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Robert Thomas To Return To Blues’ Lineup For Game Six

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Standout rookie Robert Thomas last suited up for the St. Louis Blues in Game One of the Stanley Cup Final, as an injury has forced him to watch from the sidelines as his team bounced back from a loss to start the series to go up 3-2 heading back home for Game Six. Now, it seems Thomas will finally get to return to action tonight as the team tries to take home the franchises’s first Cup title. Thomas told the media, including Fox Sports’ Andy Strickland, after the team’s morning skate that he will play for the Blues in Game Six against the Boston Bruins. Head coach Craig Berube then confirmed his return tonight.

Strickland had noted that Thomas was a full participant on the ice this morning, albeit in a limited session, which was a positive step toward a potential return. But Thomas stated that it was actually at practice yesterday that he passed the final hurdles needed to be cleared for a return to the lineup. Although Thomas was the recipient of a highly publicized heavy hit from the Bruins’ Torey Krug in Game One, this injury was unrelated and is speculated to have originated in the Western Conference Final. For what it’s worth, Thomas told the media that he had no issue with Krug’s hit and is not focused on it in his return.

Thomas, 19, played in 70 games for the Blues in the regular season and finished ninth on the team in scoring with 33 points. The 2017 first-round pick will certainly provide an offensive boost for St. Louis tonight. The one concern though is that he will actually be filling the roster spot of suspended fourth-liner Ivan Barbashev, whose physicality Thomas won’t be able to replicate. The Stanley Cup Final has been more of a war of attrition than a shootout and the Blues have succeeded based on their physicality rather than their offense, so it will be interesting to see if they can get the win playing with more skill and less grit in Game Six. For their part, the Bruins are also looking to boost speed rather than physicality, returning to the standard six defenseman and adding Karson Kuhlman to the lineup up front rather than David Backes, per head coach Bruce Cassidy. 

Playoff Notes: Thomas, Tarasenko, Chara, Wagner, Grzelcyk

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The St. Louis Blues will be without forward Ivan Barbashev on Sunday for Game 6 after being suspended one game for an illegal check to the head against Boston’s Marcus Johansson in Game 5. However, the St. Louis Blues may get a break, as there is a solid chance that rookie Robert Thomas may be ready to replace Barbashev in the lineup.

Thomas, who hasn’t played since Game 1 due to a wrist injury, was on the ice for a full practice Saturday with no limitations and St. Louis Blues interim coach Craig Berube later declared Thomas as a game-time decision for Sunday, according to NHL.com’s Lou Korac. The 19-year-old forward did participate in practices between Games 3 and 4, but was only a partial participant and spent most of his time on the ice working separately from the rest of the team. However, that wasn’t the case Saturday, according to teammate Pat Maroon: “He’s been working hard to get back in the lineup, so we’ll see tomorrow if he plays. Obviously, it’s always good to see the kid out there skating around. He’s been just itching to get back out there with the guys, so it’s good to see him out there.”

  • NHL.com’s Tracey Myers adds that the St. Louis Blues expect star forward Vladimir Tarasenko to play on Sunday despite missing practice on Saturday after his wife gave birth to the couple’s third child on Friday. It was unlikely that Tarasenko would have missed a critical Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final; he has been a key to the team’s offensive success with 16 points in 24 playoff games.
  • Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara spoke to the press for the first being hit in the jaw with the puck in Game 4. Although he looked uncomfortable speaking, Chara said he was fine and has no limitations when it comes to playing in Game 6 on Sunday. Chara did play in Game 5, although he only skated 16:42 and the Bruins felt the need to dress seven defensemen. Chara refused to answer when asked whether his jaw was broken.
  • Boston Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy also revealed that the team is expecting to be without Chris Wagner and Matt Grzelcyk for Game 6. Wagner, who hasn’t played since May 14 with an upper-body injury, is doubtful to play on Sunday, but is a possibility if Boston can force a Game 7. Grzelcyk has not yet been medically cleared to play after sustaining a concussion during Game 2.

Playoff Notes: Marchand, Dunn, Thomas, Chara

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Boston Bruins fans got a scare Sunday when star forward Brad Marchand was missing from practice as Karson Kuhlman took his place in practice, according to NHL.com’s Matt Kalman, making many wonder if Marchand would be made available for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals, which start on Monday.

