There will be a handful of changes to the forward group for the St. Louis Blues on Thursday as they face the Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center (6 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network, 101 ESPN).
Nathan Walker will re-enter the lineup in place of Jonathan Drouin and skate on the fourth line.
Drouin, who was acquired by the Blues at last week’s trade deadline, was allowed to return home to collect his things. He is expected to return to St. Louis before Friday’s game at Enterprise Center.
With the forward out, Pius Suter will shift up to center the second line with Pavel Buchnevich and Otto Stenberg on the wings.
No changes are anticipated on defense, which means Theo Lindstein will remain in after making his NHL debut on Tuesday. He had an assist and was +1 in 13:39 time on ice.
“I liked the way he skated, I liked the way he carried the puck, showed confidence with the puck, the way he took time and space away because of his feet,” said head coach Jim Montgomery about Lindstein’s first game. “I thought he played to his strengths.”
Jordan Binnington took the morning skate in the starter’s net and is expected to get the nod.
