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St. Louis Blues Opt for Drastic Change in Attempt to Rebound vs. San Jose Sharks

By Patrick Karraker

May 19, 2016; San Jose, CA, USA; San Jose Sharks defenseman Roman Polak (46) checks St. Louis Blues right wing Troy Brouwer (36) during the second period in game three of the Western Conference Final of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs at SAP Center at San Jose. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports
May 19, 2016; San Jose, CA, USA; San Jose Sharks defenseman Roman Polak (46) checks St. Louis Blues right wing Troy Brouwer (36) during the second period in game three of the Western Conference Final of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs at SAP Center at San Jose. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports /
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May 7, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; St. Louis Blues goalie Jake Allen (34) takes the ice during prior to the game against the Dallas Stars in game five of the second round of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
May 7, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; St. Louis Blues goalie Jake Allen (34) takes the ice during prior to the game against the Dallas Stars in game five of the second round of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /

Blues Lineup

The Blues’ lineup will once again be up in the air for Game 4. We know for certain that there will be a goaltending change, but Ken Hitchcock’s decisions on the skaters for Saturday’s game won’t be revealed until Saturday’s morning skate at the earliest. Given the trouble that the insertion of Robert Bortuzzo indirectly caused in Game 3, as Kevin Shattenkirk posted a minus-2 rating while trying to play on the left side of Colton Parayko, it’s at least somewhat possible that Joel Edmundson will return to the lineup and play alongside Shattenkirk on Saturday, allowing Parayko to play with his usual partner, Carl Gunnarsson.

It’s anyone’s guess as to what the fourth line will look like on Saturday. Hitchcock has already used six different forwards on the line this postseason, and the right wing spot on the line will probably be up for grabs again for Game 4. Steve Ott, who took some bad penalties in the first two games, probably isn’t going to get back in just yet, but it should be interesting to see who among Ryan Reaves, Magnus Paajarvi, and Dmitrij Jaskin gets the call. Since the Blues lacked aggressiveness on Thursday, Reaves might be the best fit.

Winger Scottie Upshall, who missed Thursday’s game with an upper-body injury but has been a solid contributor when healthy, is supposed to be available on Saturday and has a good chance to get back into the lineup. He’d likely replace Paajarvi, who made his postseason debut in Game 3 and looked OK, though he didn’t contribute to the penalty kill like Upshall usually does.

UPDATE, 3:29 PM: Upshall won’t play tonight, and the fourth line is expected to remain the same. Ken Hitchcock alluded to the possibility of a defensive change, so that may mean that veteran Chris Butler draws into the lineup for the first time this postseason.

Jaden Schwartz–Alexander Steen–Vladimir Tarasenko

Patrik Berglund—Jori Lehtera–David Backes

Robby Fabbri–Paul Stastny–Troy Brouwer

Magnus Paajarvi–Kyle Brodziak–Dmitrij Jaskin

Jay Bouwmeester–Alex Pietrangelo

Carl Gunnarsson-Kevin Shattenkirk

Chris Butler–Colton Parayko

Jake Allen

Next: Sharks Lineup

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