“He had a maintenance day today, so that’s all, he’ll be ready to go tomorrow,” Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said about Marchand.

There was some concern that Marchand, who leads the Bruins with 18 points (seven goals and 11 assists) in 17 games, injured his left hand in Thursday’s scrimmage when he bumped into Connor Clifton and returned to the bench at one point, favoring his left hand. However, he continued playing in the scrimmage.

“I’ve been trying to get out of practice every day this week,” Marchand joked. “It’s just been dragging out here, so we’re excited for it to start tomorrow and it should be fun.”

Kalman also writes that David Krejci, who has been out with a fever the last couple of days, practiced today and is expected to be ready for Monday’s game as well.

  • St. Louis Blues defenseman Vince Dunn, who has missed three straight games after taking a puck to the head during Game 3 against the San Jose Sharks, has traveled with the team to Boston and skated with the team Sunday, wearing a plastic face guard around his entire face, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He is still considered doubtful for Game 1 as he practiced with the extra defensemen. Head coach Craig Berube said there is a chance that Dunn returns at some point in the playoffs. “That was the best he’s looked, which is a good sign. He’s pretty close,” Berube said.
  • Thomas also posts that St. Louis Blues forward Robert Thomas (undisclosed injury) did not skate among the regulars during practice on Sunday. He came out later in practice and worked on his own. However, Berube said that Thomas was “a go” for Monday and is expected to play in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Robby Fabbri filled in for Thomas on the third line.
  • In an in-depth piece on Boston Bruins 42-year-old defenseman Zdeno Chara, the Boston Globe’s Christopher L. Gasper writes that Chara expressed an interest to play until he’s 45, a claim very similar to the ones made by fellow New England athlete Tom Brady with the New England Patriots. “Obviously, I’m signed for next year. I’m planning to play. I want to compete and still play. I’ll be 43. I’m not, obviously, that far away. I’m taking it one year at a time,” Chara said. “I think you have to respect that things could change. It could go from my end, ‘Hey, I just don’t feel like it.’ Or it could be, ‘Hey, I still love it. I still have so much passion for it. I want to keep going.’ But I want to play until I can still be contributing to the game and still be effective. At the same time, you’ve got to realize that when there is a time there is a time. At this point, I’m still hungry. I still love the game. I have so much passion for it.”

 

 

Western Notes: Dunn, Kampf, Stralman, Brown

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The St. Louis Blues will be without defenseman Vince Dunn on Sunday for the ever-important Game 5 as Blues head coach Craig Berube said the 22-year-old won’t travel with the team to San Jose after taking a puck to the face during Game 3 on Wednesday, according to St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Tom Timmermann.

Berube added that Dunn will be day-to-day with an upper-body injury and he is believed to be dealing with concussion issues. He was well enough to attend Friday’s Game 4’s 2-1 victory, however.

“It’s great,” Berube said after the game. “Dunner’s back here and he’s around his teammates. … It’s awesome to see him. It’s a day-to-day thing right now. I’m not sure exactly when he’s gonna be available to play. So we’ll have to see how that goes, but it’s good to see him around for sure.”

The team did have some good news as winger Sammy Blais is expected to play in Game 5 despite having to leave Game 4 Friday after taking a Brent Burns’ shot off his foot.

  • The Athletic’s Scott Powers (subscription required) writes that the Chicago Blackhawks have begun negotiating with restricted free agent center David Kampf. The 24-year-old was signed to a two-year entry-level contract out of the Czech Republic League and has been a success in Chicago, but after making $925K the past two years, he’s in line for a slight raise. While Kampf’s eight goals and 30 points in 109 NHL games isn’t impressive, the forward has been one of Chicago’s best defensive forwards and is expected to be the team’s third or fourth-line center next season. He is eligible for arbitration if the two sides can’t agree to terms.
  • The Province’s Patrick Johnson writes that although Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Anton Stralman will be one of the more interesting defensemen on the free agency market this summer, he doubts that the 33-year-old defenseman would be a good fit for the Vancouver Canucks. Even with a full season of star prospect Quinn Hughes, the team desperately needs to upgrade its defense. However, Johnson writes with the team trying to re-sign Alexander Edler and trying to get one more year out of veteran Chris Tanev, the team likely won’t want to add another veteran defenseman to their lineup.
  • The Athletic’s Allan Mitchell (subscription required) writes that the Edmonton Oilers should consider helping the Toronto Maple Leafs with their salary cap issues by taking forward Connor Brown off their hands. The scribe believes that the 25-year-old Brown, who has seen his offensive numbers drop in each of the last years, might be the perfect addition for a team that is loaded at the center position, but could use plenty of talent at the wing position. Brown was a former junior teammate of Connor McDavid, suggesting he might make the perfect winger for the star center. Brown scored 20 goals in his first full season with the Maple Leafs back in the 2016-17 season, with many believing he could be a consistent 20-goal scorer. However, that number dropped by six in each of the next two years, to 14 in 2017-18 and then to just eight goals this season. Brown will make $2.1MM next season before becoming a restricted free agent, but the scribe believes that if teamed with McDavid, Brown could easily go back to his 20-goal scoring ways and give the Oilers another offensive weapon that they desperately need. Of course, everything depends on what Toronto would be asking for Brown.

