(12-31-25) Blues-Avalanche Gameday Lineup

Jonatan Berggren will get another shot after receiving a reprieve.

The St. Louis Blues forward will start out on a line with Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich when the Blues (15-17-8) close out 2025 on Wednesday against the juggernaut Colorado Avalanche (29-2-7), who are 16-0-2 on home ice this season, at Denver’s Ball Arena at 8 p.m. (FDSNMW, ESPN 101.1-FM).

The 25-year-old, who was claimed off waivers from the Detroit Red Wings on Dec. 16, started off as well as can be with two goals, two assists his first four games, but the coaching staff felt he dipped off his last two games played and was a healthy scratch against the Buffalo Sabres on Monday.

Let’s just say that getting to unwind and watch from up above may have done some good here after playing on adrenaline of being claimed by a team that wanted him and switching gears to a new team and style after being used to another.

“Kind of just reset a little bit,” Berggren said. “I think for myself, I played really good the first three games and then the last two was not to my standard that I want to play. But it’s NHL. You will go up and down, new team, new guys, it’s a lot in the beginning. It was nice to get a little reset and watch the game from the stands. The message was just to keep doing what I had done the first three games and just keep going.”

And in doing that, Blues coach Jim Montgomery will insert the talented forward back with the guys expected to produce.

“He thinks the game at their level,” Montgomery said of Berggren. “He has the speed and the skill to make the finishing plays. The part of the game that we need to see continue to develop is the second- and third-effort on pucks, stopping on pucks, coming up with loose puck battles to be able to sustain offense or get out of our D-zone.

“His first three games, he did a really good job. He fell off in Tampa Bay and I didn’t think it was at the standard that we need from him in Nashville.”

There’s no doubt when the puck is on Berggren’s stick, he makes plays that can be dangerous; he could have more points on some of the setups he’s made. Getting back to doing the smaller details away from the puck is what he wants to hone in on.

“I think just play my game like I did the first games,” Berggren said. “Without the puck, be harder to play against, like starts and stops. It was a little bit slow the last two games. It’s a lot with travel and stuff like that. I think that’s normal. Just keep having high confidence in my game and do the work.

“Those two are really skillful players that’s easy to play with. I want to play kind of like those guys too. I like to have the puck and make plays and stuff. But then it’s important to not just let them play. I need to play my game too. And I think the games we have played together, I think we’ve done that and had success. It will be really fun to play with them again.”

The conversations between player and coach were had, and the message was simple.

“Oh yeah, I think Monty’s an honest coach,” Berggren said. “If you do the hard work every day, you will get your chances. That’s fair, and that’s something I like. I’ve got to just keep doing it.

“I know when I play my game, I can produce in this league. Just do that and also do the hard work without the puck.”

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Matthew Kessel will get into his first game since Dec. 17 against the Winnipeg Jets, being a healthy scratch the past five games and will replace Logan Mailloux, who had a tough night against the Sabres and was a minus-3 in just 8:39 of ice time. The pairing with Cam Fowler, who was also a minus-4, was a combined minus-7. Kessel will line up next to Fowler.

“(Monday) night, we didn’t start on time,” Montgomery said. “We gave up the first goal and there’s two times to get the opportunity to get it out of our end and it ends up in the back of our net and next shift comes out and we turn it over again. We have simple rules on our breakouts and they should be adhered to and that’s where preparation to start on time, that’s a mental block. It’s not a physical. It may look like physical in a game, but that’s a mental mistake.”

Montgomery had this to say about holding guys higher up in the lineup accountable. He limited Jordan Kyrou to just four shifts in the third period on Monday.

“It is hard just because we’re losing 3-2, you want your best offensive weapons out there, and when they’re not generating and when they’re off of the standard that you expect from them, that’s where you’ve got to pull back on them because there’s other players like … I look at ‘Torpo,’ he won every foot race,” Montgomery said. “Everyone’s like, ‘Well, he’s not finishing checks.’ Well, it’s because he beats everybody to the puck, so he’s not finishing checks, but we have possession. He’s doing his role at a high level last night in my opinion. That’s the standard, and he’s going to get more shifts and those opportunities because at least he’s getting us the puck, whereas I would prefer our offensive weapons to be out there. But at the same time, he’s going to get opportunities to end games for us because he is going to sacrifice and block shots for us, he is going to get on the right of pucks. His second- and third-effort on pucks is never questioned.”

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This is the first of three games against the Avalanche this season, and where does one begin when talking about Colorado? Aside from no regulation losses at home, the Avalanche leads the NHL in goal differential (plus-66), goals for (153), goals against (87), they have some of the most talented players in the league, led by Nathan NacKinnon and Cale Makar and so much more.

The Blues, meanwhile, are an NHL-worst minus-37 goal differential, have scored 53 fewer goals, allowed 50 more.

“There should be a lot of fear, and fear’s a good thing,” Montgomery said. “Fear of playing the best team in the league. This is the best start by any team ever. Two losses in their first thirty … I don’t know if they’ve played (37) but it’s amazing. In regulation, it’s incredible what they’ve been able to do. They have a standard the way they practice. (Jared) Bednar is set there. Joe Sakic and the current GM (Chris McFarland) have just continued to recruit players that play to that standard and when players haven’t fit the standard, I’ve seen players go in and our quick, but their leaders, the MacKinnons, the Makars, the Toews, the guys that set the standard all the time, and it’s not such a great surprise that they’re having a great year with 92 back, that’s their captain. He sets a standard and probably has the ability to communicate that throughout a lineup of how important all their individual roles are. That’s probably why you’re seeing such an outstanding season by them.”

With absolutely nothing to lose in this game, why would fear be a good thing?

“Because like even fear of losing brings out the best in you, because you pay more attention to detail, you think about … you’re preparing to stay in the moment because you’re afraid of fear of losing or fear of being embarrassed creates the same thing,” Montgomery said. “There’s urgency in everything you do and we haven’t had enough urgency as a group and I understand everything I’m saying points directly at me. I lead this team and I take full ownership of my part in us not having hit the standard that I believe we should be at.”

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Blues Projected Lineup:

Jonatan Berggren-Robert Thomas-Pavel Buchnevich

Jake Neighbours-Brayden Schenn-Jimmy Snuggerud

Otto Stenberg-Dalibor Dvorsky-Jordan Kyrou

Alexey Toropchenko-Oskar Sundqvist-Robby Fabbri

Philip Broberg-Colton Parayko

Tyler Tucker-Justin Faulk

Cam Fowler-Matthew Kessel

Jordan Binnington will start in goal; Joel Hofer will be the backup.

Healthy scratches include Mathieu Joseph and Logan Mailloux. Dylan Holloway (high ankle sprain), Pius Suter (high ankle sprain), Nathan Walker (upper body) and Nick Bjugstad (upper body) are all out.

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Avalanche projected lineup

Gabriel Landeskog-Nathan MacKinnon-Martin Necas

Artturi Lehkonen-Brock Nelson-Valeri Nichushkin

Victor Olofsson-Ross Colton-Gavin Brindley

Parker Kelly-Jack Drury-Joel Kiviranta

Devon Toews-Cale Makar

Josh Manson-Brent Burns

Samuel Girard-Sam Malinski

Mackenzie Blackwood will start in goal; Scott Wedgewood will be the backup.

Healthy scratches include Zakhar Bardakov and Ilya Solovyov. Logan O’Connor (hip) is out.

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