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‘ONE IS NOT ENOUGH’ Blues ready for challenge of Stanley Cup repeat

InSIdE WHaT WILL BInnInGTOn dO FOR EnCORE In nET? PaGE 4 O’REILLy WORKS TO HIT an EVEn HIGHER GEaR. PaGE 5 BEnFREd: BLuES JuST nEEd TO FOLLOW BERuBE. PaGE 7 HOCHMan: Can nEW COaCH HELP POWER PLay? PaGE 9 GORdOn: SPEEd PLuS HITTInG a WInnInG RECIPE. PaGE 12

Blues Ryan O’Reilly, left, head coach Craig Berube, and goaltender Jordan Binnington CHRISTIAN GOODEN CGOODEN@POST-DISPATCH.COM

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‘ONE IS NOT ENOUGH’ Blues ready for challenge of Stanley Cup repeat

Blues Ryan O’Reilly, left, head coach Craig Berube, and goaltender Jordan Binnington CHRISTIAN GOODEN CGOODEN@POST-DISPATCH.COM

TODAY’S COMPLETE NEWSPAPER INSIDE NHL PREVIEW SECTION

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M 1 • SUnDAy • 09.29.2019

NHL PREVIEW

READY TO REPEAT ‘When you do it once ... it just makes you want to do it again’

LAURIE SKRIVAN, LSKRIVAN@POST-DISPATCH.COM

The Blues celebrate after winning the Stanley Cup in seven games against the Boston Bruins. BY JIM THOMAS

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

avid Perron felt ready when driving to his charity hockey tournament in early August. Like many Blues, Carl Gunnarsson was ready after his Cup day during the sum-

mer. Brayden Schenn said he won’t truly feel ready until after the banner raising ceremony at Wednesday’s season opener against the Washington Capitals. They’re all ready to put the Blues’ Stanley Cup championship season behind them. But more importantly, they’re all ready to repeat. Yes, repeat. Inwhatmightaswellbetheteammotto for this season, Vladimir Tarasenko put it succinctly: “One is not enough.” The Blues finally got a taste of the glory last season, winning the first NHL championship in franchise history. They liked the feeling. From the tension-packed games down the stretch of the regular season, to four grueling playoff series culminating in a Game 7 victory over the Boston Bruins in the Cup Final. To the jubilation and mayhem that followed. On the ice at TD Garden after Game 7, on the flight home, at the parade and rally under the Gateway Arch. There was the weekend in Vegas, and for some Blues the NHL Awards show and the ESPYS. Then Cup days for each and every player. So much work led to so much fun. Even during this preseason, when the Blues arrived at a venue on the road or took the ice for a pregame warmup, they were looked at differently. They had a different aura to them. After all, they are the reigning Stanley Cup champs. “When you do it once, you have the feeling of winning,” Schenn said. “And how cool that parade was and seeing your name on the Cup and everything else. I think it just makes you want to do it again.” “As we started winning, you could tell the attitude and the general joy of coming to the rink and playing together was just enhanced all the time,” Alexander Steen said. “So we just wanted to keep that going. I think that’s where the hunger is. And once you’ve had it once, you want it again. It’s pretty addictive.” Perhaps Ryan O’Reilly put it best. In his entire NHL career prior to last season in St. Louis, he had been in the playoffs only twice in nine seasons. In both of those playoff seasons (with Colorado), he never made it out of the first round. Then in Buffalo, he was so miserable with the Sabres’ losing ways that he was losing his passion for the game. “I want to be known as a winner,” O’Reilly said. “I want to win that Cup again, and I don’t think once is good enough. I’ve obviously been through so many seasons that didn’t go well. And then you get a taste of what it’s like and how fun it is. “Last year’s the most fun I’ve ever had playing hockey. And that’s what I want to have again. I want to win and prove we’re better than everyone else.”

TOUGH TO REPEAT Only one team over the past 21 seasons has repeated as Stanley Cup champion — the 2016-17 Pittsburgh Penguins. The advent of the NHL salary cap in the 2005-06 season, coupled with the start

