Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

The St. Louis Blues are five games into the 2023-24 season. They are 2-2-1 with no identity right now and that’s been on display in all five of their games. They have moments with an inordinate amount of ineptitude in all phases and other moments with some semblance of competence.

In this edition of Blues Weekly, I’ll discuss the Blues game against the Winnipeg Jets, the state of their offense, why a change on the blue line may be in order, and much more.

Blues Lose to Jets in NHL’s Frozen Frenzy Night

It was a big night in the NHL on Tuesday, Oct. 24 with all 32 teams in action. The Blues were in Winnipeg to play the Jets for the first time this season. In the game, the Blues had numerous defensive breakdowns and lost 4-2. With this performance, it’s clear that the Blues need to be better with the puck and get more shots on net. They had just 20 shots all night and that’s been a common theme throughout the season.

The Blues need to generate sustained offensive pressure, which is something they’ve struggled with all season. They’re lucky to be 2-2-1 with how poor their offense has been. I think it’s a philosophical issue in some ways as the Blues have emphasized defense a lot so far this season, but their defense was awful in several spots against the Jets. It’s hard to understand how the Blues can get dominated in a game where they won nearly 65 percent of faceoffs. Their defense struggled and did nothing to help goaltender Jordan Binnington.

Buchnevich Returns & Blues Power Play Scores

In the loss to the Jets, Pavel Buchnevich returned to the lineup after missing two games. He looked great with nearly 18 minutes of ice time, tallying two points, including a power play goal. It was the Blues’ first power-play goal of the season, and it came in their 13th opportunity. They are now 1-for-15 on the power play this season, which is just under seven percent and 28th in the NHL.



Having Buchnevich back in the lineup is big for the Blues, but it’s still clear that head coach Craig Berube hasn’t found the best line combinations yet. I’d like to see Buchnevich moved back up with Robert Thomas on the first line and separating Thomas and Jordan Kyrou. It’ll be interesting to see how the Blues lineup looks before their next game as the road trip continues.

Scandella Should Be Replaced in Blues Lineup

It’s time for the Blues to make a lineup change, and that became obvious in their loss to the Jets. Defenseman Marco Scandella needs to be replaced by Scott Perunovich, but I don’t expect it to happen anytime soon. He’s played limited minutes in every game this season outside of their loss to the Arizona Coyotes. If the concerns about Perunovich are his defensive play, Scandella might be worse defensively.

In the first two goals scored by the Jets, Scandella was out of position and did nothing to recover in time. He provides little to nothing in the puck-moving department, which is where Perunovich excels. On top of that, the Blues power play needs a spark and he can provide that on either unit. The Scandella contract has been a disaster and they don’t need to keep rolling him out there because of his $3.275 million salary cap hit. The bottom line is that the Blues need to take Scandella out and put Perunovich in.

Blues’ Week Ahead

The Blues’ road trip in Canada continues with a back-to-back against the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks before four days off. It’ll be interesting to see their response after a tough loss to the Jets, especially against a struggling Flames team.

More must-reads:

TODAY'S BEST
Three takeaways as Rangers take commanding 3-0 series lead on Hurricanes
Cavaliers punch back, blowing out Celtics in Game 2
Coach: Oilers star center could miss Game 2 vs. Canucks
Watch: Cavaliers' Evan Mobley turns defense into offense in Game 2 vs. Celtics
Xander Schauffele tops stacked leaderboard after first round of Wells Fargo Championship
Rangers center making long-awaited return in Game 3 vs. Hurricanes
Suns talks with head-coaching target 'expected to move quickly'
Knicks get even more bad injury news ahead of Game 3
Frank Vogel fell victim to a Suns ownership group eager to win
2008 Celtics champion sentenced to prison despite emotional plea
Skip Bayless makes huge Tom Brady prediction after Netflix roast
14-year-old phenom signs unprecedented MLS deal that includes future Man City transfer
Pacers coach claims officials are biased against 'small market' teams
Hall of Famer makes bold prediction about Russell Wilson, Steelers
49ers Hall of Fame CB Jimmy Johnson dies
Rams make surprising move with former team captain
NBA announces discipline for Bucks' Patrick Beverley
Hall of Fame RB defends Najee Harris after Steelers decline fifth-year option
Pacers file shocking number of questionable calls after Game 2 loss vs. Knicks
Former NBA star says Anthony Edwards becomes face of the NBA if Wolves knock off Nuggets

Want more Blues news?

Join the hundreds of thousands of fans who start their day with Yardbarker's Morning Bark, the best newsletter in sports.