Blues Shuffle Lines Again Ahead of Clash with Red Wings
The St. Louis Blues are back on the road, and head coach Jim Montgomery is shaking things up once more. After a tough 7–4 loss to the Utah Mammoth earlier this week, the Blues are looking to reset as they prepare to face the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night at Little Caesars Arena. Puck drop is set for 6 p.m. CT, with coverage on FanDuel Sports Network and 101 ESPN.
Now, this isn’t the first time Montgomery’s mixed up his forward lines this season, but this round of adjustments seems to be about sending a clear message — consistency and effort need to be front and center. Montgomery emphasized that his team needs to get back to its core identity as a checking team, one that works hard and battles in all three zones. “That’s our focus,” he said earlier. “We need to be a really good checking team, and that starts in the offensive zone.”
During their recent four-game homestand, the Blues went 1-2-1 and were outscored 18-11, a stretch that exposed their defensive lapses and lack of sustained energy. Still, there’s some optimism: St. Louis is undefeated on the road so far, winning both away games against the Flames and Canucks earlier this month. Montgomery’s hope is that a change in scenery — and some line shuffling — might reignite their momentum.
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The new forward lines include Jake Neighbours skating alongside Robert Thomas and rookie Jimmy Snuggerud on the top line, with Brayden Schenn centering Mathieu Joseph and Jordan Kyrou. Meanwhile, Pavel Buchnevich — who finally broke through with a power-play goal on Thursday — will line up next to Pius Suter and Nathan Walker. The fourth line will feature Dylan Holloway with Oskar Sundqvist and Nick Bjugstad, a combination that’s caught the coach’s eye for its potential energy.
Holloway, still recovering from hip surgery earlier this year, has shown flashes of brilliance but hasn’t quite found his rhythm yet. Montgomery acknowledged that the young forward might be overthinking his game: “When he just plays, he’s naturally on top of pucks. But when you start thinking too much out there, you look slower — even when you’re not.”
Defensively, Matthew Kessel will slot back in for Logan Mailloux, and Jordan Binnington will get the start in goal, with Joel Hofer expected to take the crease Monday against Pittsburgh.
As for the Red Wings, they’ll be eager to bounce back after being blown out 7-2 by the Islanders. Their lineup features Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond leading the charge, while veteran John Gibson starts in goal.
For the Blues, the goal tonight is simple — rediscover their defensive edge, tighten up their structure, and start stringing together wins. As forward Nathan Walker put it, “We’ve got to try to pile some points up while we can.”
All eyes will be on Detroit tonight to see if Montgomery’s lineup shuffle can spark the turnaround the Blues have been searching for.
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