Paul Stastny Won’t Play as St. Louis Blues Stick With Same Lineup for Game 4

The St. Louis Blues won’t bring back Paul Stastny for Game 4 of their series with the Minnesota Wild.

The St. Louis Blues undoubtedly struck some extra feat into the Minnesota Wild’s minds yesterday and this morning, trotting out center Paul Stastny onto the ice and utilizing him as one of their top 12 forwards during line rushes as Alexander Steen missed practice.

However, Stastny won’t play on Wednesday night as the Blues attempt to lock up a first-round series sweep of the Wild. Coach Mike Yeo told members of the media after Wednesday’s morning skate that Stastny, who hasn’t played since March 21 due to a lower-body injury, will remain out as the Blues utilize the same lineup that they used to win Games 2 and 3.

That means winger Zach Sanford will suit up for another game. The 22-year-old rookie has skated in the Blues’ past two games, and while he hasn’t collected any points, he’s been a very steady presence on the third line alongside Alexander Steen and Vladimir Sobotka.

Next: Reaves a Calming Presence During Blues' Transition

If the Blues should sweep the series tonight, it’s quite likely that Stastny will rejoin the lineup for the beginning of their second-round series. It’s unknown how long Stastny skated on his own before rejoining practice, so the amount of work that he has to do to get back up to game speed is up in the air.