Craig Berube is notorious among Blues fans for his line shuffling. Sometimes, it makes sense to break up a line that clearly isn’t working. But other times, it seems that the Blues have finally found a line that works, and then Berube shifts it anyway! Making sense of which pairings are strong and which pairings are weak can be tough, especially after seeing some games recently where the team looks very good. With this in mind, we’ve decided to tag-team an article, breaking down the pairings we each see as the right path forward for the blue sweaters to win it all.
First things first, the lines of the last 6 games:
| 1/24 – loss vs. LAK, 6-3 Perron – O’Reilly – Sanford Schwartz – Schenn – Kyrou Hoffman – Bozak – Thomas Clifford – Sundqvist – Barbashev Krug – Parayko Scandella – Faulk Dunn – Mikkola | 1/26 – win @ VGK, 5-4/SO Perron – O’Reilly – Sanford Schwartz – Schenn – Kyrou Hoffman – Bozak – Thomas Clifford – Barbashev – Sundqvist Krug – Faulk Scandella – Parayko Gunnarsson – Mikkola |
| 1/30 – win @ ANA, 6-1 Schwartz – Schenn – Kyrou Clifford – Sundqvist – Barbashev Perron – O’Reilly – Sanford Blais, Thomas, Hoffman Scandella – Parayko Krug – Faulk Dunn – Mikkola | 1/31 – win @ ANA, 4-1 Perron – O’Reilly – Sanford Schwartz – Schenn – Kyrou Blais – Thomas – Hoffman Clifford – Barbashev – Sundqvist Krug – Faulk Scandella – Parayko Dunn – Mikkola |
| 2/2 – win vs. ARI, 4-3 Perron – O’Reilly – Sanford Schwartz – Schenn – Kyrou Blais – Thomas – Hoffman Clifford – Barbashev – Sundqvist Krug – Faulk Scandella – Parayko Dunn – Mikkola | 2/4 – loss vs. ARI, 4-3 Perron – O’Reilly – Sanford Schwartz – Schenn – Kyrou Blais – Thomas – Hoffman Clifford – Barbashev – Sundqvist Krug – Faulk Dunn – Parayko Gunnarsson – Mikkola |
Offensive Pairings
Brendan’s First Line
Perron – O’Reilly – Sanford
Although this isn’t the “first line” in terms of offensive production, it’s the line I want out there against the other team’s best players every night. Sanford hasn’t played very well individually yet, but there’s a reason that these two wingers are the ones that Berube has kept by O’Reilly’s side so consistently.
Thomas’s First Line
Schwartz – Schenn – Kyrou
This line is high-flying and aggressive, definitely a scorer’s dream. The weak tick in this line would be Schenn’s faceoff percentage, which isn’t very strong but can suffice to combo with his high productivity. Huge risk with this line however, as they will be going up against the opponent’s best. Definitely a test for the trio.
Brendan’s Second Line
Schwartz – Schenn – Kyrou
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. This has been the Blues’ best line in terms of expected goals, and, more importantly, the best in terms of actual goals. If Kyrou keeps up playing how he has been, this could very easily be the best second line in the league.
Thomas’s Second Line
Perron – O’Reilly – Thomas
I have extremely high hopes for Robert Thomas, as do most people who have watched his play progress recently. Pairing him with elite veterans like Perron and O’Reilly will both enhance his performance and add speed to their wing. O’Reilly and Perron should be able to bully a much less experienced and talented 2nd line for most opponents.
Brendan’s Third Line
Blais – Thomas – Hoffman
Okay, so all three of my lines so far have mirrored the most recent. But the Blues have played their best hockey most recently, in large part due to how these lines have been playing. This is the first line that Hoffman has played on that has performed well, and although I hate leaving Thomas out of the top 6, I’d rather have him as a center than playing on O’Reilly’s wing. Blais rounds out the line, and as I discussed in my Weekly Roundup on Monday I think he should stay there even when Bozak returns.
