out and led the way and got us going."

The Blues didn't get their 10th shot of the game(!) on Elvis Merzlikins, who did make a tremendous save on Jake Neighbours 1:18 into the third period with a right pad save, until early in the third period.

This is a Blue Jackets squad that was playing the last of a five-game road trip, an arduous one, and one that couldn't put a game away -- and really hasn't all season long -- to save their souls.

Tyler Tucker, who hasn't played since Dec. 21, tried to ignite a fire with a second-period fight with Columbus tough guy Mathieu Olivier.

Columbus had just one win when the game was tied this season heading into the third period. Even as poorly as the Blues played through two periods, they still had the chance to salvage two points with a semblance of effort in the third period.

It didn't come until it was too little, too late.

"Not surprised by the result of how we played, but surprised by how we reacted and started the game and played the game, no question," Bannister said. "I don't know. The break's the break. The break (starts) after the game. We had a hockey game here to play and it was two important points and we let it slip away."

All it took was one breakdown and mistake and it was a deficit apparently too much to overcome.

The Blue Jackets scored the lone goal at 4:11 of the third period after the Blues entered the Jackets zone with Robert Thomas, who along with his linemates Pavel Buchnevich and Jordan Kyrou were poor the entire game, spinning along the right wall. He sees Kyrou trying to get to the middle of the ice, yet tried to force a puck into the middle of the ice with no one there, defensemen Torey Krug and Matthew Kessel were lagging back at the blue line, it gets picked off and Columbus was off to the races. Defenseman Zach Werenski split the two defensemen, fed Dmitri Voronkov for a one-timer from the slot and it was 1-0.

"The entry. We had guys pulling up when we should have been driving to the net to open up the plays that we're coming late and it would have opened up, but for some reason, we decided to pull up just inside the blue line instead of finishing routes to the net," Bannister said. "... We weren't together as units of five. We weren't skating. From the start, we didn't skate, so there wasn't support around the puck and we weren't able to establish a forecheck because we weren't skating."

I should say I'm shocked given the results -- not so much performances -- of late by the Blues, but I'm really not. We've seen this result against poor teams before.

Again, I give full marks to the Blue Jackets (16-24-10), who defeated the Blues 5-2 on Dec. 8 in Columbus, for showing up to play a hockey game.

Unfortunately, their counterparts thought this would be a walk in the park when they have no business looking past anyone but continue to want to learn the lesson the hard way.

"We obviously didn't have our best game," Blues forward Brandon Saad said. "... "We kind of seemed out of sync out there but I think it goes back to the willingness and competing and getting around the net. I think we just played too perimeter soft hockey and they competed hard."

Nathan Walker (right) and the Blues had little to nothing against the Blue Jackets and defenseman Jake Bean (22) and goalie Elvis Merzlikins on Tuesday night in a 1-0 loss.

Jeff Le-USA TODAY Sports

"I thought we had a slow start," Blues center Kevin Hayes said. "Things have been going well here and I thought we waited too long and it came back to bite us. Those are important points."

You're not going to win them all, but in the grand scheme of things, Blues have now left eight points on the table against those last-place teams. Imagine how four or five, maybe six of those points would look now. And tonight was a microcosm of why this team will hang around and tickle Blues fans' fancy long enough but is more than likely destined to be on the outside looking in again.

It's a prime example of GM Doug Armstrong watching and realizing that making a move/moves won't make this compiled roster good enough to not just get in the playoffs but make a deep run. Armstrong is never about just getting in, and I don't think they're good enough to even do that.

When you can get up for the top-tiered teams like the Blues have throughout this month to put themselves in a good position, then soil the bed against teams they should beat, as Bannister said, cute hockey doesn't win at this level.

I just don't get how you can get up to play the Vancouver Canucks, the Carolina Hurricanes, the New York Rangers and even the Boston Bruins of the words but not the Columbus Blue Jackets. Those points mean exactly the same. These Blues players somehow don't seem to get that. 

ST. LOUIS -- Here's the thing: nobody expects perfection. Nobody expects 82-0-0. It's impossible.