DAVID CARSON, DCARSON@POST-DISPATCH.COM

The Blues take the ice for the first practice in their new training facility at the Centene Community Ice Center in Maryland Heights on Sept. 13. of free agency a decade earlier, has made the task tougher. Of the 13 prior Cup champions in the salary cap era, nine didn’t make it out of the second round the following season. Seven of the 13 were eliminated in the first round or didn’t make the playoffs in their title defense year. Why is it so tough to repeat? Craig Berube is not a big-picture guy; he’s the ultimate day-to-day coach. But he took a stab at the answer. “To win it first of all, you gotta have some bounces go your way,” Berube said. “And you gotta play extremely hard. If you don’t do that you won’t win. And to do it again, go through another whole season, it’s tough. “It takes a commitment from your team to really push through the season to make the playoffs. Because it’s tough to make the playoffs. This league’s tough — there’s 31 good teams. ... And then when you get in (the playoffs), it’s another two-, two-and-a-half-month grind.” Even with the salary cap, teams manage to keep most or all of their core players. But it’s harder to keep role players. Over time a roster can erode. But in terms of returning players, only one team has been in a better position for a title defense during the cap era than these Blues. Of the 23 Blues who appeared in at least one postseason game last season, only Pat Maroon and Joel Edmundson have not returned. Maroon signed a free-agent contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning last month. Edmundson was traded to Carolina on Tuesday as part of the Justin Faulk trade. Of the 13 previous Cup champions in the salary cap era, the average number of playoff participants lost the following year is five players. The 2011-12 Chicago Blackhawks returned only 14 of 24 players who appeared in at least one playoff game for

their Cup team. That’s the lowest retention rate. Only the 2014-15 Los Angeles Kings topped the Blues in their title defense season by returning 22 of 23 players. But everyone else among those 13 defending champions lost between two and nine players.

GANG’S ALL HERE Last year at this time, half of the Blues’ forward corps was new. Jake Allen was backed up by Chad Johnson in goal. Up front, it took nearly half the season for the forwards to settle into their roles. Not so this season. There is some competition for ice time and line/pairing assignments. But for the most part, the players know each other, get along with each other, and know what to expect from each other on the ice. “Guys have roles on this team,” Schenn said. “I think that’s what makes this team successful. Everyone buys in, everyone feels like they’re important, and I think that was a huge key for us last year. When guys buy in, we’re winning hockey games. And when we’re winning, everyone’s confident and feeling good.” A year ago at the start of training camp, the Blues were coming off a fivemonth hiatus, having failed to make the postseason for the first time in seven seasons. This time around, coming off the Cup victory, their offseason was two months shorter. That made for changes in offseason training routines, less time for injuries and surgeries to heal, and less time to recharge batteries. Tyler Bozak, who had never made it out of the first round in Toronto prior to coming to St. Louis, said his golf game took a hit. Fairways and greens aside, all of those other factors could take a toll on the Blues late in the season. This past sea-

son, for example, defending Cup champion Washington look tired in losing its ﬁrst-round playoff series to Carolina. For now, at least, these Blues look focused, energetic and motivated. “When you do something like that (win a Cup) and you leave the guys pretty quick, a week after, you start missing ‘em,” Bozak said. “So I know everyone was super-excited to get back, even with how short the summer was. Everyone couldn’t wait to get back and start getting after it again.” As for the missed offseason training time, some Blues are looking at their 26game playoff run as a form of “offseason training” since it took place while most other teams were off. “Yeah, exactly,” Bozak said. “You probably have less time to get out of shape, I guess, when you play that long. But from what I’ve seen everyone’s in really good shape, everyone did well on testing, and everyone’s skating well out there.” The Blues seem determined to avoid the ultra-slow start that cost Mike Yeo his job last season. With basically the entire team back, the familiarity could help the Blues get out of the gates quickly. Now it’s all about getting to their game. The Blues pride themselves on being hard to play against, being physical, doing the dirty work in the corners and on the forecheck, defending well, working well together. It’s not a ﬂashy game, but it got St. Louis a hockey championship. Because of that dream season, they will forever be sports legends in this town. Imagine if they won two in row. Ever have the same dream twice? Jim Thomas @jthom1 on Twitter jthomas@post-dispatch.com

09.29.2019 • Sunday • M 1

NHL PREVIEW

ST. LOuIS POST-dISPaTCH • 3

TRYING TO REPEAT

NOV. 1, 2019

LAURIE SKRIVAN, LSKRIVAN@POST-DISPATCH.COM

HOCKEY FIGHTS CANCER

BY JIM THOMAS

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Since the advent of the NHL salary cap in the 2005-06 season, only one team (Pittsburgh) has repeated as Stanley Cup champion: 2005-06 CAROLINA HURRICANES Next season record: 40-34-8 • Failed to qualify 2006-07 ANAHEIM DUCKS Next season record: 47-27-8 • Eliminated in first round 2007-08 DETROIT RED WINGS Next season record: 51-21-10 • Lost in Stanley Cup Final