Thomas’s Third Line
Blais – Bozak – Hoffman
A lot of my mentality with this line is “prove it”. I need all three of these players to prove to me what I want to see in them: talent for a solid and secured position in the lineup. Hoffman has started slower than expected, which I believe to be because he is no longer paired with the strongest players on the ice like in Florida. Clifford and Blais feel very rotational to me right now, but I’d love for them to prove me wrong. Recently, Hoffman has had good pairings with Blais, so the duo should stick together, although Bozak is a newer match when he returns.
Brendan’s Fourth Line
Barbashev – Bozak – Sundqvist
Whenever Bozak does come back, I think he should start here. Not necessarily due to his own play, but rather the play of his teammates above him in the lineup. The Clifford-Barbashev-Sundqvist line has been atrocious, so break that baby up by all means. I’d also be fine with getting Clifford some games over Sundqvist, who has been extremely unimpressive to me thus far.
Thomas’s Fourth Line
Sanford – Sundqvist – Barbashev
At this point, my line is designed as much for pain and punishment as possible. Send in the fourth line and break them down and wear them out, our depth will outlast that of most teams and can spare some shaky legs from these three. Sanford has been playing at a higher level than fourth liner, but maybe a little bit of weaker opposition will allow for him to exhibit his talents to a greater degree.
Defensive Pairings
Brendan’s First Pair
Krug – Faulk
Faulk has been the best defenseman on the team this season, and Krug is the obvious choice to play on his left. This is a very offensive-leaning pair, but not to a fault. Krug has quietly been one of the best defenseman in the league the last few years; Faulk has not, but they can still do great things together.
Thomas’s First Pair
Scandella – Parayko
The first offensive line I built is heavy in offensive potential but lacking on the defensive end of the ice, which I would like to counter with what I see as our strongest defensive pairing. The stretch and pace control of these two should give the aggressive first line the solid foundation to fall back on in times of trouble.
Brendan’s Second Pair
Scandella – Parayko
This is the defensive counterpart to the offensive first pairing. This pair was very effective last season, and has the potential to fill the “two-way shutdown pair” role that hasn’t truly been filled on this team since the Bouwmeester-Pietrangelo prime years. Okay, so it won’t be that good. But you get the idea.
Thomas’s Second Pair
Krug – Faulk
The opposite of the first line, the second line is all about offensive potential. The second line of forwards has the strength and experience to play tough defence with their offensive output, allowing a more aggressive defensive pairing to play the second line here.
Brendan’s Third Pair
Dunn – Mikkola
It hurts me a bit to keep Dunn out of the top four, and at the beginning of the season I definitely would have had him with Faulk on the second pair. He’s taken steps forward in the last week, but he’ll have to prove it a bit more to move up in my fictional lineup. Mikkola hasn’t been overly impressive to me, but he’s a solid defensive partner that can let Dunn cook a little bit.
Thomas’s Third Pair
Dunn – Mikkola
Dunn’s play has certainly improved over the last few games, and I’m always eager to try out young guns after a 2019 Championship fueled by youth. Despite his improved play, Dunn has not performed well enough to break up the two higher lines that have been in complete sync.
Not Making the Cut
Brendan’s Picks
Clifford, Bortuzzo, and Gunnarsson are my healthy scratches. Clifford is the odd man out on my fourth line, and like I mentioned he could easily be flipped back in. Gunnarsson has been the worst player on the team so far this season, so he’s an obvious omission. And Bortuzzo is a guy who’s perceived value has been higher than his actual value for a long time, much like most players with his style of play. He can ride the pine to start, and step in for Mikkola if the rookie falters.
Thomas’s Picks
Sorry Clifford, you’re my weakest link of the forwards. I have yet to be impressed with his performance, and it seems that he has often slowed down his lines in terms of offensive production.
Gunnarsson. A very weak defensive verteran in my book, and I don’t see him breaking up the top two defensive pairings or playing at a level to justify dumping our younger and equally as solid defensemen in the third line.
Bortuzzo. That’s all. I have never fully bought the idea that Bortuzzo is a talented hockey player. May just be me, but he strikes me as a body on the ice and a punisher more than a skater.
Brendan Komp (@brendanperson)
Thomas Lally (@lallygaggin)
Neutral Zone Trap 