Fabbri to take forward's spot in lineup; Joseph also to play after being scratched Saturday, Berggren to sit out first game since joining St. Louis; Stenberg making most of opportunity
MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- The St. Louis Blues were coming off a much-needed win on Saturday against the Nashville Predators and did so mending some of the ailments that have plagued them since the beginning of December with the return of forwards Jordan Kyrou and Jimmy Snuggerud.
But they get to add another forward to the sidelines now in veteran Pius Suter, who sustained a lower-body injury via a slew foot from Predators forward Michael McCarron in the third period but did come back to finish the game.
Suter, who has seven goals and seven assists in 37 games this season, is unlikely to play on Monday for the Blues (15-16-8) against the red-hot Buffalo Sabres (19-14-4), winners of eight straight, due to the lower-body injury after not practicing on Sunday.
“Not able to practice today, too sore,” Blues coach Jim Montgomery said. “He's going to have an MRI later this afternoon. We'll have more information for you tomorrow ... Day to day, I would rule him out for tomorrow. That's safe to say.”
In Suter’s spot was Robby Fabbri, who did not play on Saturday. Mathieu Joseph, a healthy scratch on Saturday as well, will also come in, and Jonatan Berggren, who got off to a hot start with two goals and two assists his first three games, will be a healthy scratch.
“Well, yeah I guess leveled off is a pretty good choice of words,” Montgomery said. “He just hasn’t been as tenacious on pucks, checking skills. And his habits and details haven’t been the same, offensively and defensively.
“He still made a couple plays yesterday that were really high-end plays. The one between the legs to ‘Rouzy’ in the first period and that’s his strength. It’s the habits and details that he needs to gain to become consistent with the way we play. Even when he’s not on offensively, he’s going to help us win.”
Getting the 25-year-old, claimed off waivers from the Detroit Red Wings, back to speed when he first came in will be essential.
“We show him and we work with him, and then it’s up to him to grab it,” Montgomery said. “In this league, results matter as we all know. It’s way more fun for you guys to report after last night’s win, it’s way more fun for us to be at the rink. Professional sports is about winning. As coaches, we really resonate with players that have great habits and details, sticks, stopping on pucks, when the puck stops, you stop. It’s a simple game. Winning 1-on-1 battles. When you do that, you’re not going to come out of the lineup because then you have the puck, you’re not going to make a mistake.”
But now that bodies are on the mend and the roster is becoming more crowded, those fringe players are starting to look over their shoulders and wondering if they’re next.
“It makes it hard. Players aren’t dumb,” Montgomery said. “They can count numbers, and then they’re like, ‘Whoa, I’m not getting the same opportunities.’ But you’ve got to relish those habits and details … they’re going to keep you in the lineup no matter where you play. It’s why a guy like (Oskar) Sundqvist is so valuable. He just does the right thing all the time, even when he’s awful and falls 10 times a game (laughing). He’s still in the right place when he falls.
“So you brought up Berggren earlier, whoever’s going in the lineup for him, here’s your opportunity to stay in the lineup. Now you know what you’ve got to do. Your habits, your details, without the puck, we’ve got to be trusting that you’re going to do the right thing. With the puck, play to your strengths. Whether you’re a forechecker, you’re a body checker, whether you’re your a back-checker or you’re a scorer or you’re a passer. Play to your strengths, but without the puck, we better know what you should look like without it.”
With Suter now down, for however long, he joins Nathan Walker (upper body), Nick Bjugstad (upper body) and Dylan Holloway (high ankle sprain) on the shelf, but they’re all a day closer to getting back, and decisions will have to be made.
“You know what, Bjugstad’s unclear right now, but I would think he’s the closest … possibly,” Montgomery said. “But then we don’t know about (Suter) so I can’t comment. He’s day to day right now.”
Holloway was at the rink watching behind the rink at Centene Community Ice Center but he was stick-handling getting in some work while his ankle is on the mend:
“The negative is I’ve seen more stick-handling than I’ve seen him on the ice since he got hurt last year,” Montgomery said. “The positive is how well he was playing, his frame of mind, his commitment to being a pro. He’s going to be back absolute earliest he can be back, and until he steps on the ice, we don’t have clarity on that.”
One of the guys taking advantage of the opportunity is Otto Stenberg, a first-round pick (No. 25) in the 2023 NHL Draft, who has three assists in five games and is a plus-2 since his recall from Springfield of the American Hockey League.
Montgomery uses the 20-year-old in seemingly all situations.
“I didn’t know he was that competitive at 1-on-1 battles,” Montgomery said. “That would be the one thing. I saw the hockey sense with and without the puck, he is starting to show more offense I think as he’s getting comfortable, which is a great sign that there’s more to him than what we’ve seen. I think there’s more layers to his game, especially offensively, and I think defensively, just as he learns the details and habits that we want, he applies things right away. He’s in line to become a Sundqvist.
“If you have an elite brain, usually when you come up, the game becomes a little easier because people are in places where you expect and you get the puck when you expect it. I think it’s too early to make that judgment on him just like it’s way to early that he’s going to be a Sundqvist.”
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