ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Blues assigned defenseman Matthew Kessel to Springfield of the American Hockey League on Monday. Blues played with a purpose, checked well, especially in first period; penalty kill gets the job done; new (old) top line comes through in clutch The 24-year-old was called up last Friday after the trade of defenseman Scott Perunovich to the New York Islanders and played in one game, a 5-0 loss against the Colorado Avalanche, when defenseman Colton Parayko couldn't play due to illness. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/st-louis-blues/latest-news/three-takeaways-from-blues-5-0-loss-against-avalanche] Kessel was a healthy scratch Sunday against the Utah Hockey Club when Parayko returned. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/st-louis-blues/latest-news/three-takeaways-from-blues-2-1-win-against-utah-hockey-club] Kessel has played in 27 games with the Blues this season and has three assists. He has 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in 17 games with the Thunderbirds this season. Overall, the Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, native has 10 points (one goal, nine assists) in 68 NHL games and 55 points (12 goals, 43 assists) in 139 AHL games. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjA5MjcwNjk1MDQ0MTI5OTk4/subscribe2024-tag-carousel.jpg]