But for the St. Louis Blues, what stood between a five-game winning streak into six and feeling good about themselves heading into the All-Star break was simply a solid effort against the lowly Columbus Blue Jackets at Enterprise Center on Tuesday.

Blues defenseman Tyler Tucker (left) tried to ignite his teammates with a fight with Blue Jackets forward Mathieu Olivier in the second period on Tuesday night.

Jeff Le-USA TODAY Sports

Interim coach Drew Bannister spoke in the morning of not looking ahead and focusing on business on Tuesday night.

Here's what he said when I asked him about being focused on an opponent, the first one they've faced this month, that's below them in the standings:

"I just think we've come too far, we've worked too hard to get ourselves to this position to not be ready for tonight," Bannister said. "It shouldn't matter who we're playing. Our break ends after the game here tonight, so we've got to make sure that we're ready to start."

Well, that message apparently was either never relayed, which I have a hard time believing, or the players just didn't take another lower opponent seriously, which has been evident already this season.

In the end was a 1-0 loss against the Blue Jackets, who came into the game last in the Metropolitan Division, wipes away what the Blues (26-21-2) had just done the past week and a half.

View the original article to see embedded media.

And when I say this isn't the first time they were no-shows against some of the lesser opponents, they are now 3-4-0 against the four last place teams from each division, including the Blue Jackets, Ottawa Senators, Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks, who all have a combined record of 62-115-18, good for a robust .318 winning percentage.

Yikes.

Aside from Jordan Binnington, who allowed just one goal on 22 shots, it was hard to pick anyone on this night that stood out and could be classified as a difference maker.

This was a team that was in a dead-heat race, and still is, for a spot in the Western Conference wild card. They came in tied with the Los Angeles Kings and Nashville Predators tied with 54 points. A win guarantees you're in that position with 10 days to think about how far you've come for another 10 days until the next game Feb. 10 at Buffalo.

Instead, "I think this one's going to sit there for a while," Bannister said.

It won't taste as good as an Imo's Pizza, I can tell you that. It'll sit in their stomachs more like a can of pickled beets.

It was evident from puck drop that nobody was interested in skating, nobody was interested in "playing for one another," which has been echoed in the locker room this month, it was evident effort was lagging severely. Columbus came to play a hockey game. The Blues were more concerned with their flight times to whatever beaches they'll be on Wednesday.

Passes weren't crisp, they weren't in sync. Shooting pucks seemed like a foreign concept. 

Plain and simple, the Blues got exactly what they deserved on Monday.

"Yeah, we did," Bannister said. "We didn't play well enough to win a hockey game here tonight, no question about that.

"The first period, we weren't skating, we weren't engaged at all. The second period I thought we started to skate a little bit more, but we were playing cute hockey and cute hockey doesn't win at this level.

"Everybody was a passenger tonight. There was no one that really stood out and led the way and got us going."

The Blues didn't get their 10th shot of the game(!) on Elvis Merzlikins, who did make a tremendous save on Jake Neighbours 1:18 into the third period with a right pad save, until early in the third period.

This is a Blue Jackets squad that was playing the last of a five-game road trip, an arduous one, and one that couldn't put a game away -- and really hasn't all season long -- to save their souls.

Tyler Tucker, who hasn't played since Dec. 21, tried to ignite a fire with a second-period fight with Columbus tough guy Mathieu Olivier.

Columbus had just one win when the game was tied this season heading into the third period. Even as poorly as the Blues played through two periods, they still had the chance to salvage two points with a semblance of effort in the third period.

It didn't come until it was too little, too late.

"Not surprised by the result of how we played, but surprised by how we reacted and started the game and played the game, no question," Bannister said. "I don't know. The break's the break. The break (starts) after the game. We had a hockey game here to play and it was two important points and we let it slip away."

All it took was one breakdown and mistake and it was a deficit apparently too much to overcome.