Armstrong On Blues Coaching Candidates: “A List Of One”

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In the span of just a few months, Craig Berube has completely turned around the St. Louis Blues and has them through to the Western Conference Final. He’s done all of that under the title of interim head coach, without any declaration from the front office that tag would be removed at the end of the year. Today, speaking with reporters including Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic ahead of the third round, GM Doug Armstrong made it clear where the Blues’ coaching search is headed. Sitting next to Berube, Armstrong said the candidate list is now “a list of one” but that they will talk about the future after the season is over.

It comes as very little surprise that Berube will be the man to lead the Blues into the future. When the team decided to move on from Mike Yeo in November, they were 7-9-3 and floundering at both ends of the ice. That didn’t switch immediately when they installed Berube, quite the opposite. The team proceeded to lose ten of their next 18 games and when the calendar turned over to January they were tied with the Ottawa Senators for last place in the entire NHL with just 34 points. Then, the turnaround began.

The Blues would go 30-10-5 in 2019, pulling themselves out of the basement and into a secure playoff position. The recall of Jordan Binnington and his incredible run was a huge part of this, but Berube put the players in the right places and things started to click. In the playoffs, the team walked through a Stanley Cup favorite in Winnipeg, and then needed the hometown hero Pat Maroon to poke home a loose puck in order to dispatch Ben Bishop and the Dallas Stars.

It was always going to be Berube once he got the team to the playoffs, but there is still the question of how long his contract will be and how much it will cost the Blues. Those two things may well be determined by how they do in the next two rounds.

2019 Jack Adams Award Finalists Announced

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The finalists for the Jack Adams Award have been announced, given each year to the NHL’s best head coach. The three coaches are Craig Berube of the St. Louis Blues, Jon Cooper of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Barry Trotz of the New York Islanders. The award was given to Vegas Golden Knights’ head coach Gerard Gallant in 2018, and Columbus Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella in 2017.

In 2016, Trotz won the award when he was still coach of the Washington Capitals after a 56-18-8 season. Two years later he would lead the Capitals to his first Stanley Cup, before moving onto the Islanders organization this season. Trotz has completely turned around those Islanders, changing them from one of the worst defensive teams in hockey to one of the best in short order. He put together a 48-27-7 season to get his club into the playoffs despite losing their captain John Tavares in the offseason, and has them in the second round after sweeping his old rivals from Pittsburgh. Trotz is one of the most successful regular season coaches in hockey history, with 810 wins to his name.

Cooper meanwhile is on his way to that same level of regular season success. Through his first 508 games he has authored a record of 305-159-44 (.644 winning percentage) including a historic 62-16-4 record this season with Tampa Bay. Unfortunately his Lightning were swept out of the first round of the playoffs, an occurrence that is not considered for this award given that the broadcasters vote before the postseason begins. Cooper has never won the Jack Adams before.

Neither has Berube, who amazingly is still not actually the permanent head coach of the Blues. The former Philadelphia Flyers bench boss was named interim coach when Mike Yeo was fired early in the season, but he found a way to turn things around dramatically and form St. Louis into a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. There is little doubt that he will be named the head coach after taking a Blues team that was in last place on January 2nd to the second round and beyond. Berube doesn’t have an extensive history as an NHL head coach, but it has been a successful one, as he now holds a 113-77-34 record in his career.

Some other names that were likely considered are Arizona Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet, who dealt with endless injuries but still almost got his team to the playoffs, and Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour who finally got his team back there after nearly a decade.

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