<strong>22</strong> I ST. LOUIS BLUES I September <strong>22</strong>, 20<strong>21</strong> MID RIVERS NEWSMAGAZINE By WARREN MAYES @MIDRIVERSNEWS MIDRIVERSNEWSMAGAZINE.COM Blues Notes: A look at what’s to come The St. Louis Blues will open their 82-game regular-season schedule on the road on Oct. 16 with a first-round playoff rematch against the Colorado Avalanche. That season-opening contest will kick off a three-game season opening-road trip for the Blues. The club will return to St. Louis for the 20<strong>21</strong>-<strong>22</strong> home opener on Oct. 23 against the Los Angeles Kings. Last season, the Blues finished 27-20- 9, fourth in Honda West Division. The team lost in the first round of Stanley Cup Playoffs to the Colorado Avalanche. The contest marked the Blues’ 44th appearance in the postseason and their eighth appearance in the last nine seasons. St. Louis has missed out on the playoffs just nine times in the 53 seasons since the team’s inception in 1967-68. This year’s projected lineup includes old favorites and Stanley Cup champs alongside a handful of young newcomers, including forward Klim Kostin, forward Dakota Joshua and defenseman Scott Perunovich. Kostin, <strong>22</strong>, was the No. 31 pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, had one assist in two games for the Blues last season and scored 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists) in 43 games with Avangard Omsk in the Kontinental Hockey League. He scored one goal in four games with the Blues in 2019-20. Joshua, 25, made his NHL debut last season and scored one goal in 12 games. He also scored three points (two goals, one assist) in six games with Utica of the American Hockey League. Perunovich, <strong>22</strong>, played three seasons at the University of Minnesota Duluth and won the Hobey Baker Award voted as the top men’s player in NCAA ice hockey in 2020. He did not play last season after having shoulder surgery but is expected to be healthy for this season. As for the lines themselves, here’s a look at how things are likely to shake out: No. 1 line: Brandon Saad, Ryan O’Reilly, David Perron No. 2 line: Pavel Buchnevich, Brayden Schenn, Vladimir Tarasenko No. 3 line: Klim Kostin, Robert Thomas, Jordan Kyrou No. 4 line: Zach Sanford, Ivan Barbashev, Oskar Sundqvist No. 1 defensive pair: Torey Krug, Colton Parayko No. 2 defensive pair: Marco Scandella, Justin Faulk No. 3 defensive pair: Niko Mikkola, Robert Bortuzzo No. 1 goaltender: Jordan Binnington Backup goaltender: Ville Husso HIGHLY TRAINED EXPERTS IN CUSTOMER SATISFACTION. STURDY. RELIABLE. EFFICIENT. (THE TRANE, TOO.) SEEK COMFORT FROM THE STRONG, DEPENDABLE TYPE. When it comes to heating and cooling homes, Trane systems are the most reliable and longest lasting in the industry.* Just as reliable as Trane products are the independent Trane Comfort Specialist dealers who carry them. We meet stringent quality standards to ensure the energy-efficient equipment we install in your home keeps you comfortable and saves you money, year after year. For a customer experience that’s as comforting as a Trane system, call us today. (636) 332-4141 • WWW.JOHNSON-HEATINGANDCOOLING.COM <strong>22</strong>3 NORTH CALLAHAN RD. • WENTZVILLE, MO 63385 Contact us now for complete confidence in a home comfort solution. SCORING PUNCH, from page 19 Saad will replace Jaden Schwartz on left wing. Schwartz, 29, signed a five-year, $27.5 million free agent contract with the expansion Seattle Kraken. Joining the Blues will be a good move for him, Saad said. “I’m excited,” Saad said in a video call. “I’m looking forward to getting to know the city a little bit better, because when you play there, kind of in and out, you don’t get to see all parts of the city. But I’ve heard great things, and they’re obviously a great hockey team that I’m looking forward to joining and having another chance of winning and have that success. I think all the ingredients are there, and it’s a team that definitely excites me, that’s for sure, so I’m definitely glad to be a part of it.” It was a big decision for him to choose St. Louis. “Having a family and a couple of young kids, you have to talk to your family, weigh out the pros and cons, the living situations, team situations,” Saad said. “There’s more that goes into it than you’d think. It was something I really wanted to think about and digest before really making a decision. “Anytime you have an opportunity to play for a good team, I think that excites you as a hockey player. That’s something I definitely thought about.” Saad has valuable Stanley Cup experience as well. He has scored 50 points (25 goals, 25 assists) in 91 playoff games and won the Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks in 2013 and 2015. St. Louis, of course, won the Cup in 2019. “I think that experience, it’s hard to come by,” Saad said. “So any time you can join a team that’s had success, especially recently, they know what it takes to win, they kind of have that mentality. I think that’s huge and something that you can’t really put a price on.” Coach Craig Berube puts a premium on a physical style of play. That is fine with Saad. “I think from playing against them, they play a heavy game,” Saad said. “They like to hold on to pucks, cycle pucks, protect it, and that’s all part of my identity as well. I think I can fit right into that aspect, as well as play a 200-foot game. “I’ve won in my career, I’ve been fortunate. And once you get a taste of it, there’s no better feeling. When it comes down to it, I want to go somewhere where I have another chance of winning. I want to have a successful team and the Blues fit that mold.”
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