The Blue Jackets scored the lone goal at 4:11 of the third period after the Blues entered the Jackets zone with Robert Thomas, who along with his linemates Pavel Buchnevich and Jordan Kyrou were poor the entire game, spinning along the right wall. He sees Kyrou trying to get to the middle of the ice, yet tried to force a puck into the middle of the ice with no one there, defensemen Torey Krug and Matthew Kessel were lagging back at the blue line, it gets picked off and Columbus was off to the races. Defenseman Zach Werenski split the two defensemen, fed Dmitri Voronkov for a one-timer from the slot and it was 1-0.

"The entry. We had guys pulling up when we should have been driving to the net to open up the plays that we're coming late and it would have opened up, but for some reason, we decided to pull up just inside the blue line instead of finishing routes to the net," Bannister said. "... We weren't together as units of five. We weren't skating. From the start, we didn't skate, so there wasn't support around the puck and we weren't able to establish a forecheck because we weren't skating."

I should say I'm shocked given the results -- not so much performances -- of late by the Blues, but I'm really not. We've seen this result against poor teams before.

Again, I give full marks to the Blue Jackets (16-24-10), who defeated the Blues 5-2 on Dec. 8 in Columbus, for showing up to play a hockey game.

Unfortunately, their counterparts thought this would be a walk in the park when they have no business looking past anyone but continue to want to learn the lesson the hard way.

"We obviously didn't have our best game," Blues forward Brandon Saad said. "... "We kind of seemed out of sync out there but I think it goes back to the willingness and competing and getting around the net. I think we just played too perimeter soft hockey and they competed hard."

Nathan Walker (right) and the Blues had little to nothing against the Blue Jackets and defenseman Jake Bean (22) and goalie Elvis Merzlikins on Tuesday night in a 1-0 loss.

Jeff Le-USA TODAY Sports

"I thought we had a slow start," Blues center Kevin Hayes said. "Things have been going well here and I thought we waited too long and it came back to bite us. Those are important points."

You're not going to win them all, but in the grand scheme of things, Blues have now left eight points on the table against those last-place teams. Imagine how four or five, maybe six of those points would look now. And tonight was a microcosm of why this team will hang around and tickle Blues fans' fancy long enough but is more than likely destined to be on the outside looking in again.

It's a prime example of GM Doug Armstrong watching and realizing that making a move/moves won't make this compiled roster good enough to not just get in the playoffs but make a deep run. Armstrong is never about just getting in, and I don't think they're good enough to even do that.

When you can get up for the top-tiered teams like the Blues have throughout this month to put themselves in a good position, then soil the bed against teams they should beat, as Bannister said, cute hockey doesn't win at this level.

I just don't get how you can get up to play the Vancouver Canucks, the Carolina Hurricanes, the New York Rangers and even the Boston Bruins of the words but not the Columbus Blue Jackets. Those points mean exactly the same. These Blues players somehow don't seem to get that. 

ST. LOUIS -- No rest for the weary when it comes to the St. Louis Blues (26-20-2), who wrap up their pre-All-Star schedule today before heading into their break against the Columbus Blue Jackets (15-24-10) at 7 p.m. (BSMW, ESPN 101.1-FM) at Enterprise Center.

Morning skate report vs. Blue Jackets (1-30-24) (2:06)

The Blues have won five in a row, they're a season-high six games over .500 and in a wildcard spot in the Western Conference, and they're playing a team below them in the standings for the first time this month.

They're 8-3-1 playing against some tough competition in January, but now face an opponent below them in the standings in no position to take anyone lightly.

"I just think we've come too far, we've worked too hard to get ourselves to this position to not be ready for tonight," Blues interim coach Drew Bannister said. "It shouldn't matter who we're playing. Our break ends after the game here tonight, so we've got to make sure that we're ready to start.

"I think the team learned a lot about themselves and what it takes to have success here moving forward that we can be very competitive against good hockey teams and win hockey games and keep ourselves in the mix here for a playoff spot. So going into tonight, tonight's another important game for us leading into the break where one, we can kind of take a break mentally but physically rest our bodies a little bit and get ready for the stretch run."

The Blues are in a cluster when it comes to the wild card race, currently tied with the Los Angeles Kings and Nashville Predators, who play each other on Wednesday, with 54 points. So it makes tonight's matchup all that much more important.

