ST. LOUIS -- Pavel Buchnevich can joke about it now. So can Robert Thomas.
Smiles and jokes can abound from all different ways, especially when you're winning.
Brayden Schenn (left) and Pavel Buchnevich celebrate a goal in the Blues' 6-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday at Enterprise Center, St. Louis' sixth straight win.The Blues have grasped the winning lately, and they're doing it quite well. Amazingly on the heels of an eight-game losing streak, they've now followed it up with a six-pack of wins after a 6-2 thumping of the Anaheim Ducks at Enterprise Center on Saturday.
They are now 9-8-0 on the season, and did so without two of their top players in forward Vladimir Tarasenko and defenseman Colton Parayko.
Taking Tarasenko, who missed due to illness, off the Thomas and Buchnevich line creates some chaos and leaves a void in the top six, and in the morning skate, coach Craig Berube had Alexey Toropchenko skating in Tarasenko's spot and, at least publicly, had every intention of playing the fourth-line Russian there in Tarasenko's absence.
Luckily for the Blues, and a decision that's easy for Berube to make, and as much as the Blues hate to pull Jordan Kyrou away from Brayden Schenn's line, Berube has that luxury. Thomas and Kyrou are the best of friends, and Kyrou has played with Buchnevich before too.
The line dominated, combining for 10 points, including Buchnevich matching his NHL career-best with four points (two goals, two assists). Thomas had a goal and two assists, and Kyrou added three helpers.
"Yeah, we play pretty good today," Buchnevich deadpanned. "As a line, we have fun today. We had tons of scoring chances and we can probably score a couple more. Happy I got two and a team win.
"When they're both really good players, it's like we try to have fun. We try to play for each other and talking on the bench, try to be closer, connected and we have so many scoring chances tonight."
It was if the line could do no wrong. At times, they dangled the puck on a string and created offense masterfully.
"Yeah, I mean obviously it's a huge loss losing Vladi," Thomas said. "He's such a big part of this team. And yeah, I think 'Rouzy' did a great job stepping up and he made me and 'Buchy' better, so what a great game from him."
It started with Thomas' no-look pass to Buchnevich for a 2-0 lead in the first period.
"Yeah, I saw him just before I got the puck, so I knew if I just put it in that area, he’d probably score," Thomas said.
And how about this beauty, with Thomas and Kyrou doing their magic, winning a puck, Kyrou spinning Ryan Strome around before finding Thomas, who put a rope onto Buchnevich's stick before the Russian was able to backhand one home for a 3-0 lead 1:02 into the second?
The trio capped off the night with a Thomas one-timer in the third.
It's nice as a coaching staff that Berube can plug a 75-point player on that line and not miss a beat. It's a great luxury to have, and the Blues took full advantage of it.
"Kyrou's played with 'Tommer' before and they've done well before and had good chemistry," Berube said. "I liked the Schenn line tonight, too, it's a hard line to play against. Three guys who are hard to play against, they're physical and they had a really good game."
Berube doesn't make that move unless he feels comfortable plugging Noel Acciari into Schenn's line with Ivan Barbashev. Toropchenko played with Nikita Alexandrov and Tyler Pitlick and the only line in Tarasenko's absence that remained the same was Brandon Saad, Ryan O'Reilly and Josh Leivo.
"There's no one on this team that I don't like playing with," Thomas said. "I love playing with each and every one of them and we got a ton of skill in the forward group. So every night you know you’re going out with two great players. And it's exciting."
And it's exciting for the Blues to see Buchnevich scoring again.
Buchnevich played in the season opener and had a goal and an assist, then missed five games with a groin injury. He returned and went five games without a point but now has nine points (three goals, six assists) the past six games.
It's safe to say he needed time to get back up to speed, and it's certainly helped raise the Blues' offensive output during this six-game winning streak, averaging 4.5 goals per game.
"Too good a player to keep of the scoreboard," Berube said. "He's got tons of skill and he proved that tonight with his playmaking ability and his shot."
Defenseman Torey Krug Buchnevich took it upon himself to raise his game to where it needed to be and get the team pointed back in the right direction.
"He cares too much to stay in a funk like that," Krug said. "You understand the work he puts in every day and how much he cares about the team and trying to help. So you knew he’d come out of it."
All the Blues have seemed to come out of it, and they're having fun in the process.
"I just think when you winning, it's always fun," Buchnevich said. "I don't know how many we win now, six right now, five? Hopefully we keep going and it's always fun when you are winning, good mood in the locker room. Everybody like so positive and all the positive emotions there. I think everybody happy, even coaches too."
As for the kidding, Thomas said he and Kyrou did their best to try and get Buchnevich his second NHL hat trick, but ...
"Yeah, I mean, you can only do so much. He's got to put it in the net," Thomas said laughing. "So I tried to get him a couple chances and would have loved to see that for him. So, too bad but maybe next game."
Buchnevich, when told this, replied with a laugh himself.
"Yeah ... sometimes I tell him too same thing," Buchnevich said.
"Yeah, second period. 'Rouzy' dangle guy and give it to me. I just fell off the puck and I think I got another opportunity too. They are both really good players, create so many chances for me."
These are the good times of a lively locker room, one that comes alive with winning games.