With a goal per game in April, Blues captain Brayden Schenn gets hot again

As the Blues’ season winds down, the focus shifts away from their last four games and their eventual place in the Western Conference hierarchy and more toward the seasons beyond this one.

What can carry over? Who is doing the carrying? How much is the club depending on them? And for how long?

So when Blues captain Brayden Schenn scores four goals in the four games in April, it becomes noteworthy.

“He’s shooting the puck, and good things happen when you shoot the puck,” Blues interim coach Drew Bannister said. “He’s been competitive. He’s bought into his role, whether it’s at center or it’s at wing, and he’s made the most of it.”

Schenn scored twice in the Blues’ win over the Oilers last week, then tied the game late in San Jose to send it to overtime before scoring a power-play goal in Anaheim in a win over the Ducks.

Since the beginning of the month, only Jordan Kyrou (15) has more shots on goal than Schenn’s 14 among Blues. Robert Thomas (seven) is the only St. Louis player with more points than Schenn’s five. Across the league, Steven Stamkos, Auston Matthews and Sidney Crosby are the only players with more goals than Schenn.

“I feel like my second half, at times, has been pretty good,” Schenn said. “Down the stretch here, I feel like my game is where it needs to be. The best is when I’m playing north-south, playing simple and obviously playing with good players. It’s fun playing with guys like Thommer and Rouzy and whoever else I was playing with for a mishmash of games there.”

This season has been a struggle for Schenn, at times.

He endured a 16-game goal drought that spanned the entire month of December and dipped into January. Within that span, he also had a 12-game pointless streak. From about the All-Star break until mid-March, Schenn went 18 games without scoring a goal.

But between the droughts, Schenn caught fire with five goals and six assists in 10 games, including a game-shifting shorthanded goal in Calgary, an overtime winner in Vancouver and an overtime assist on Pavel Buchnevich’s goal in Seattle.

Overall, Schenn has 42 points in 78 games, which would be his worst season in terms of production, as a Blue and his lowest output since 47 points as a 23-year-old with Philadelphia in 2014-15.

In the big picture, Schenn remains an important part of the Blues.

He’s their captain, an emotional heartbeat who will defend his teammates. He’s signed for four more years at a $6.5 million cap hit. On a contending team, Schenn likely slots in on the third line (maybe behind Thomas and Dalibor Dvorsky in the future), but playoff teams still need depth production.

In the past couple of games, Schenn has recaptured a role on the top power-play unit, with Jake Neighbours missing due to an upper-body injury. While Neighbours claimed a stranglehold on the spot at the net-front on the No. 1 unit, his injury opened a door for Schenn to step in.

With Schenn there, the Blues scored three power-play goals in the 5:26 that he was on the ice with Thomas, Kyrou and Pavel Buchnevich. (Scott Perunovich and Torey Krug each ran the unit from the point in the past two games.) St. Louis had 13 shot attempts and eight shots on goal during that time.

“I think Schenner is best when he’s competitive,” Bannister said. “He’s done a real good job at the net-front in the last two games since Jakey’s been gone on the power play. Our power play was pretty effective in the third game on the road.”

Schenn said the power play was better on its execution, with “quicker puck movement” in the past two games.

“I still think in San Jose, a little slow at times, but we were able to get one there, obviously, to get us going,” Schenn said. “You’ve got to have a shot mentality, a shot threat, quick puck movement. And then when you do that, everything else seems to open up.”

By going 2 for 3 against the Ducks, the Blues power play improved to 18.18% on the season, which is the highest it’s been all season. The previous high was 18.10% on March 17, after the Blues pumped three power-play goals past Anaheim at Enterprise Center.

In the first 28 games of the season under Craig Berube, the Blues were the second-worst power play in the league at 8.43%. Since then, they have converted on 23.27% under Bannister, good for 13th in the NHL.

“If you look back on when we actually weren’t scoring at the start of the year, we were getting a lot of chances — they just weren’t going in,” Schenn said. “For a while there, everything was going in, which was great. It’s up and down. The power play has to be, just have to move the puck quick, have to be able to get to the net, get greasy goals. Not everything is going to be pretty on the power play.”

Jeff Gordon

Gordo: Blues get an encouraging head start on next season while testing their kids

• Jeff Gordon

St. Louis Blues

Blues defenseman Justin Faulk likely out for rest of regular season with upper-body injury

• Matthew DeFranks

St. Louis Blues

Rookie Zack Bolduc making the most out of bigger role down the stretch: Blues Extra

• Matthew DeFranks

Staying in the NHL playoff chase is hard, as the ongoing Eastern Conference scramble reminds us. Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin were among the destined Hall of Famers on the outside of the bracket looking in before Tuesday’s games.

Retooling is challenging, too, as the not-so-mighty Anaheim Ducks are illustrating during their sixth straight losing season. How many high draft picks will that franchise need to finally get it right?

