Jonatan
Berggren will get another shot after receiving a reprieve.
The
St. Louis Blues forward will start out on a line with Robert Thomas
and Pavel Buchnevich when the Blues (15-17-8) close out 2025 on
Wednesday against the juggernaut Colorado Avalanche (29-2-7), who are
16-0-2 on home ice this season, at Denver’s Ball Arena at 8 p.m.
(FDSNMW, ESPN 101.1-FM).
The
25-year-old, who was claimed off waivers from the Detroit Red Wings
on Dec. 16, started off as well as can be with two goals, two assists
his first four games, but the coaching staff felt he dipped off his
last two games played and was a healthy scratch against the Buffalo
Sabres on Monday.
Let’s
just say that getting to unwind and watch from up above may have done
some good here after playing on adrenaline of being claimed by a team
that wanted him and switching gears to a new team and style after
being used to another.
“Kind
of just reset a little bit,” Berggren said. “I think for myself,
I played really good the first three games and then the last two was
not to my standard that I want to play. But it’s NHL. You will go
up and down, new team, new guys, it’s a lot in the beginning. It
was nice to get a little reset and watch the game from the stands.
The message was just to keep doing what I had done the first three
games and just keep going.”
And
in doing that, Blues coach Jim Montgomery will insert the talented
forward back with the guys expected to produce.
“He
thinks the game at their level,” Montgomery
said of Berggren.
“He has the speed and the skill to make the finishing plays. The
part of the game that we need to see continue to develop is the
second- and third-effort on pucks, stopping on pucks, coming up with
loose puck battles to be able to sustain offense or get out of our
D-zone.
“His
first three games, he did a really good job. He fell off in Tampa Bay
and I didn’t think it was at the standard that we need from him in
Nashville.”
There’s
no doubt when the puck is on Berggren’s stick, he makes plays that
can be dangerous; he could have more points on some of the setups
he’s made. Getting back to doing the smaller details away from the
puck is what he wants to hone in on.
“I
think just play my game like I did the first games,” Berggren said.
“Without the puck, be harder to play against, like starts and
stops. It was a little bit slow the last two games. It’s a lot with
travel and stuff like that. I think that’s normal. Just keep having
high confidence in my game and do the work.
“Those
two are really skillful players that’s easy to play with. I want to
play kind of like those guys too. I like to have the puck and make
plays and stuff. But then it’s important to not just let them play.
I need to play my game too. And I think the games we have played
together, I think we’ve done that and had success. It will be
really fun to play with them again.”
The
conversations between player and coach were had, and the message was
simple.
“Oh
yeah, I think Monty’s an honest coach,” Berggren said. “If you
do the hard work every day, you will get your chances. That’s fair,
and that’s something I like. I’ve got to just keep doing it.
“I
know when I play my game, I can produce in this league. Just do that
and also do the hard work without the puck.”
–
– –
Matthew
Kessel will get into his first game since Dec. 17 against the
Winnipeg Jets, being a healthy scratch the past five games and will replace Logan Mailloux, who had a tough night against the Sabres and
was a minus-3 in just 8:39 of ice time. The pairing with Cam Fowler,
who was also a minus-4, was a combined minus-7. Kessel will line up
next to Fowler.
“(Monday)
night, we didn’t start on time,” Montgomery
said.
“We gave up the first goal and there’s two times to get the
opportunity to get it out of our end and it ends up in the back of
our net and next shift comes out and we turn it over again. We have
simple rules on our breakouts and they should be adhered to and
that’s where preparation to start on time, that’s a mental block.
It’s not a physical. It may look like physical in a game, but
that’s a mental mistake.”
Montgomery
had this to say about holding guys higher up in the lineup
accountable. He limited Jordan Kyrou to just four shifts in the third
period on Monday.
“It
is hard just because we’re losing 3-2, you want your best offensive
weapons out there, and when they’re not generating and when they’re
off of the standard that you expect from them, that’s where you’ve
got to pull back on them because there’s other players like … I
look at ‘Torpo,’ he won every foot race,” Montgomery
said.