And on top of it, the Blues lost 5-2 at Columbus on Dec. 8.

"It doesn't matter. We went into their building and lost the last time we played them," Blues forward Jake Neighbours said of the Blue Jackets. We owe them one. Our turn to win one in our building and we're not going to change our mindset too much. We can't change the way we're playing just based off the team we're playing. Got to play the same way if we're playing the first place team or last place team. For us, the mindset doesn't change."

- - -

Blues defenseman Scott Perunovich had an MRI on his injured left leg on Monday and he will not play tonight.

"He'll be out tonight. Will be re-evaluated when we come back off our break," Bannister said. "Lower-body injury that happened in the third period. Once we get back, we'll get a better idea where he's at, at that time.

"Any time a player goes out with an injury, it's not good news. But I think it's kind of what we thought it would be. We keep him out for a little bit of time here."

In Perunovich's place, Tyler Tucker, who was recalled on Sunday from Springfield of the American Hockey League when he went down on a conditioning stint, will play for the first time since Dec. 21.

Also, defenseman Justin Faulk (lower-body injury) will not play, and forward Kasperi Kapanen, who has missed five games with a lower-body injury, took part in the morning skate on Tuesday but will not play.

Bannister already said they were hopeful both Faulk and Kapanen would skate through the All-Star break and hopeful to return when the team resumes practicing on Feb. 8.

- - -

The Blues announced Tuesday afternoon that forward Mackenzie MacEachern will undergo season-ending surgery to repair an injury to his right shoulder.

MacEachern sustained the injury during the Thunderbirds’ 6-1 win over Charlotte on Jan. 27. He is expected to be ready for training camp in September.

MacEachern, 29, has played in 34 games for the Thunderbirds this season and has 19 points (six goals, 13 assists); he had one assist with the Blues this season. 

- - -

The Blues' projected lineup:

Pavel Buchnevich-Robert Thomas-Jordan Kyrou

Brandon Saad-Brayden Schenn-Jake Neighbours

Alexey Toropchenko-Kevin Hayes-Nathan Walker

Nikita Alexandrov-Oskar Sundqvist-Sammy Blais

Nick Leddy-Colton Parayko

Torey Krug-Matthew Kessel

Marco Scandella-Tyler Tucker

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

The healthy scratch includes Adam Gaudette. Justin Faulk (lower body), Kasperi Kapanen (lower body) and Scott Perunovich (lower body).

- - -

The Blue Jackets' projected lineup:

Johnny Gaudreau-Boone Jenner-Yegor Chinakhov

Kent Johnson-Dmitri Voronkov-Kirill Marchenko

Alexandre Texier-Cole Sillinger-Jack Roslovic

Justin Danforth-Sean Kuraly-Mathieu Olivier

Zach Werenski-Andrew Peeke

Ivan Provorov-Damon Severson

Jake Bean-Erik Gudbranson

Elvis Merzlikins will start in goal; Daniil Tarasov will be the backup.

Healthy scratches include Emil Bemstrom and Nick Blankenburg. Adam Boqvist (upper body) and Adam Fantilli (leg laceration) are out.

My St. Louis Blues player to watch against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday is forward Jordan Kyrou.

Player to watch vs. Blue Jackets: Jordan Kyrou (1:29)

With one game left before the Blues hit the All-Star break, Kyrou can go out with a bang and prep himself up for a bigger second half.

A lot of the focus has been on Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich on that top line, and rightfully do, but it's time for Kyrou to start piling up some goals, points with the Blues in the middle of a dogfight for the wild card race.

He is coming off a one-goal, two-assist performance in a 4-3 overtime win against the Los Angeles Kings and has five points (four goals, one assist) in six career games against Columbus.

Something says Kyrou has a big game tonight, and thanks to Blues legend Bernie Federko for the suggestion!

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- St. Louis Blues defenseman Scott Perunovich will miss the final game prior to the All-Star break on  Tuesday against the Columbus  Blue Jackets because of a lower-body injury.