This season, the Blues chased a postseason berth and retool at the same time, which is doubly difficult. They managed to stay in the postseason race until they earned just one of four points playing the outmanned San Jose Sharks on consecutive Saturdays.

Now, they are finishing their campaign with singular focus.

Coach Drew Bannister has been giving the younger guys more to do while preparing them for next season and beyond. The Blues are getting a head start on training camp and preseason play ahead of the 2024-25 season.

While hunting Ducks on Sunday, some of the key young Blues flashed their potential.

Winger Zack Bolduc hit his accelerator, filled the left lane, took a pass from Robert Thomas and snapped a shot past goaltender Lukas Dostal.

That lightning bolt goal 11 seconds into the game illustrated Bolduc’s offensive ability. He has NHL speed and an NHL shot.

Defenseman Matthew Kessel joined the rush as the trailer, took a cross-ice pass from Thomas and fired a shot that beat Dostal to his blocker side while Bolduc drove the net.

That was Kessel’s first NHL goal, and it hinted at his still-untapped offensive upside. The Blues need him to become a steady defender, but in today’s game, all defensemen must be able to activate too.

Offensive defenseman Scott Perunovich jumped up into the rush, filled the left lane and worked a give-and-go play with Jordan Kyrou — who fed Pavel Buchnevich for his one-time blast into the open side of the net.

Perunovich has struggled at the defensive end during his first full NHL season, but there is no doubting his ability to read the ice and make deft passes.

These individual highlights offered encouragement, but the Blues need many more of them. This organization doesn’t have a big supply of near-term prospects, so the guys they do have must keep pushing to reach their potential.

Here is what we do know:

Thomas has become one of the NHL’s better all-around centers, a sturdy cornerstone to build upon. He was very good as a rookie, and his skill progression since then has been impressive.

After struggling through the final days of the Craig Berube era, Kyrou has regained his point-per-game form: 22 goals, 24 assists and 46 points in his past 50 games.

The Blues still need more from him, of course. On some nights, you don’t notice him. On some nights, he grabs your attention for the wrong reasons. And on some nights, he makes electrifying plays.

Whether he can earn his place in the team’s long-range nucleus remains to be seen. But he is a real talent — and real talent is hard to come by for franchises unwilling to lose deliberately to “earn” high draft picks.

Winger Jake Neighbours outperformed his projections this season. Being willing to play the net-front role is one thing, but becoming an effective goal scorer in that combat zone is another. Neighbours has scored off the rush, too, and demonstrated some playmaking ability.

Kessel’s emergence as a reliable defenseman was equally important, given the advancing age of this team’s blue line and its dearth of developing talent there. To get a starting-caliber defenseman in the fifth round of the draft was a big deal.

We’re not sure if Perunovich has a long-term future here, but again, the Blues don’t have many alternatives. At the very least, he should be able to provide low-cost depth for another year.

Bolduc’s development as a potential top-six winger seems ahead of schedule, based on his successful first NHL tour. He will be fun to watch as he matures and gains more talent around him.

Winger Jimmy Snuggerud’s development will continue with another season at the University of Minnesota. That could benefit the Blues over the long haul, but that decision creates an additional need for next season.

Joel Hofer enjoyed a strong first season backing up goaltender Jordan Binnington. Winger Alexey Toropchenko looked ready to handle regular third-line minutes.

Zach Dean’s second-half progress in the AHL earned him his first NHL look, which should keep him on track for fill-in work next season. Having the same expectation for forward Dalibor Dvorksy seems fair, given his outstanding production in the Ontario Hockey League this season.

Given the team’s contract/salary cap scenario, the Blues will likely operate on two tracks again next season: trying to stay in the playoff chase with their remaining veterans while continuing to develop younger players.

Given what we’re seeing late in this campaign, the Blues might retool as quickly as general manager Doug Armstrong hopes and spare St. Louis the suffering Anaheim has endured.

St. Louis Blues

Blues defenseman Justin Faulk likely out for rest of regular season with upper-body injury

• Matthew DeFranks

St. Louis Blues

With a goal per game in April, Blues captain Brayden Schenn gets hot again

• Matthew DeFranks

St. Louis Blues

Rookie Zack Bolduc making the most out of bigger role down the stretch: Blues Extra

• Matthew DeFranks

Read the transcript of our weekly Blues chat.

Matthew DeFranks: Good afternoon. It's a rainy Wednesday in St. Louis as we wind down the regular season. The Blues could be eliminated from postseason contention as early as tonight.

If the Blues lose to the Blackhawks in regulation tonight, the Kings will clinch a spot.

If the Blues lose to Chicago in any fashion, and Vegas beats Edmonton in regulation, the Golden Knights are in.

If the Blues lose to Chicago in regulation, and Vegas beats the Oilers in OT/SO, the Golden Knights are in.

So those are the official scenarios for tonight. Let's get to some questions.

Scubado: What's the word on Craig Berube? What's he doing now and has he said anything about his departure from the Blues? I assume he'll be at the front of the line for a new HC job during the offseason. Which team would be the best fit?

