Blues defenseman Nick Leddy carries the puck down the ice in the third period of the home opener against the Wild on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, at Enterprise Center.
Blues defenseman Nick Leddy could miss Thursday鈥檚 game against the Islanders with a lower-body injury, coach Drew Bannister said Wednesday.
Leddy did not participate in practice on Wednesday at Enterprise Center, but the team expects know more on Thursday morning, with Bannister labeling him 鈥渜uestionable.鈥
鈥淚t was something that popped up (Tuesday) afternoon and then again (Wednesday) morning,鈥 Bannister said. 鈥淪o we kept him off the ice.鈥
If Leddy misses Thursday鈥檚 game, it will snap his streak of 125 straight games in the Blues lineup, dating back to a four-game absence in January 2023. Since he was traded from Detroit in March 2022, Leddy has only missed four games as a Blue.
It鈥檚 been a rough start to the season for Leddy, who has been on the ice for eight of the team鈥檚 14 goals against, including three during Tuesday night鈥檚 4-1 loss to the Wild. Asked what effect the injury had on Leddy鈥檚 play, Bannister said, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think it impacted it that much.鈥
鈥淚 think he was focused on and ready to play,鈥 Bannister said. 鈥淚 think if he felt like the injury was going to hold him back or hinder him in any way of being able to play, then he would have taken himself out. He felt that he could be a player for us. Again, he made a mistake. He owned up to it. It鈥檚 up to us as a team, as a group to make sure that we have his back and build him up. He鈥檚 a good player for us. We鈥檝e got to get him playing the way we know he can play.鈥
Without Leddy available for practice, Ryan Suter took his spot on the top pairing alongside Colton Parayko. Suter played there late in Tuesday鈥檚 game when Leddy was moved down to the third pairing with Matthew Kessel.
Suter, 39, last played in a top-pair role two seasons ago with Dallas on a pair with Miro Heiskanen. This season, Suter has averaged 16:02 in four games, which would be the lowest ice time of his 20-year NHL career if it continues throughout the season.
If Suter is asked to play in that role, Bannister said 鈥渉e鈥檒l be able to handle it, no question.鈥
鈥淚 think he鈥檚 just played really well right now,鈥 Bannister said. 鈥淎gain, he鈥檚 a veteran player that鈥檚 played in those situations before. I think he deserves the opportunity to go up there and play with Parry if that鈥檚 what happens here. If Leddy鈥檚 not able to go, I think that鈥檚 a good pairing to have.鈥
As Suter was elevated in the practice lineup, Pierre-Olivier Joseph jumped in on the third pair with Kessel. That left Scott Perunovich as the extra skater on the back end.
More changes
The Blues made two more notable lineup changes during practice on Wednesday, swapping Jordan Kyrou and Jake Neighbours, and then inserting Kasperi Kapanen in Nathan Walker鈥檚 place on the fourth line.
Kyrou skated on a line with Brandon Saad and Robert Thomas, marking the first time this regular season that Thomas and Kyrou could start a game on the same line. They play together on the power play, during extra-attacker situations and when Bannister unites them for offensive zone draws but began the season separated at even strength.
Kyrou has six points (two goals, four assists) in four games, while Thomas has four (one goal, three assists).
鈥淩ight now, they鈥檙e two players that we need to get going, and they need to be top players for us,鈥 Bannister said. 鈥淚 think this is a way to give them an opportunity to get back and get on track and start playing some real good hockey for us because we need them if we鈥檙e going to have success.鈥
Neighbours was on a line with Zack Bolduc and Pavel Buchnevich on Wednesday morning after playing with Thomas the first four games. Neighbours has zero points and a minus-5 rating after scoring 27 goals last year.
鈥淥ffensively, he hasn鈥檛 really been able to find the back of the net, but even for Jakey, I think he can be a little bit more direct in the way that he plays and be a little bit harder around the net,鈥 Bannister said.
Along with Radek Faksa and Alexey Toropchenko, Walker helped form an effective fourth line for the Blues during their two wins last week. But the veteran forward could be making way for Kapanen on Thursday night.
鈥淚 thought they took a step back as a group, not just one player,鈥 Bannister said of the fourth line. 鈥淭hey had the one shift in the second where they got hemmed in when we had a lot of O-zone time. For that line, they鈥檙e at their best when they鈥檙e able to wear teams down and play in the other team鈥檚 offensive zone. I just thought they didn鈥檛 get into their game as much as they had in previous games.鈥
Clarifying situations
After the loss to the Wild, both Bannister and defenseman Justin Faulk said that Alexey Toropchenko鈥檚 high-sticking penalty in the first period was a legitimate call. While the play-by-play sheet listed Brock Faber as having drawn the penalty 鈥 the ESPN broadcast and in-arena feed both showed Toropchenko鈥檚 collision with Faber 鈥 it was actually Jake Middleton who was wronged earlier in the sequence.
Minnesota forward Ryan Hartman scored on the ensuing power play.
Kyrou appeared to score in the second period on a Blues power play, but officials ruled the play dead when they lost sight of the puck.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 just a judgment call,鈥 Bannister said. 鈥淚t probably was a loose puck, but he loses sight of it, then he鈥檚 got to make a call that he thinks is right. He thought, at that time, it was the right call.鈥
Kyrou: 鈥淚t was a great pass by Tommer, goalie made a hell of a save there. I thought the puck was loose when I put it in.鈥
- Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson scored the 16th goal by a goalie in NHL history on Tuesday and the third one in the past three seasons following Tristan Jarry (Nov. 30, 2023) and Linus Ullmark (Feb. 25, 2023). It was the first time the Blues have been involved in a goalie goal.
Gustavsson snared Buchnevich鈥檚 shot on goal from the blue line, dropped it to the ice, then flung it to the vacant Blues goal.
鈥淐ertainly, it wasn鈥檛 a play drawn up that we wanted that puck to go to the net,鈥 Bannister said.
