Gunnarsson (lower-body) will not play on Saturday.
Gunnarsson played 14:30 TOI on Thursday before departing the game with a lower-body injury. Colton Parayko will move up to skate with Alex Pietrangelo while Gunnarsson is out.
St Louis Blues News
Thomas (upper-body) will return to the Blues lineup on Thursday.
Thomas has been out since October 2nd but will play Thursday after a five-game absence. Thomas, who played just 9:45 TOI in the season opener, will return on the Blues fourth-line, so he doesn’t have any fantasy value at the moment.
Goalie Start
Binnington will start Thursday vs. the Canucks.
Binnington allowed three goals on 32 shots in the Blues overtime loss to the Islanders on Monday. Binnington has now lost two in a row and three of his first five starts (2-1-2) while posting a 2.97 GAA and .910 SV%. Tonight he faces a Canucks team on a three-game winning streak while outscoring their opponents 16-to-5.
Thomas (upper-body) could return to the Blues lineup on Thursday.
Thomas has been sidelined by an upper-body injury since the Blues’ season opener. After completing Wednesday’s practice session, head coach Craig Berube told reporters that Thomas could play Thursday. Thomas will likely replace Mackenzie MacEachern in the lineup if he’s available to play.
Goalie Start
Binnington leads the Blues onto the ice for warmups.
Binnington gave up five goals on 37 shots in the Blues loss in Montreal on Saturday. The loss snapped a brief two-game winning streak for Binnington, who is 2-1-1 with a 2.97 GAA and .910 SV% to start the season. He draws a good matchup against the Islanders—they are averaging just 2.20 goals per game (tied for 25th in the NHL) through five games.
Goalie Start
Binnington will start Saturday in Montreal.
Binnington allowed two goals on 34 shots in the Blues win in Toronto on Monday. With Jake Allen starting on Thursday, Binnington will come into Saturday’s game well-rested. Since being called up in the middle of last season Binnington is an impressive 11-3-1 with a .934 SV% in 15 road starts.
Goalie Start
Binnington was the first goalie off the ice at the Blues morning skate on Saturday.
Binnington allowed two goals on 34 shots in the Blues win in Toronto on Monday. With Jake Allen starting on Thursday, Binnington will come into Saturday’s game well rested. Since being called up in the middle of last season Binnington is an impressive 11-3-1 with a .934 SV% in 15 road starts.
Bjugstad (lower-body) is expected to be out “longer-term.”
Both Bjugstad and Evgeni Malkin are expected to miss extended periods of time with lower-body injuries. The Penguins were deep down the middle heading into the season and now will have to rely on players like Jared McCann and Teddy Blueger to centre their middle-6. Bjugstad has missed at least 15 games in three of the last four years.
Goalie Start
Binnington will start Monday in Toronto.
Binnington allowed two goals on 29 shots in the Blues 3-2 win over the Stars on Saturday. Binnington has picked up right where he left off in 2018-19, starting the year 1-0-1 while stopping 58 of the 63 shots (.921 SV%) that he has faced. The Richmond Hill native will make his first start in his hometown on Monday—he stopped 31 of 33 shots in his only career start vs. Toronto.
Goalie Start
Binnington is expected to start Monday in Toronto.
Binnington allowed two goals on 29 shots in the Blues 3-2 win over the Stars on Saturday. Binnington has picked up right where he left off in 2018-19, starting the year 1-0-1 while stopping 58 of the 63 shots (.921 SV%) that he has faced. The Richmond Hill native will make his first start in his hometown on Monday—he stopped 31 of 33 shots in his only career start vs. Toronto.
Gunnarsson will make his season debut on Saturday.
Gunnarsson was a healthy scratch in the Blues season opener but will draw-in for Robert Bortuzzo on Saturday. Gunnarsson, who had just seven points (3G / 4A) in 25 games last season, will skate on the top-pair with Alex Pietrangelo.
Thomas (upper-body) will not play Saturday.
Thomas suffered an upper-body injury in the Blues season opener and will be replaced by Zach Sanford in the lineup on Saturday. Thomas is listed as day-to-day.
Goalie Start
Binnington will start Saturday vs. the Stars.
Binnington stopped 31 of 34 shots in the Blues opening night overtime loss to the Capitals. Everyone is wondering if Binnington is the real deal and his first start was positive, despite the eventual loss. In his second start, he takes on a Dallas team that he was 1-2-0 with a 2.76 GAA and .879 SV% against last season.
Thomas is day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
Thomas missed Friday’s practice with what is being described as an upper-body injury, believed to be wrist related. Zach Sanford skated in his spot in practice and would likely take Thomas’ spot if he can’t play vs. The Stars on Saturday.
The Blues have signed Brayden Schenn to an eight-year extension worth $52.0 million ($6.5M AAV).
Schenn was set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season but the Blues have locked him up through the 2027-28 season. Schenn failed to record a point in the season opener but is coming off of a 54-point season (17G / 37A) in 2018-19.
Goalie Start
Binnington will start vs. the Capitals on opening night.
Binnington started the 2018-19 season in the AHL but took the NHL by storm once he was called-up. Binnington went 24-5-1 while leading the NHL in GAA (1.89) and tying for fourth in SV% (.927) in 32 games. He played very well in the postseason as well, en route to winning the Stanley Cup. Not a bad rookie season. He’ll start his second season on home-ice, where he went 14-2-0 last year.
Goalie Start
Binnington is in the starter's crease at the Blues morning skate.
Binnington started the 2018-19 season in the AHL but took the NHL by storm once he was called-up. Binnington went 24-5-1 while leading the NHL in GAA (1.89) and tying for fourth in SV% (.927) in 32 games. He played very well in the postseason as well, en route to winning the Stanley Cup. Not a bad rookie season. He’ll start his second season on home-ice, where he went 14-2-0 last year.
The Blues have signed Justin Faulk to a seven-year contract extension worth $45.5 million ($6.5M AAV).
Faulk is headed into the final year of a deal that carries a $4.833M AAV cap-hit but gets a deal that will carry him through the 2026-27 NHL season when he will be 35-years-old. Faulk has failed to top 40 points in four straight seasons and is coming off of an 11-goal, 24-assist season in 2019.
The Blues have acquired Justin Faulk and a 2020 fifth-round pick from the Hurricanes for Joel Edmundson, Dominik Bokk and a 2021 seventh-round pick.
Faulk has been one of the best offensive-defenseman in the NHL over the last five seasons. Over that stretch, he is fourth in PPG (32), seventh in goals (67), 18th in PPP (79), 25th in points (189) and tied for 26th in Pts/gm (0.50). Heading to St. Louis, he’ll have to battle with fellow right-handed defensemen Alex Pietrangelo and Colton Parayko for playing time at 5v5 and him or Pietrangelo should quarterback the first power-play.
The Blues have signed Nikita Alexandrov to a three-year, entry-level contract.
Alexandrov was a second-round pick (No.62 overall) in this summer’s draft. The 18-year-old centre had 27 goals and 34 assists (61 points) in 64 QMJHL games last year. He will return to the Charlottetown Islanders for his third season in 2020.