Matthew DeFranks: Craig Berube has been living in Philadelphia, and working on TV with the TNT crew in their Atlanta studio every now and then.

He did a few interviews a few weeks after he was fired about how much he enjoyed coaching in St. Louis, and how he loved the city and wanted to keep coaching elsewhere. I think he understood that the group needed a new voice.

By my count, there are openings in New Jersey, Ottawa, Los Angeles and St. Louis. Could there be new openings in Toronto, Pittsburgh, Buffalo or Columbus?

I would think New Jersey is the most intriguing of that group there. They have a solid young group of players that would have been a lot higher in the standings if it actually got decent goaltending, and if it wasn't missing Dougie Hamilton for so long.

Schlay: I see Thomas growing as a player and in size. He appears to carry more healthy weight. I like how he is using his added bulk this year. Is this something being noticed / discussed?

Matthew DeFranks: Robert Thomas is a little bit bigger. I don't know his exact weight, but I'm also not sure it's all muscle mass. The additional weight doesn't seem to bother the way he skates or battles, and it certainly hasn't affected his production or his ability to take on 21 minutes a night.

B. Shannahan: Do you think Lindy Ruff is an option in St Louis?

Matthew DeFranks: I wouldn't think so. His teams have typically played an up-tempo, offensively-tilted game. Not sure we need a Blues team that focuses less on defense.

With guys like Todd McLellan, Gerard Gallant, Jay Woodcroft, or even Dean Evason out there, it would feel like settling if Lindy Ruff was the guy.

B. Shannahan: I like Jay Leach as an option, just dont know if Army is that smart to make him an offer.

Matthew DeFranks: Doug Armstrong's history is to hire coaches with previous NHL experience: Ken Hitchcock, Mike Yeo and Craig Berube all fit that category. Best as I could tell, the only head coach he hired without NHL head coaching experience was Dave Tippett in Dallas.

B. Shannahan: Leach was on the short list of names to replace Bruce Cassidy before the Bruins went with Jim Montgomery. That should give Armstrong something to think about.

Matthew DeFranks: That's a good point, but helps that the Bruins were already familiar with him because of his years in Providence.

B. Shannahan: Fair. Leach is a great communicator and thinker of the game. I like Marc Savard as well

Matthew DeFranks: I don't know too much about Marc Savard, other than gaining some familiarity with him when I covered Dallas. He was coaching Wyatt Johnston in Windsor at the time.

B. Shannahan: He coached the Blues' lethal power play in 2019-20 before seeking a head coaching job with the Spitfires.

Matthew DeFranks: The Blues power play was still No. 6 the next year, and No. 2 the year after that. So it might have had to do with the personnel on it vs. the coaching itself.

B. Shannahan: Well their 24th or 25th this year and I believe worst the year before so 6th kinda sounds pretty good to me ehh?

Matthew DeFranks: Oh yeah, sixth is definitely preferred to this year at 23rd and last year at 22nd. But all I'm saying is it helped to have David Perron, Ryan O'Reilly and Vladimir Tarasenko performing well.

B. Shannahan: Absolutely agree!!

Fake Roy Hobbs -: Love you :) LGB!

Matthew DeFranks: For a second there, I thought our boy was back in the chat.

B. Shannahan: I believe Armstrong has back himself into a corner with all the NMC contracts and not making the playoffs 2 years in a row. Do you think Stillman and his group are activly looking for a new GM?

Matthew DeFranks: When Doug Armstrong fired Craig Berube, that was as strong an endorsement you would find from Tom Stillman. You don't let the GM fire the Cup-winning coach, and you don't let that same GM make the next coaching hire without wanting that GM to lead the hockey operations department.

Armstrong has made this mess, and I think he knows that. He's seen how hard it's been the last two years to untangle himself from this web of contracts and clauses. That much is certain. But in the grand scheme of things, he's done a really good job with the Blues.

Without top picks, without a superstar player, the Blues have been competitive in a Cup-contending way for close to a decade. If (BIG IF) this is the worst of it for the Blues, two 80-something seasons would be bearable. Now, if there's no light at the end of the tunnel and the Blues remain stuck in the middle for a while, there's a lot more concern to be had.

B. Shannahan: I mean yeah kinda. Armstrong puts a team out there to compete but I don't believe he's trying to put together a team to win.

Matthew DeFranks: The team that could, in theory, win would be the one that is able to capitalize on stars (or could-be stars) like Thomas and maybe Kyrou putting together big seasons, plus young players on entry-level contracts that contribute, and goaltending. The Blues are probably still a couple years away from that.

At best, really.

DU: Good job this year, Matthew. Thanks for covering our boys and thanks for doing these chats. I wish they could have prolonged their season a bit but they just don't have all the parts they need at this point. We'll get 'em next year.

Matthew DeFranks: Thank you, and thanks for dropping in the chats. I'm conflicted about this year's team. They ended up right around (maybe even higher) than I thought they would: in the mid to high-80s and on the wrong side of the playoff bubble. So they overachieved relative to my own expectations.

