ST. LOUIS — In Utah last weekend, St. Louis Blues coach Jim Montgomery benched linemates Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich. He followed that up by separating the two for the next game against the Vegas Golden Knights and the start of the teams’ rematch Thursday night.
To finally break the gravitational pull of .500, the Blues will need more from Thomas and Buchnevich. Thomas has a goal, two assists and a minus-3 rating in his last six games. Buchnevich has no goals, two assists and a minus-4 rating over the same span.
Utah’s Nick Schmaltz, second from left, and Logan Cooley, second from right, maneuver in front of the BluesRobert Thomas ... he’s posted during his previous three seasons in St. Louis. In 45 games this season, Buchnevich has 29 points, a 53 ...
The Blues are retooling around their young talent while trying to stay in the postseason picture. Their top three scorers -- Jordan Kyrou (21 goals, 21 assists), Dylan Holloway (16 goals, 22 assists) and Robert Thomas (12 goals, 24 assists) -- are age 26 and under.
The Blues' Robert Thomas speaks with the media on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, after a home loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. (Video courtesy St. Louis Blues)
The Blues traded Scott Perunovich to the Islanders, then waived Brandon Saad on Tuesday, cutting ties with a player drafted seven years ago, then one with a $4.5 million contract.
BOTTOM LINE: The St. Louis Blues enter the matchup with the Colorado Avalanche after losing three games in a row. Colorado is 29-21-2 overall and 7-8-1 against the Central Division. The Avalanche have conceded 164 goals while scoring 169 for a +5 scoring differential.
Evgenii Dadonov had a goal and an assist, Casey DeSmith stopped 33 shots in his second shutout of the season and the Dallas Stars beat the St.
Conor Garland had two goals, and J.T. Miller and Pius Suter also scored to help the Vancouver Canucks beat the St. Louis Blues 5-2.
Forward skating with Thomas, Buchnevich; will get opportunity to show whether he's part of long term plans or not now that Saad is gone
Alexandre Texier skated with Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich during Thursday’s St. Louis Blues practice, jumping into a prime spot after he was a scratch for eight of the past nine games.