“Everyone’s like, ‘Well, he’s not finishing checks.’ Well,
it’s because he beats everybody to the puck, so he’s not
finishing checks, but we have possession. He’s doing his role at a
high level last night in my opinion. That’s the standard, and he’s
going to get more shifts and those opportunities because at least
he’s getting us the puck, whereas I would prefer our offensive
weapons to be out there. But at the same time, he’s going to get
opportunities to end games for us because he is going to sacrifice
and block shots for us, he is going to get on the right of pucks. His
second- and third-effort on pucks is never questioned.”
–
– –
This
is the first of three games against the Avalanche this season, and
where does one begin when talking about Colorado? Aside from no
regulation losses at home, the Avalanche leads the NHL in goal
differential (plus-66), goals for (153), goals against (87), they
have some of the most talented players in the league, led by Nathan
NacKinnon and Cale Makar and so much more.
The
Blues, meanwhile, are an NHL-worst minus-37 goal differential, have
scored 53 fewer goals, allowed 50 more.
“There
should be a lot of fear, and fear’s a good thing,” Montgomery
said.
“Fear of playing the best team in the league. This is the best
start by any team ever. Two losses in their first thirty … I don’t
know if they’ve played (37) but it’s amazing. In regulation, it’s
incredible what they’ve been able to do. They have a standard the
way they practice. (Jared) Bednar is set there. Joe Sakic and the current GM (Chris McFarland) have just continued to recruit players that play to that standard and
when players haven’t fit the standard, I’ve seen players go in
and our quick, but their leaders, the MacKinnons, the Makars, the
Toews, the guys that set the standard all the time, and it’s not
such a great surprise that they’re having a great year with 92
back, that’s their captain. He sets a standard and probably has the
ability to communicate that throughout a lineup of how important all
their individual roles are. That’s probably why you’re seeing
such an outstanding season by them.”
With
absolutely nothing to lose in this game, why would fear be a good
thing?
“Because
like even fear of losing brings out the best in you, because you pay
more attention to detail, you think about … you’re preparing to
stay in the moment because you’re afraid of fear of losing or fear
of being embarrassed creates the same thing,” Montgomery
said.
“There’s urgency in everything you do and we haven’t had enough
urgency as a group and I understand everything I’m saying points
directly at me. I lead this team and I take full ownership of my part
in us not having hit the standard that I believe we should be at.”
–
– –
Blues
Projected Lineup:
Jonatan
Berggren-Robert Thomas-Pavel Buchnevich
Jake
Neighbours-Brayden Schenn-Jimmy Snuggerud
Otto
Stenberg-Dalibor Dvorsky-Jordan Kyrou
Alexey
Toropchenko-Oskar Sundqvist-Robby Fabbri
Philip
Broberg-Colton Parayko
Tyler
Tucker-Justin Faulk
Cam
Fowler-Matthew Kessel
Jordan
Binnington will start in goal; Joel Hofer will be the backup.
Healthy
scratches include Mathieu Joseph and Logan Mailloux. Dylan Holloway
(high ankle sprain), Pius Suter (high ankle sprain), Nathan Walker
(upper body) and Nick Bjugstad (upper body) are all out.
–
– –
Avalanche
projected lineup
Gabriel
Landeskog-Nathan MacKinnon-Martin Necas
Artturi
Lehkonen-Brock Nelson-Valeri Nichushkin
Victor
Olofsson-Ross Colton-Gavin Brindley
Parker
Kelly-Jack Drury-Joel Kiviranta
Devon
Toews-Cale Makar
Josh
Manson-Brent Burns
Samuel
Girard-Sam Malinski
Mackenzie
Blackwood will start in goal; Scott Wedgewood will be the backup.
Healthy
scratches include Zakhar Bardakov and Ilya Solovyov. Logan O’Connor
(hip) is out.
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