I just didn't think they'd get to this point they way they did. Their 5v5 numbers are close to the bottom of the league, and this is not a bottom-five roster, or it shouldn't be a bottom-five roster. When they succeeded, they did so mostly because of goaltending and timely special teams. Those can be fickle beasts, so the Blues' 5v5 play will have to improve a ton next year to make more progress.

DU: I was proud of them for hanging in there. Not trading Buch at the deadline was questionable but it goes to show that the front office believed they had a chance also. I'd take a front office believing in their team over the opposite any day. I wonder how far ahead Army thinks on those trade deadline deals. Win quicker if we can keep Buch, maybe....but it probably sets us up better in two or three years if we could've got a near ready prospect for him. To the point earlier, does Army believe he has two or three more years in the organization? Is he making the best decisions for the long term health of the team? It was tough to believe they could go all the way this year, even if they got in. Hard to know. Hard to know. I think Army has done a decent enough job, in general.

Matthew DeFranks: Doug Armstrong is under contract through the 2025-26 season, so he has two more after this season under contract. As we know, that doesn't mean that he sticks around for the entirety, but it's worth noting.

As for Buchnevich, the Blues still have two more chances to trade him: during the offseason this summer and at the trade deadline next season as a rental. We'll see what kind of talks they have this summer in regards to a potential extension.

But I'm not sure hanging on to Buchnevich had to do with their place in the standings vs. not receiving what they wanted on the trade market. The Blues held all the leverage, and if teams didn't meet the price, might as well hold on to him.

Barry-Blues Fan in Orlando: Happy Humpty Dumpty day Matt, can Army put a cup contending team back together again? As you pointed out in your most recent article the club has to wait maybe two years before our up and coming young guns are ready to produce. I know Stillman bleeds blue but with another losing season after this one he will be seeing red. Can Army survive? Oh, and its sunny and 8o degrees at the mouse house.

Matthew DeFranks: If you're drawing up a plan to get the Blues back to Cup contention, it revolves around Robert Thomas becoming a superstar, Dalibor Dvorsky being a high-end 2C, filling in veteran depth in the top-nine, hoping some of the prospects pan out (Bolduc, Dean, Snuggerud, Stenberg, Lindstein), using new cap space to find a No. 1 defenseman and hanging on to elite goaltending.

You can see a path towards that. But you can also see how easily the Blues could get derailed from that.

If there's two things that Armstrong has done consistently, it's develop talent without top draft picks, and win trades (mostly). Obviously, his contracts haven't aged well recently, but history suggests that Armstrong will try to trade and develop his way out of this.

Kerry: There’s been a lot of “debating” about rookie of the year between CHI and MN fans. I know Bedard is a phenom, but what Faber has done this season is more impressive to me. I really don’t look forward to facing either of them for the next decade plus. What’s your take on the Calder race?

Matthew DeFranks: Currently, I lean Connor Bedard over Brock Faber right now. What Bedard is doing on a team that bad is frankly absurd. I know people rag on him for his defensive numbers, but Blackhawks goalies have put up a .8885 save percentage at 5v5 with him on the ice. Everyone's goal-differential would look horrible with that.

I also like looking at relative on-ice numbers to compare players across teams. Essentially, is this team better or worse with this player on the ice? It's not perfect because it doesn't factor in quality of competition or teammates, but I was surprised to see Minnesota's possession numbers dip with Faber on the ice.

I imagine I'll be voting for the awards (Hart, Norris, Calder, Selke, Lady Byng and Masterton) again this season, and I guess I'll spend the next week figuring all that out.

Matt L: I don’t think Thomas needs to be a superstar to get the Blues back in cup contention. The 19 Blues did not have a superstar. (I know O’Reilly won the Selke that year, but I still wouldn’t put him in the superstar category, or maybe that’s just semantics.)

Matthew DeFranks: Semantics or not, I think we can look at the recent Cup champions and say that the Blues were the anomaly in terms of construction. Vegas, Colorado, Tampa, Tampa, Washington, Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Chicago all had star power that the Blues just didn't have in 2019. They were just a much deeper team than so many others.

I guess the question is if Robert Thomas is Jack Eichel, can the Blues build a roster good enough around him like Vegas did?

pugger: hey Matt!

Any draft thoughts--- Blues will be what, 18, 19, 20 range? Any ideas on who may be available around that part of the draft...

Matthew DeFranks: They'll probably be right at No. 16, honestly. I haven't even started to look at the draft yet, so I've got no good answers.

Barry-Blues Fan in Orlando: Does DB become the permanent coach for 2024-25 based on his ability to "coach up" young talent? He keeps playing Kyrou on the #1 PP unit and they don't ever do much, I would start the #2 unit on the PP. Also, good he is now playing "the Duke" Bolduc on the PP but in my humble opinion he should have done that way before he did. The kid has special talent and most importantly he wants to shoot. What say you?

