Schenn, Thomas, Power Play & More

The St. Louis Blues are 2-1-0 in the New Year and their schedule has been brutally tough, so their results have been solid so far.

In this edition of Blues’ 3 Up, 3 Down, I will discuss the recent play of the captain, struggles on the third line, the Blues’ All-Star, and more.

Plus One: Brayden Schenn

It’s been a struggle in season one as captain for Brayden Schenn. He went the entire month of December without scoring a goal. In the 5-1 loss to the Florida Panthers on Tuesday, Jan. 9, he finally broke that streak and scored the lone goal in a loss. Before this game, he scored the shootout winner on Saturday, Jan. 6 against the Carolina Hurricanes. He’s looked better in the past two games and hopefully, it’s a sign of things to come. He has just nine goals in 39 games and a team-worst plus/minus of minus-15. His leadership is still important, but improving his on-ice play would be great for the club.

Minus One: The Third Line

The Blues’ third line in their loss against the Panthers was a disaster. Interim head coach Drew Bannister put Jakub Vrana and Kasperi Kapanen on the wings of center Kevin Hayes. On the surface, it seems like a line that could work well given the speed of Vrana and Kapanen combined with the size and strength of Hayes. In the loss, Hayes and Vrana were both minus-3, while Kapanen was a minus-2.

Based on the practice lines going into their matchup against the New York Rangers, Vrana is out of the lineup and Kapanen was moved down to the fourth line. It just seems like it’s never going to work in St. Louis for Vrana. As for Kapanen, I don’t see a benefit to him playing on the fourth line. It’ll be interesting to see how things progress for them over the next few weeks as the trade deadline gets closer.

Plus Two: Robert Thomas is an All-Star

Included in the initial selections for the NHL 2024 All-Star Game in Toronto, Blues center Robert Thomas is set to make his first appearance. He’s earned this selection in every way with his performance this season. It’s especially great for him with the event being in Toronto as he grew up in Ontario and played junior hockey for the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).

Related: Blues’ Robert Thomas Named 2024 NHL All-Star

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Thomas has 41 points in 39 games this season, including 16 goals and 25 assists. He’s also a plus-13 and has won 53 percent of faceoffs, which is currently a career-best….