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2008-09 PITTSBURGH PENGUINS Next season record: 47-28-7 • Eliminated in second round 2009-10 CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS Next season record: 44-29-9 • Eliminated in first round 2010-11 BOSTON BRUINS Next season record: 49-29-4 • Eliminated in first round

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2011-12 LOS ANGELES KINGS Next season record: 27-16-5 • Eliminated in conference finals

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2012-13 CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS* Next season record: 46-21-15 • Eliminated in conference finals 2013-14 LOS ANGELES KINGS Next season record: 40-27-15 • Failed to qualify

CHARLES REX ARBOGAST, ASSOCIATED PRESS

2014-15 CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS Next season record: 47-26-9 • Eliminated in first round 2015-16 PITTSBURGH PENGUINS Next season record: 50-21-11 • Stanley Cup champions 2016-17 PITTSBURGH PENGUINS Next season record: 47-29-6 • Eliminated in second round 2017-18 WASHINGTON CAPITALS Next season record: 48-26-8 • Eliminated in first round *2012-13 season shortened for NHL lockout — Jim Thomas

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4 • ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

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M 1 • SUnDAy • 09.29.2019

GREAT EXPECTATIONS Binnington’s standout rookie season will be hard to match AN ENCORE PERFORMANCE Last season, Jordan Binnington had the lowest goals-against average for a rookie goalie who played more than 30 games in the expansion era. What did Year 2 look like? Here’s how the goalies with the lowest GAAs since 2000-01 did the following season, and what their GAA were for their careers (some of which are still going). Note that two of the goalies on the list, Brent Johnson and Jake Allen, also played for the Blues: Goalie Year 1 Year 2 Career Jordan Binnington 1.89 TBD TBD Tuukka Rask 1.97 2.67 2.28 Andrew Raycroft 2.05 3.72 2.89 John Gibson 2.07 2.22 2.42 Brent Johnson 2.17 2.18 2.63 Evgeni Nabokov 2.19 2.29 2.44 Henrik Lundqvist 2.24 2.34 2.41 Jimmy Howard 2.26 2.79 2.55 Jake Allen 2.28 2.35 2.54 Steve Mason 2.29 3.05 2.70

BY TOM TIMMERMANN

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

ure, Jordan Binnington has people stopping him on freeway offramps for selfies, and he’s getting free meals in restaurants, and he helped the Blues win the Stanley Cup for the first time in forever, so you’d think with all that fame – and with his new contract, fortune – doors would have opened for him when he and some teammates were at the ESPYS in Los Angeles. “You’d think so,” he said, “but we’re at the bottom of the totem pole there with the other sports and athletes and celebrities. We had a tough time getting in the VIP room and we just won an ESPY. … I guess we didn’t have the right pass.” Fame can be fleeting, even if you’ve still got a trophy in your hands, and no one knows that better than a goalie. Like quarterbacks and starting pitchers, goalies are lightning rods, carrying outsided levels of credit and blame. But the reality of the 2018-19 season for the Blues is this: There would be no Stanley Cup, maybe not even a playoff berth for the Blues, if Binnington hadn’t arrived on the scene in January and started winning games left and right. In the regular season, he was 24-5-1 with a leaguebest 1.89 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage and five shutouts. Now, he just has to do it again. That, of course, will be close to impossible. As Blues GM Doug Armstrong observed last season, if Binnington kept playing at the pace he was playing at the start of his career, he would be the greatest goalie in NHL history. No position says ‘what have you done for me lately?’like goalie.As Binnington’s miracle spring rolled on, names would pop up on the list of the last rookie goalie to do something or the other, and some of those names were poster children for goalies who came and went. You don’t even have to go back very far to find one. In 2014-15, Ottawa’s Andrew Hammond was a midseason call-up who went 20-1-2 with a a 1.79 goals-against average and a .941 save percentage. Ottawa went to the playoffs. Hammond has played in seven NHL games in the past three seasons combined, and he spent all of last season with Minnesota’s AHL team in Iowa. This season,he’s in camp with Buffalo,his fourth team in as many seasons. The Blues believe in Binnington for a few reasons, and not just because they gave him a two-year, $8.8 million contract in the offseason. (“It’s good for now,” he said, his sights no doubt set