Matthew DeFranks: I don't see Drew Bannister as the coach next year based on the fact that the Blues' results can largely be attributed to goaltending and special teams. The coaches deserve credit for the power play, but that helped hide pretty big deficiencies at 5v5.

The other side is that Doug Armstrong asked for a coach that would bring competitiveness and accountability. I think Bannister has done that. The Blues aren't out of games immediately anymore, and they'll fight back. He's also scratched or benched Buchnevich, Thomas, Kyrou, Krug, Hayes, Kapanen, Sundqvist.

Matt L: Do you think the Blues would consider floating Snuggerud (perhaps with Buchnevich) if it would land them the blue chip D prospect they so clearly need? Maybe I am just being paranoid about Snuggerud but is it so crazy to wonder if he intends to play out his college hockey and become a FA? The Blues were clearly ready to roll out the Blue carpet straight to the NHL this year for him and he turned it down. I would figure he can make good NIL money at a program like Minnesota and then he can be a FA and choose where he wants to go.

Matthew DeFranks: It's something the Blues have to consider, but not because of signability fears. I do think Snuggerud turns pro after next season and I don't think the Blues are worried about him playing four years and becoming a UFA. The reason to trade him is because, as you know, they're so forward-heavy in the prospect pool.

It's something Doug Armstrong has mentioned multiple times: The Blues draft the best available player, regardless of position and then deal from a position of strength with other teams who maybe have more defensemen.

When you see players like Brock Faber or Jamie Drysdale get moved as prospects(ish), you see it's possible. I wonder if Armstrong tries to ring up old buddy Steve Yzerman for one of their young D.

pugger: Do you think Dvorsky may be in the mix for #2 center next year, or is that too much to ask...???

Oh, I just venmo'd you $1000 to answer any of my questions.. ha!!

NO worries, thanks Matt.!

Matthew DeFranks: I think Dalibor Dvorsky will get a loooooong look at training camp in the fall. He's shown that he's too good for the competition in the OHL. I believe he can be assigned to the AHL next year even though he's not 20 since he was drafted out of Europe (though I'll have to double-check). But Dvorsky going back to the OHL doesn't do much for his development.

They got him the ice time he needed this season. They can handle his transition from here, whether that's in the AHL or the NHL. It's also very rare for a rookie (at 19 years old next season) to come in and not only play top-six minutes, but also be productive in those minutes. So temper expectations. But I think the Blues will see a lot of him this summer and into the fall.

Scott Stewart: To me, it looks like you need 3 things to be competitive in the playoffs. Good to great goaltender, Blues have one. #1 defenseman - dont have. 2-3 guys that can make their own shot and another 2-3 guys that can shoot well enough when put into the right position - seems short of guys that can make their own shot. I can't see how we get from here to there drafting consistently in the teens. It's time to get out of the mushy middle.

Matthew DeFranks: I get that, but getting out of the mushy middle and committing to a tank/rebuild is will take half a decade on the optimistic side of things, and will look Buffalo-ish on the bad side of things. With Robert Thomas signed to what looks to be a team-friendly contract for his prime years, the Blues won't be going down that road.

We've emptied the queue now. On a game day, we'll call it there. Thanks for stopping by.

-

-

-

-

-

-

The Blues might have seen the last of defenseman Justin Faulk this season.

Blues interim coach Drew Bannister said Faulk was week to week with an upper-body injury suffered in a fight with San Jose’s Luke Kunin on Saturday afternoon. That would put him out through the final four games of the regular season, which culminates Wednesday, April 17 in Dallas.

Faulk already missed Sunday’s game in Anaheim and did not skate during Blues practice on Tuesday morning.

“We want to be cautious with his injury,” Bannister said. “Even if this was two months ago, it would still be week to week with him with what it is. With a week left right now, pending how we play and how other teams play around us, that could be extended (with playoffs). There is a possibility that he could be back in the lineup with our season being extended. But we’ll see how that plays out.”

This is the third separate absence of the season for Faulk, who missed five games from Dec. 30 to Jan. 11 with a lower-body injury and 12 games from Jan. 24 to Feb. 24 with a lower-body injury.

If he doesn’t return this season, Faulk would finish with 22 games missed due to injury. Since arriving in St. Louis in 2019, Faulk missed a total of eight games in the four seasons prior to this one.

“Certainly, we missed him when he was out that length of time with his ankle injury,” Bannister said. “We’ll miss him again here down the stretch.”

Bannister also said forward Jake Neighbours would miss Wednesday’s game against Chicago with an upper-body injury. Neighbours was hurt on a hit by Kunin where he appeared to hit the back of his head on the top of the boards in front of the Blues bench. After the hit, Faulk fought Kunin and got hurt himself.

Wednesday will be Neighbours’ second missed game since the hit. Bannister labeled him as “day to day.”

“As of today, he’s feeling normal,” Bannister said. “Obviously, yes, we’re going to be cautious, and we’ll go through the protocols of getting him back on the ice here, working out, getting back on the ice and then getting him in skates with us.”

