Forward Alexey Toropchenko is expected to make a move up to the third line after scoring in back-to-back games ahead of tonight’s home matchup against the Edmonton Oilers (7 p.m. CT, Bally Sports, 101 ESPN).
“The thing with Torpo, you know he’s going to get an honest effort every night," Blues Head Coach Drew Bannister said. "He just comes to work and play. He’s an easy guy to move around and play with different players.”
Toropchenko will join Brandon Saad and Kevin Hayes in what will be the first home matchup for the Blues since Jan. 30, prior to the All-Star break.
“I thought he was our best player in all three [road] games," Bannister added. "He got rewarded for going to the hard areas and doing the right things. He’s a straight line player, he’s easy to play with, he’s very predictable. He’s going to do a lot of his goal scoring around the blue paint – he’s a big body that skates well and plays direct. You saw it in those two games, he can cut to the net really hard and create chaos around the blue paint.”
In addition, Bannister will make adjustments on the fourth line, with Nikita Alexandrov re-entering the lineup with Oskar Sundqvist and Nathan Walker.
