Perunovich strong in preseason debut, contributes assist in 3-2 win over Coyotes

For the 25-year-old defenseman and 2020 Hobey Baker Award winner, it was another first step.

Perunovich hopes it's the last time a first game of sorts is talked about after he contributed an assist in a 3-2 St. Louis Blues win over the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday in the preseason opener for St. Louis at Enterprise Center.

Perunovich last played an NHL game on Sept. 27, a preseason 4-1 win at the Chicago Blackhawks but went down to yet another injury, a fractured left clavicle that sidelined the left-handed shooting d-man for six months before returning to finish out last season with the Springfield Thunderbirds of the American Hockey League before representing USA at the World Championships in Finland this past summer.

Perunovich, who had 20 points (two goals, 18 assists) in 22 regular-season games with Springfield and a goal and seven assists for USA in 10 games, played alongside Colton Parayko on Saturday, finishing with the second-most minutes (25:15) behind Parayko (27:24) and tied for the team lead with four takeaways. He also played a puck off the left wall and went point to point with it to Jakub Vrana, who fed Oskar Sundqvist in the crease for a goal to make it 2-0 in the second period.

"It went good, I felt pretty good," Perunovich said. "The team was moving. It's nice being out there with Parayko. He makes it a lot easier. He talks out on the ice and kind of helps me through it, especially early on. It was a good start for the team.

"Each game you get more and more confident about your game and you're healthy. Just one after another, try and take it slow and keep a positive mindset."

Perunovich was making smart decisions with the puck, his outlets were solid, and his transition game was at a high level, attributes he's known for. What really stood out were his defensive reads, jumping plays and anticipating where pucks would go really stood out for an offensive-minded player.

"That's a big part of it, especially getting back quick for pucks, getting the first touch on it is important and then moving it, get it and moving it," Blues coach Craig Berube said. "That'll be key for him. Anticipating as a defensemen what the forward's going to do with the puck and where he's going to put it, anticipating that play and getting there a second early, two seconds early. That's going to make all the difference in the world for him to get going and moving that puck and get going out of the zone."

Perunovich and Parayko combined to be plus-5 in the game and were steady-smooth on the ice, reading off each other well and making the right plays.

"It was great, he played really well," Parayko said of Perunovich. "Just a steady puck mover, can play in all situations as we saw today. Just very easy to play with. Getting a chance to play with him today, he's a helluva player.

"He can play in all situations, he moves the puck really well, sees the ice really well, super-patient. I think he's got all the attributes to be a really good defender and just a player in general. For me to play with him, it was great. I got to just do my thing. He was looking at the open ice and just making plays. Very easy to play with and he played really well."

It's been a long road for Perunovich, who has just 26 NHL games of experience (19 in the regular season and seven in the Stanley Cup Playoffs during the 2021-22 season) after missing the 2020-21 season with a torn left labrum.

"I think it's pretty much cleared," Perunovich said of the mental mindset of being injured often. "Obviously try and be smart and put yourself in smart positions, protect yourself a little better. I learned that obviously and hopefully it works."

The Blues had just one power play against Arizona, so getting to quarterback the power play wasn't in the cards as often as Perunovich will get, so he got to play on the penalty kill and play in a lot of even-strength minutes (21:04) and another 3:19 on the PK.

"I was out there on the penalty kill today," Perunovich said. "'Bobbo' [Robert Bortuzzo], I'm asking him for advice, he's helping me. He's talking. 'Faulker' [Justin Faulk], I'm always asking him questions and he's always open to help just like the rest of them. I think having a good veteran group like that who really want you to succeed helps a lot."

It's also helped Perunovich to have the support of teammates through all those hard times, especially the defenseman.

"You never like to see how he's had to experience things, but he keeps working hard," Parayko said. "Like we saw today, he played a great game, he's ready and it's definitely exciting. I'm looking forward to continue to watch him grow this camp and as a player and as a person to keep getting better."

The Blues' blue line is quite crowded, and a Perunovich won't make decisions easier when it comes down to setting an opening night roster. But when at his best, it's hard to keep Perunovich on the outside looking in.

"Puck movement and getting up the ice and creating in the offensive zone, power play obviously," Berube said describing Perunovich's strengths. "We had one power play tonight, but I thought Scotty moved the puck well. He closed some plays out with his stick and his feet defending the rush. I thought he did a good job, had a couple nice blocks on the PK, did some good things there. I thought he moved the puck well and that's kind of what he does."

Making the opening night roster is Perunovich's sole focus now as he continues to get more and more reps. It's all about keeping Perunovich healthy.

"I'd like to say I can help," Perunovich said. "Obviously that's my game and just trying to keep moving pucks up the ice quick, jump up when I can and create offense. Obviously I want to make the team. We'll see what happens."