J.B. FORBES, JFORBES@POST-DISPATCH.COM

on something even bigger.) For one, in addition to 32 regularseason games last season, he played in 26 playoff games. That’s 58 total games, or close to a full season of work for No. 1 goalie, and Binnington was pretty consistent over that time. His numbers at the end may not have been as dazzling as they were early, but Binnington’s stats were so spectacular in that time there was nowhere to go but down. And if his playoff numbers weren’t as good as those of Boston’s Tuukka Rask – 2.46 GAA for Binnington compared to 2.02 for Rask, .914 save percentage for Binnington compared to .934 for Rask – you can’t argue the result, and that when the Blues needed him the most, he got the job done. Many felt Binnington should have won the Conn Smythe Trophy as postseason MVP. (He came in second.) “He did a pretty good job moving forward in the second half of the season,” captain Alex Pietrangelo said. “If you’re worried about him playing under pressure, there’s no reason to worry about that because he did it on the biggest stage. It’s going to be a little different playing more games this year, but he played a lot of hockey in the second half of the year, so there’s no hesitation on our end.” Two, the defense in front of Binnington will help. The Blues’ defense returns pretty much intact from last season: ev-

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eryone but Joel Edmundson is back on defense, and he’ll be replaced by AllStar Justin Faulk. And all but one of the forwards return. The Blues do not ﬁgure to be a team that allows a lot of goals in any situation. “I’m not sitting here worried about Binnington,” said Blues coach Craig Berube. “He looks the same to me. The other thing, it’s not just all on Binnington or Jake (Allen). It’s the players in front of him that have to do a good job. We have to play good defense in front of our goalies. That’s what we do.” And lastly, there’s Binnington. The road to the NHL was a long one for Binnington that might never have been paved if Ville Husso, who was supposed to be the next goalie in line for the Blues, didn’t get hurt and have a bad year. “I learned how hard it is to get here, and I know it’s going to be even harder to stay up here,” Binnington said. “It’s a competitive league, the best league in the world, and I enjoy it. I enjoy the travel much better. I’ve seen both sides, and this is the one I deﬁnitely want to stay in. Being at the top is pretty special, and I look to continue that success. “There’s always going to be competition anywhere in the league. It’s wherever you look for the competition, whether you’re looking at the best numbers in the league, most wins,

there’s always some motivation you can work toward. I’m a competitive guy and I like to be the best, and that’s kind of my outlook on life. And I think it’s on you to keep working hard and pushing yourself to prepare for whatever comes your way.” That seems to be one of Binnington’s bigger strengths, handling whatever comes his way. Goalies, like baseball relief pitchers, need to have a short memory. When the Blues lost in the playoffs last season, Binnington was 7-2 with a 1.96 goals-against and a .933 save percentage the next time out. “He’s a guy that’s calm, cool,” defenseman Colton Parayko said. “He’s a guy that focuses extremely hard, if you watch him. He’s always focused. He’s always a guy that comes to the rink prepared. Especially for games, you watched it all playoffs long. He just comes, shows up, gives us a chance to win every game and maybe if we end up losing a game, he comes back the next game, he’s not down, he gives us another chance to win. He shows up and gives us an unbelievable game. No matter what, he’s always big back there, he’s always kicking. We’re looking forward to seeing him do his thing again.” So what makes them conﬁdent Binnington can do what he did last year again? “Everything,” Parayko said. Tom Timmermann • 314-340-8190 @tomtimm on Twitter ttimmermann@post-dispatch.com

09.29.2019 • Sunday • M 1

ST. LOuIS POST-dISPaTCH • 5

NHL PREVIEW

‘A LOT MORE TO DO’ Did last season’s success spoil O’Reilly? Absolutely not BY TOM TIMMERMANN

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

year ago, Jake Christiansen was playing junior hockey in Everett, Wash., wondering what his future held. On the list of possible scenarios, getting personal tutoring from the MVP of the NHL playoffs would have been low on the list, if Christiansen had let his imagination stray that far. But there was Christiansen, a defenseman just past his 20th birthday, on the ice at the Centene Community Ice Center with a handful of other Blues’ minorleaguers-to-be after a preseason training session,working with Ryan O’Reilly,who has the best stocked trophy case of anyone on the Blues. “It’s amazing,” said Christiansen, who a few days later would be sent off to San Antonio’s camp. “He’s such a good guy. He’s telling us what we can do to get better and telling us how we can do better in the drill. … I would be doing a shooting drill and he’d say, maybe push the puck this way or pull it in this way a little more. Then he’d tell me I did a good job on that. Little things like that can help me get an edge. I’m just trying to use everything he tells me to try to get better with my game.” So if you were wondering if success would spoil Ryan O’Reilly, the answer is most certainly no. While everyone’s life has changed on this Blues’ team because of their Stanley Cup win, there’s a case to be made that no one on the team – other than Jordan Binnington and, maybe, Mike Yeo – has seen his life change more from July 1, 2018 to today than O’Reilly. There he was, stuck with a bad team in a bad situation in Buffalo, then traded to the Blues, then went on to win the Stanley Cup, the Conn Smythe Trophy as the postseason MVP and then a few days later, the Selke Trophy as the league’s top defensive forward. A bit later, there was O’Reilly, on stage in Los Angeles, picking up an ESPY on behalf of his team for the year’s biggest comeback. And when camp resumed in September, there was O’Reilly back on the ice, putting himself through extra drills like he always does, joined by whoever wants part of that. Once, he had to tell the guy driving the ice-resurfacing machine to wait just a little bit longer. Another time, coach Craig Berube was telling staffers to get him and his group off the ice because it was going to hold up the second session of practice. “There’s always guys you play with that ﬁnd a way to elevate your game,” said

