The St. Louis Blues faced a tough test in their first game of 2024, earning a 2-1 win against the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night at Enterprise Center. As the team heads on the road, Interim Head Coach Drew Bannister is expected to keep his lineup largely the same Saturday vs. the Carolina Hurricanes (7 p.m. CT, Bally Sports, 101 ESPN). With the exception of one thing...
Forward Jakub Vrana, who was recalled from the Springfield Thunderbirds, will re-enter the lineup and skate on the fourth line in place of Sammy Blais.
"The message to [Vrana] is the message to all the players when I was coming in," Bannister said. "To earn your ice time and there's going to be accountability and work ethic, and it starts in practice."
Vrana posted eight points (four goals, four assists) in seven games with the Thunderbirds. He has six points (two goals, four assists) in 19 games with the Blues this season.
"There's guys that certainly want to continue to get themselves in the lineup, so it's going to be up to him to stay in the lineup," Bannister said.
The rest of the forward lines, along with the defensive pairings, look to remain unchanged based on Friday's practice. Jordan Binnington is expected to get the nod in net.
