MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Missouri – The puck will drop for the first time in the 2024-25 season for the St. Louis Blues when they open preseason play against the Dallas Stars at 6 p.m. today at the American Airlines Center (Blues App, stlouisblues.com, Victory+, ESPN 101.1-FM).
For newcomers Mathieu and PO Joseph, it is their first appearance in the Blues lineup. Both were signed last offseason, Mathieu in exchange for future services from the Ottawa Senators and PO as an unrestricted free agent from the Pittsburgh Penguins.
“Mathieu’s speed is immediately noticeable,” said Blues coach Drew Bannister. “I think he’s a player that will fill a role, especially in the PK. Maybe he’ll take some of the pressure off some of our top six players. We have a lot of players that can move up and down the lineup and we have a lot of players that can kill right now and he’s going to be one of them. If you watch some of the games in Ottawa, you can see he’s causing a lot of havoc and creating a lot of counter opportunities just with his speed.
“I like the way (PO) skates, I like his size, his length and his good defense. We’re going to give him a chance. I’ve seen him play a lot in the American (Hockey) League. He’s a player that gets in the game, he’s very involved in the offense, he can play a power play. If we give him the opportunity to run one of the power play units here today, I expect a guy that’s going to move pucks, get in the game and be involved in the offense.”
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Pavel Buchnevich, who signed a six-year, $48 million contract extension this summer, headlines the Blues’ roster tonight and will open a season as center for the first time, lining up between Zack Bolduc and Jake Neighbors.
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The Blues have said they will keep a close eye on Buchnevich as he moves to the center position, but will not do so during or late in the season.
This is intentional.
“Last year I didn’t really know where I was going to be, but now we’ve set the tone,” Buchnevich said. “We’re going to try this stuff out right now. I’m pretty excited. We’ll see.”
“I think it’s important that he gets used at center,” Bannister said of Buchnevich. “If the plan is ultimately for him to start there at center, then it’s important to get him there. It’s not set in stone. He can play wing, and that’ll be pretty comfortable for him if we move him from there. But the way he performed last year, we want to get him back to center and give him some play there.”
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The Blues, who also play against the Utah Hockey Club in Des Moines, Iowa on Sunday, bring a mixed lineup to Dallas because they want and need to see their younger players in action.
The NHL requires eight NHL-experienced players on each lineup, so there will be familiar players, but some of the younger players will get a first and necessary look at the roster.
“It’s important for our young players to get to play in these games and see where they are,” Bannister said. “You see them in development camp, you see them playing against their peers in a rookie tournament, but now they get to go out and play against NHL players and against men. It’s a good opportunity for these kids to get out there, get involved and see what it’s like.”
“After two days of practice, I don’t think we’re going to put that much emphasis on structure. It’s going to be a lot about identity issues, things that don’t require skill like tracking, reloading, guys finishing their checks, guys taking hits to make plays, good line changes. Just habits, details in our game.”
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Expected Blues lineup:
Zack Bolduc-Pavel Buchnevich-Jake Neighbors
Mathieu Joseph-Zach Dean-Kasperi Kapanen
Alexey Toropchenko-Nikita Alexandrov-MacKenzie MacEachern
Hugh McGing-Jakub Stancl-Marcus Sylvegard
PO Joseph-Samuel Johannessen
Matt Mayich-Tyler Tucker
Quinton Burns-Will McIsaac
Jordan Binnington shall start in goal and play one half; Colton Ellis is expected to serve as a substitute and play the final two periods of the game.
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Lineup of stars:
Striker — Oskar Beck, Logan Stankoven, Jamie Benn, Colin Blackwell, Cole Lind, Mavrik Bourque, Matej Blumel, Mason Marchment, Cameron Hughes, Emilio Petterson, Emil Hemming, Justin Hryckowian, Wyatt Johnston, Evgenii Dadonov.
Defender — Matt Dumba, Miro Heiskanen, Nils Lundkvist, Lian Bichsel, Kyle Capobianco, Alex Petrovic, Thomas Harley.
Goalkeeper — Casey DeSmith, Magnus Hellberg.
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