Blues defenseman Scott Perunovich will miss Tuesday's game against Columbus and pending MRI results, could be out longer or just through the All-Star break.

Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Perunovich sustained the injury at 9:20 of the third period of a 4-3 overtime win against the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday when he collided and got tangled up near the offensive zone blue line.

Perunovich, who did not practice Monday obviously during an optional practice, was scheduled to have an MRI to determine the extent of the injury.

"We sent him for an MRI today, so no results back yet," Blues interim coach Drew Bannister said following the skate Monday. "It is a lower-body injury and I would imagine that he'll be out tomorrow.

View the original article to see embedded media.

"To early to tell (the length of time) I guess until we see any results. Hopefully the break comes through and he'll be ready to play, but I can't really comment that he would be or wouldn't be at this point. ... I don't know what the plan would be until we find results of the MRI."

Perunovich, who has had a history of lengthy injuries throughout his young NHL career, had 12 assists in 31 games this season thus far, including two against the Kings on Sunday.

"He's doing the things that I've talked about with him, and that I've talked about with you guys too that we needed to see a little bit more of," Bannister said. "The puck play's always been there. He sees the ice really well, he moves the puck real well. [Sunday] he made some real good plays t o set up some goals."

With Perunovich down and Justin Faulk (lower-body injury) also sidelined, Tyler Tucker will be re-inserted into the lineup against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday.

Tucker was brought back up from Springfield of the American Hockey League on Sunday at the conclusion of his conditioning stint.

Tyler Tucker (75) will be in the lineup on Tuesday after being recalled from Springfield of the American Hockey League off a conditioning assignment, replacing the injured Scott Perunovich. 

Jeff Le-USA TODAY Sports

"Going down to Springfield, he was able to play games similar to like [Nikita Alexandrov] did and get his legs underneath him," Bannister said. "Hopefully he'll be ready to play and get an opportunity here tomorrow to make an impact and an impression on the team."

Tucker last played Dec. 21 against the Florida Panthers and has a goal and an assist in 15 games this season, one that has been filled with inconsistency. He went down and played in six games after missing nearly a month of game action.

"Just defending and playing hard to play against," Bannister said. "Moving pucks, keeping things simple, getting it up to our forwards and then having good gaps. When he was really good for us in Springfield, that's kind of a throwback defenseman that made it harder on other teams' forwards, hard around the net, hard around the goal line and then kept things simple and moved the puck up quick, closes gaps real quick and made the game easy for himself."

ST. LOUIS -- St. Louis Blues defenseman Justin Faulk missed his third straight game with what is assumed to be the recurring lower-body injury the defenseman sustained on Dec. 29.

Faulk, who last played against the Calgary Flames last Tuesday, was injured towards the tail end of a 2-1 loss against the Colorado Avalanche, missed five games before returning Jan. 13 against the Boston Bruins. He played five games before being shut down again when Blues interim coach Drew Bannister said they would manage his injury better.

View the original article to see embedded media.

If Faulk is to miss Tuesday's pre-break finale against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Enterprise Center, it would be 18 days between games and the chance to rest up while also getting some work in to be ready to go for the first game potentially after the break against the Buffalo Sabres.

"I think that's a good observation. I think where we were traveling yesterday and not being able to skate, he wouldn't be available for us [Sunday]," Bannister said. "Again, it's day-to-day, but the best thing moving forward for him is just to give him the extra time to rest and we get into the All-Star break. By the time we come out of that, he should be 100 percent ready to play."

Blues forward Kasperi Kapanen (42) has missed five games with a lower-body injury but has resumed skating and could be ready to play coming out of the All-Star break Feb. 10 against the Buffalo Sabres.

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Some more good news for forward Kasperi Kapanen, who was seen walking out of Enterprise Center with no limp or boot on his lower-body injury he sustained blocking a Nick Seeler shot against the Philadelphia Flyers on Jan.15.

"I believe he'll be ready too," Bannister said. "He started skating while we were gone. He'll continue to skate over the break with 'Faulker.' I would imagine both of those guys will be available, but we'll wait and see until we get back on the eighth and we're on the ice together."

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