St. Louis Blues Game 4 Preview: Team Looks to Stay Relevant Against Minnesota Wild

Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Blues’ Projected Lineup

Forwards

Alexander Steen-David Backes–T.J. Oshie

Jaden Schwartz–Jori Lehtera–Vladimir Tarasenko

Steve Ott–Paul Stastny–Patrik Berglund

Dmitrij Jaskin-Marcel Goc–Ryan Reaves

Defensemen

Carl Gunnarsson–Alex Pietrangelo

Jay Bouwmeester–Robert Bortuzzo

Barret Jackman–Kevin Shattenkirk

Goalie: Jake Allen

Scratches: Olli Jokinen, Chris Porter, Ty Rattie, Zbynek Michalek, Chris Butler, Niklas Lundstrom

Blues coach Ken Hitchcock didn’t divulge any information about if there would be lineup changes following Game 3, but one can only assume that with the lackluster effort the team delivered something will change. With as impactful as defenseman Robert Bortuzzo was for the club down the stretch, one would think that he has to get a chance in Game 4 with the Blues’ backs up against the wall. He’d likely replace a veteran among Jay Bouwmeester, Zbynek Michalek, and Barret Jackman. Michalek would make the most sense among those three to be a healthy scratch considering that he was a minus player on Monday and, like Bortuzzo, is a righthanded shot. However, Jackman may end up being the scapegoat since he generally plays on the bottom defensive pairing.

Since Dmitrij Jaskin saw just 8:45 of ice time on Monday night and has registered just one shot through the first three playoff games, it’s easy to see Hitchcock exercising a quick hook on him on Wednesday. Jaskin could be replaced by Chris Porter, who would add a much-needed dose of grit and quickness to the Blues’ lineup, two qualities that they severely lacked on Monday.

Next: Wild Projected Lineup