Neighbours is tied for the team lead with 27 goals this season. Jordan Kyrou and Pavel Buchnevich also have 27, while Brandon Saad has 26 and Robert Thomas has 24.

With Neighbours and Faulk out of the lineup, it gave an opportunity for Kevin Hayes and Torey Krug to reenter the lineup Sunday in Anaheim after they were scratched in San Jose. Bannister said Krug would have gone back into the lineup against the Ducks regardless of Faulk’s injury.

“The way it played out, there could have been other guys sitting out the night after,” Bannister said. “The injuries, we wanted to give our younger guys an opportunity. Somebody has to sit out. Kruger would have sat out that night, somebody else could have sat out the next night. With the injury to Faulk, he comes back in. He would have been back in the next night anyways.”

Holding on to hope

Although the Blues could be eliminated from playoff contention this week, they are clinging to the distant chance that they could sneak into the postseason with the last wild-card spot.

“We have to play to win our hockey games and hope that some other teams stumble down the road here,” Bannister said. “We can’t factor into that; we’ve just got to take care of our hockey games and win games, especially at home. I think our fans deserve that, and we want to make sure we take pride in our hockey game when we come here Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.”

Entering Tuesday, Nashville needed just one point against Winnipeg to clinch a playoff spot, and Los Angeles needed a win in any fashion against the Ducks to do the same. Vegas is at Edmonton on Wednesday night.

The Blues are five points behind the Golden Knights, and Vegas has one game in hand on St. Louis. MoneyPuck lists the Blues’ playoff chances at 0.2%, while HockeyViz has them at 0.6%.

Jeff Gordon

Gordo: Blues get an encouraging head start on next season while testing their kids

• Jeff Gordon

Jeff Gordon

Tipsheet: Calipari's jump to Arkansas makes SEC basketball even stronger

• Jeff Gordon

Jeff Gordon

Tipsheet: Injury toll mounts as big league pitchers seek more velocity, faster spin rates

• Jeff Gordon

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Zack Bolduc sure knows how to start a game.

On Saturday, his first shifts were strong on the forecheck and quick to pucks against the Sharks. On Sunday, he lit the lamp just 11 seconds into the game against the Ducks, tying him for the fastest goal in the NHL this season and the sixth-fastest in Blues history.

“I thought he played awesome tonight,” Blues forward Robert Thomas said afterward. “Obviously, sets the tone early with a big goal. The way he was on the puck, the way he moved the puck, moved his feet, he had a good stick all night long and created a lot of space for me and (Brayden Schenn). I thought he did an excellent job.”

Blues interim coach Drew Bannister said: “He was on his toes. We want our young guys to bring energy. We’re giving them an opportunity to be in the lineup; we want them to bring energy and I thought he did.”

Among the handful of young Blues players who have received a boost in responsibility in the past two games, Bolduc is at the top of the list. Previously, he was bounced in and out of the lineup, stuck in the bottom six to play fewer than 10 minutes a night and with minimal time on the power play.

Now, Bolduc has played two games on the top line with Thomas and has also seen time on the second power-play unit, as the extra attacker at six on five and in overtime.

In the past two games, Bolduc has set and reset career highs for time on ice: 16:08 in San Jose and 16:37 in Anaheim.

“I was really happy with Boldy’s game (in San Jose),” Bannister said before the Ducks game. “I think there are some small things in his game that he can do better. I think that’s just going to be a learning curve for him. But I liked his speed.

“He was heavy on the forecheck, he went in and made a purpose to get in on the forecheck and have a good stick, and stop on pucks. When I looked at the power play, I thought he was really strong on pucks and made some real good plays.”

Bolduc also has seven shots on goal in the past two games, which is tied with Schenn for most on the team.

“He’s fast,” Thomas said. “I think it’s underrated how fast he is. He’s got quick takeoff and seems to be in the right areas at the right time. It’s been really good getting to play with him.”

A relief for Kessel

When Blues defenseman Matthew Kessel scored his first NHL goal on Sunday, the feeling wasn’t just excitement.

“It was great to finally get that goal,” Kessel said. “It had been a little while, obviously. It was great to be able to join the rush like that and be set up by Thommer and have an open shot like that. ... It was a bit of relief, obviously. I was definitely happy to get that, and all the guys were very happy for me, so that was great.”

Kessel whipped a first-period shot past Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal after he joined the rush and was hit in stride by Thomas. When did he know we was jumping into the rush?

“Kind of right when we broke it out,” Kessel said. “The puck got pushed up to Schenn there, and I saw the guy close him off and Thommer close by him. ‘Thommer’ is able to get that with a good amount of time. By that time, I was already moving and jumping up in the play.”

As the Blues transitioned to a younger lineup over the weekend, Kessel took on an expanded role, earning more than five minutes on the penalty-killing unit and even logging ice time in overtime against the Sharks with Torey Krug (scratched) and Justin Faulk (injured) unavailable.

