Saint LOUIS — Philip Broberg had an ideal beginning to his time with the St. Louis Blues.
The defenseman who signed a $9.16 million offer sheet from the Edmonton Oilers for two years would be closely watched to see how his career develops.
Broberg will have the opportunity to make a mark on the history of the Blues as they face the New York Islanders at 7 p.m. today.
Broberg has recorded a goal and three assists in his first four games for the Blues, and has the potential to be the first Blues defenseman to achieve a five-game point streak.
Three defensemen in the NHL, Shayne Gostisbehere (2023-24 with the Detroit Red Wings), Ty Smith (2020-21 with the New Jersey Devils), and Cale Makar (2019-20 with the Colorado Avalanche), have had a five-game point streak at the start of their time with a team.
“Up to this point, it has been enjoyable being part of this team.” “Broberg expressed feeling confident and at ease,” he stated. “… I believe it’s all just a learning opportunity. It’s through participating in the act of playing. You will know the right time to enter and when to stay out.
The move from Edmonton to here has been quite smooth and easy. I believe he has assisted me. It’s been going well up to this point.
It can be confidently stated that the Broberg and Justin Faulk pairing has been the Blues’ most reliable in the first four games.
Broberg stated that he believes the player is clearly great. Playing with him has been a positive experience. He is also a fantastic veteran whom you can gain knowledge from. You always aim to establish a fast connection. I believe it has been positive, but our goal is to continue improving it.
Nick Leddy will be sidelined for the Blues tonight because of a lower-body injury, with P.O. Joseph stepping in to take his place in the lineup. Joseph’s last game was a 4-3 loss against the Vegas Golden Knights last Friday.
Leddy is currently day-to-day due to a lower-body injury, so P.O. will replace him.
It’s not just about one game, but I believe [Joseph’s] entire performance at camp was beneficial for us; his exhibition matches were strong. We want to put him back in that place. We appreciate his skating skills, his tall stature, and his ability to handle pucks. I believe we need to be more proficient in stopping plays defensively.
Ryan Suter will be promoted to skate with Colton Parayko and Joseph will team up with Matthew Kessel.
Additionally, Kasperi Kapanen will make his return to the lineup after sitting out as a healthy scratch, taking the place of Nathan Walker. Joel Hofer will be the starting goaltender for tonight’s game. He has only played against the Islanders once, which resulted in a 4-2 loss last season on March 29, saving 29 out of 32 shots.
Alexandre Texier will sit out his fourth consecutive game tonight due to an upper-body injury, but he participated in an optional skate earlier today.
I believe he is improving. “He’s near,” Bannister stated. I would classify him as being day by day. He will not be home tonight. We’ll find out his condition tomorrow, but he’s nearing recovery.
The Blues aim to improve their performance in the neutral zone, which was subpar in a 4-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild in their home opener on Tuesday.
Bannister said he believed we had difficulties on [Tuesday]. “Our registers, which was worrisome for us. That’s a project we dedicated significant time to on Wednesday. In the initial three games, we believed we managed to defend against the puck effectively, which was a new development for us. Due to some unknown reasons, we strayed from our successful strategies, resulting in difficulties initiating a forecheck and spending less time in the offensive zone, preventing us from quickly outnumbering the opponent on the puck. We need to improve our support in the neutral zone significantly.
Projected Blues Lineup:
Brandon Saad, Robert Thomas, and Jordan Kyrou are grouped together.
Zack Bolduc, Pavel Buchnevich, and Jake Neighbours are playing together.
Dylan Holloway, Brayden Schenn, and Mathieu Joseph are grouped together.
Alexey Toropchenko, Radek Faksa, and Kasperi Kapanen.
Ryan Suter and Colton Parayko
Philip Broberg and Justin Faulk are similar.
P.O. Joseph-Matthew Kessel, also known as Police Officer Joseph-Matthew Kessel.
Joel Hofer is set to begin as the starting goalie while Jordan Binnington will serve as the backup. Nathan Walker and Scott Perunovich are among the players who are not playing due to being healthy scratches. Nick Leddy is dealing with a lower body injury, Alexandre Texier has an upper body injury, while Oskar Sundqvist and Torey Krug are both sidelined with knee and ankle injuries respectively.
Anticipated lineup for the Islanders:
Anthony Duclair, Bo Horvat, and Mathew Barzal are playing together.
Maxim Tsyplakov, Brock Nelson, and Kyle Palmieri
Anders Lee, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, and Simon Holmstrom are together.
Casey Cizikas, Kyle MacLean, and Oliver Wahlstrom.
Alexander Romanov is synonymous with Noah Dobson.
Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock
Mike Reilly and Scott Mayfield
Ilya Sorokin is set to begin in the goalie position, while Semyon Varlamov will serve as the alternate.
Julien Gauthier and Dennis Cholowski are among the players sitting out due to being healthy scratches. There are no injuries reported by the Islanders.
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