The St. Louis Blues are making multiple lineup changes ahead of the biggest game in franchise history.
Defenseman Joel Edmundson will sub in for fellow blue-liner Robert Bortuzzo, while 19-year-old forward Robert Thomas will be scratched in favor of Ivan Barbashev, head coach Craig Berube said Wednesday, according to The Athletic's Jeremy Rutherford.
Here's a look at the Blues' expected lineup, as relayed by Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Forwards:
| LW | C | RW |
|---|---|---|
| Jaden Schwartz | Brayden Schenn | Vladimir Tarasenko |
| Zach Sanford | Ryan O'Reilly | David Perron |
| Sammy Blais | Tyler Bozak | Pat Maroon |
| Ivan Barbashev | Oskar Sundqvist | Alexander Steen |
Defense:
| LD | RD |
|---|---|
| Carl Gunnarsson | Alex Pietrangelo |
| Jay Bouwmeester | Colton Parayko |
| Vince Dunn | Joel Edmundson |
With Bortuzzo, a right-handed shot, being scratched in favor of the lefty Edmundson, the Blues will be dressing four left-handers and two right-handers on defense.
However, Berube told The Associated Press' Stephen Whyno that because right-handers Alex Pietrangelo and Colton Parayko are logging so much ice time, "There's not a lot of (other) minutes over there."
Barbashev, meanwhile, jumps back into the lineup after facing a one-game suspension for his hit on Marcus Johansson. Thomas is the odd man out after a brief return to action. The 19-year-old missed Games 2-5 with an undisclosed injury but suited up in Game 6 while Barbashev was out.