“It’s been great to be able to continue to test my skill out here a little bit,” Kessel said. “Playing more is a great opportunity to improve my game, so it’s been fun.”

A day off

After landing late on Sunday night in St. Louis, the Blues did not practice on Monday. They are scheduled to skate on Tuesday in Maryland Heights before hosting the Blackhawks on Wednesday night.

St. Louis Blues

Jordan Binnington has eventful evening in Anaheim: From encounter with foe to perfect shootout

• Matthew DeFranks

St. Louis Blues

Returning to form: Robert Thomas breaks out of slump to stake Blues to win over Ducks

• Matthew DeFranks

St. Louis Blues

Injured Jake Neighbours, Justin Faulk miss game Sunday against the Ducks: Blues Extra

• Matthew DeFranks

ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Blues have seen Jordan Binnington fired up before. They just hadn’t seen it in a while.

During the second period of a 6-5 shootout win over the Ducks on Sunday night, Binnington tussled with Anaheim forward Ross Johnston around the crease after Johnston got into it with two Blues. He high-sticked Tyler Tucker in the slot and shoved Nathan Walker at the net-front. Binnington picked up a roughing minor for the dust-up.

“He gave me a slash in the first period,” Binnington said. “It is what it is. I saw him, he took out Tucks. And then it looks like he wanted the smoke. I just got in there to help out a teammate there. I think he was going after Walks or something. But it’s all good. That’s his game, and he’s a big boy.”

On Johnston’s first shift of the game, about three minutes into the first period, he did slash Binnington on the back of his legs as Binnington played a puck behind the net.

The Blues scored on the power play following Johnston’s high-sticking double-minor on Tucker.

“He got a whack in the first period from him, so I knew he was looking for a little vengeance,” Blues forward Robert Thomas said. “He’s a competitor. It’s nice to see him stand up for himself.”

Binnington’s incidents with opponents have been well-documented at this point in his career.

Last year alone, he nearly fought Marc-Andre Fleury after he threw a blocker at Ryan Hartman. Binnington was suspended two games for the play on Hartman. He collided with Pittsburgh’s Jason Zucker and Carolina’s Jordan Staal.

Previously, there was the water bottle toss and the stick swing at Colorado’s Nazem Kadri, plus his exit from the ice in San Jose when he lobbed a fake jab at Erik Karlsson and shoved Devan Dubnyk. Even in the 2019 playoff run, he slashed Dallas’ Ben Bishop between periods.

But this year, Binnington has kept a mostly clean record.

He was fined $5,000 for high-sticking Nashville’s Luke Evangelista as he was coming around the side of the net and also earned a minor penalty on the play. His other two penalties this season were tripping calls.

Until Sunday’s run-in with Johnston.

“He’s sticking up for a player,” Blues interim coach Drew Bannister said. “Walks took a punch in the face, and he just got in there. I don’t have any problem with that.”

This season, Binnington has allowed his play to be the centerpiece of any discussion involving him. His .911 save percentage is his best since a .912 mark in 2019-20. He is two wins away from notching 30 victories for the second time in his career.

According to MoneyPuck, Binnington has saved 12 goals above expected this season, which ranks him 11th in the league. If the Blues were higher in the standings, Binnington could contend for down-ballot votes for the Vezina Trophy.

Sunday was a rare out-of-sync night for Binnington, as he surrendered five goals. However, he bowed up in the shootout as the Ducks failed to score on their three shots.

“It gives our group a lot of confidence,” Thomas said. “They’re a high-skilled team; they’ve got some really high-end talent. I think their percentages are pretty good in shootouts, so for him to stop all three was a big task for him and he did a great job of making sure we got the win tonight.”

The Ducks sent out Trevor Zegras (64.7% in his career entering Sunday), Leo Carlsson (2 for 2 as a rookie) and Troy Terry (33.3%) in the shootout against Binnington. Zegras hit the post, while Binnington made saves on Carlsson and Terry to win the game.

“They’ve got some tricky guys over there,” Binnington said. “You never really know what they’re going to do, just trying to be patient. (Zegras) kind of had me there, but it ended up going off the post so I’ll take that. ... You probably know (Carlsson) has more tricks in his bag, for sure. He’s pretty smooth. Just be patient and capitalize on that right moment.”

Binnington is a big part of the Blues’ 5-1 record in shootouts, and St. Louis has won each of its shootouts since losing on opening night in Dallas. In Binnington’s career, he has a .720 save percentage in shootouts, which ranks him 14th among the 45 goalies with at least 10 games that ended in shootouts.

“If he’s not the best, he’s close to the best in the shootout,” Bannister said. “He’s pretty automatic.”

St. Louis Blues

Rookie Zack Bolduc making the most out of bigger role down the stretch: Blues Extra

• Matthew DeFranks

St. Louis Blues

Returning to form: Robert Thomas breaks out of slump to stake Blues to win over Ducks

• Matthew DeFranks

St. Louis Blues

Injured Jake Neighbours, Justin Faulk miss game Sunday against the Ducks: Blues Extra

• Matthew DeFranks

ANAHEIM, Calif. — This season has raised the expectations for Robert Thomas.

