Losing Robert Thomas for approximately six weeks with a fractured ankle isn’t welcome news for the St. Louis Blues, but Head Coach Drew Bannister said making up for his absence will have to be a team effort as his club begins a four-game road trip Thursday in Toronto (6 p.m. CT, FanDuel Sports Network, 101 ESPN).
“It’s unfortunate news for the team and for Robby, too, but it’s a great opportunity for our team to build,” Bannister said after Wednesday’s team practice at Centene Community Ice Center. “We’re going to need guys to step up in certain roles, and there are a lot of guys capable in there of doing different things. It’s going to be a team effort, not one player.
“Everybody’s role is going to increase right now. This is a great opportunity for us to really grab as a team and play together.”
The Blues held an optional skate on Thursday morning in Toronto, so the projected lineup below is based on pregame warm-ups.
Here are some of the lineup changes to note:
- Brayden Schenn, who has been playing on the third line, will move up in the lineup with Thomas out.
- Oskar Sundqvist will return after being activated from injured reserve on Wednesday. Sundqvist sustained a torn ACL injury and has been out since March.
- Alexey Toropchenko is back after missing two games with a lower-body injury.
- Scott Perunovich will play his first game of the season, replacing Matthew Kessel on the third defense pairing.
- Jordan Binnington will start in goal.
