ST. LOUIS -- My player to watch for the St. Louis Blues in the final of a four-game homestand on Thursday against the Arizona Coyotes is forward Pavel Buchnevich.
When it came to describing his play, Buchnevich didn't hold back criticizing himself after a 5-2 loss against the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday.
Buchnevich had a goal taken off the goal line by a sliding Dylan DeMelo in the first period, then lost control of a puck and fanned on a breakaway attempt near the end of the period. He has just a goal and two assists in nine games this season, and normally when players call themselves out like that, they typically come back with some hunger and vigor moving forward.
Buchnevich has 14 points (seven goals, seven assists) in 11 games against the Coyotes and I can see a strong performance tonight, including making an impact on the stat sheet.