Trusted as a franchise cornerstone for Doug Armstrong to build around, slotted in as the Blues’ top center, thrown into the most difficult nightly assignments, signed to the franchise’s most expensive contract, and sewn with an “A” on his chest — yeah, this season is different for Thomas.

In a 6-5 Blues shootout win over the Ducks on Sunday, Thomas snapped back into form with four points on one goal and three assists. It was a welcome sign for St. Louis as Thomas mudded through a slump across the last month.

Jordan Kyrou scored the game-deciding goal for St. Louis in the first round of the shootout, and the Ducks failed to score on their three attempts against Jordan Binnington. Zack Bolduc, Matthew Kessel, Pavel Buchnevich and Brayden Schenn also scored for the Blues.

With the win, the Blues remained mathematically alive in the Western Conference playoff chase with four games remaining, though the result has realistically only prolonged their inevitable elimination.

“We’re still competitive,” Thomas said. “We’re not mailing it in. We’re playing for pride, and obviously, there’s still a little chance. We’re just doing our best to try and win every game. I think that’s the bottom line, and it was a big win for us tonight.”

The Blues gave up the lead three times on Sunday night, as the Ducks battled back from down 1-0, 2-1 and 5-3 to tie the game. Frank Vatrano and Leo Carlsson each scored two goals for Anaheim, and Carlsson’s tally with 3:51 remaining in the third period sent the game to overtime.

The teams combined for seven shots in overtime, but couldn’t score, and then Kyrou and Binnington sealed it for St. Louis.

“We don’t want to give up that lead in the third, but we found a way to get the job done in the end,” Binnington said. “Good response. We’ve got young guys in there right now, and guys playing different situations. It’s good to see guys in opportunities just doing their best and finding a way.”

Thomas: “We’d like to clean it up a little bit. Had the lead three or four times, frustrating to give up the lead and have to go to a shootout. Need to clean it up a little bit.”

On their three-game road trip, the Blues appeared to turn their focus towards the future instead of their present place in the standings. They scratched veterans Kevin Hayes and Torey Krug, and played every young player on their active roster. They fed special teams roles to the youngsters. They put them higher in the lineup.

In the grand scheme of the Blues, that’s half of what this season was supposed to be about anyway. One half was to compete for a postseason spot, and the other was to set the table for the potential turnaround coming soon to St. Louis.

For the Blues, that begins with Thomas.

As he put together his first All-Star campaign, Thomas absorbed every bit of responsibility the Blues threw at him. At one point, he was on pace for a 95-point season, and his on-ice impact at even-strength put him among the best players in the league. But when his production dimmed in the last month, so did the Blues.

Thomas went 13 games without a point at 5 on 5. He went 16 games without a primary point at 5 on 5. Before Sunday’s goal, Thomas carried a nine-game goal drought into Anaheim.

“Chances have always been there,” Thomas said. “It’s frustrating when you don’t get the chances. Sometimes, they don’t go in. Sometimes, they do. I was fortunate to have them tonight.”

On Sunday, Thomas looked like the player to lead them out of a re-whatever.

In winning the opening faceoff and setting up Bolduc just 11 seconds into the game, he helped stake the Blues to an early 1-0 lead. When he found a cutting Kessel entering the offensive zone, it displayed the very vision that Thomas is known for. His ping off the far post and into the net on the power play rang through Honda Center. And his shot on the power play later set up Schenn’s goal on the backdoor.

“I thought he was outstanding,” Bannister said. “I thought he did a lot of good things here. Obviously, offensively, he was a catalyst for us in setting up those goals and scoring his own. I thought, overall, he had a great game.”

This season, including Sunday, the Blues are 18-2-2 when Thomas has at least two points. They are 8-19-2 when he is pointless.

“Obviously, he’s got great vision and I think against a team like this, he creates more space for himself and finds the open man,” Binnington said. “He’s got an elite talent, so hopefully, we just keep building. He’s got a lot of potential, too, so that’s exciting.”

There were, of course, signs that Thomas was due for a big game.

He assisted on Brandon Saad’s goal in Nashville on Thursday night. He assisted on both Blues goals during a 3-2 overtime loss to San Jose on Saturday afternoon. Before the game against the Ducks, Bannister was asked about Thomas’ recent progression.

“There’s glimpses of him playing better,” Bannister said. “I think he’s more committed to playing away from the puck. I see, even on the goal they scored (Saturday in overtime), he’s backchecking hard, hard to get back and help out on that.

“I think offensively, he’s been doing a lot of good things. There was plays in Nashville that he made. We scored the first goal, he made the play, but there were other plays that he made that we weren’t able to score on. He’s making plays, we’ve just got to finish on the opportunities that he’s giving us.”

On Sunday, they did.

Photos: Blues outlast Ducks 6-5 in shootout