JOHN LOCHER, ASSOCIATED PRESS

A MONSTER SEASON Ryan O’Reilly had a big year in 2018-19, winning not only the Stanley Cup, but the Conn Smythe Trophy as the postseason most valuable player and the Selke Trophy as the best defensive forward. Add that to the Lady Byng Trophy for gentlemanly play that O’Reilly won in 2014 and he’s one of only four active NHL players – and 12 all-time – to have won the Stanley Cup and three or more of the NHL’s top individual awards: the Conn Smythe, Hart (regularseason MVP), Norris (top defenseman), Calder (rookie of the year), Selke, Lady Byng and Vezina (top goalie). O’Reilly is the only one of the four active players who hasn’t won the Hart. The other players: • Alex Ovechkin (active) • Bobby Orr* • Brian Leetch • Bryan Trottier • Dave Keon • Evgeni Malkin (active) • Joe Sakic • Mario Lemieux • Mike Bossy • Patrick Kane (active) • Wayne Gretzky * Orr is the only one to have four major individual trophies: Conn Smythe, Hart, Norris and Calder. Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby has won the Smythe and the Hart (twice each), but he finished second to Ovechkin in voting for the Calder in 2005-06. He came in fourth for the Selke last season.

linemate David Perron, whose 23 goals last season were his most since 2013-14. “The only other guy I played with that I had the same feeling going on to the ice every shift was (Anaheim’s) Ryan Getzlaf. Those are two guys that really slow the game down.They play the right way,they work hard, and they always find guys in right areas of the ice. You have that extra half second, that extra second, to make a play. … It’s more with his work ethic, the way he plays the game, it helps me more than the other way around probably.” For as well as O’Reilly, 28, has played in his career, for once there was a high-level buzz about him. In the first nine seasons of his NHL career,he never got even a vote for the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s MVP. That changed last season, when he got enough to finish 13th. He was the easy winner of the Conn Smythe as he scored a goal in each of the final four games of the Stanley Cup Final with Boston. “Once we started winning there was much more buzz, that’s the most I’ve been around,” he said. “In Buffalo, when you’re losing, there’s a lot of negativity around there that surrounds that situation when you lose. Being around that for a bit here and then crawling back into it, all that attention starts coming, not just myself but all the guys.” No one on the Blues is harder on himself than O’Reilly,who sees each loss as an indictment of his play. His after-school

sessions aren’t just about making teammates better. It’s part of O’Reilly’s drive to make himself better because he is never satisﬁed, and that still goes as his awards pile up. “I have a lot more to do, I think,” he said. “Last year was great, but you kind of get a taste and there are still so many areas I can improve upon. I hope I’m at the cusp of it, and I expect a lot more of myself. There’s still a lot more things I want to do.” And O’Reilly measures that by how well the team does.So when you ask him what he needs to be better at, the answer isn’t about him. “Proving we’re the best team again,” he said. “I think if we can do that, I think that’s when everything else falls into place. And that’s the focus. Being a winner last year is amazing, but I want to do that again. ... That competitiveness, being in high-pressure situations and playing those overtimes and winning, that’s why you play the game right there, to be in those situations and that’s what I want to do.” Life skates on for Ryan O’Reilly,in ways he wouldn’t have guessed.The only thing that’s certain is the road he will take to try to get there. Tom Timmermann • 314-340-8190 @tomtimm on Twitter ttimmermann@post-dispatch.com

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ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH • 7

FOLLOW THE LEADER Under Berube, Blues went from lost to last team standing BEN FREDERICKSON St. Louis Post-Dispatch

he story behind the most famous bathroom break in Blues history is that the story would have been flushed from the main character’s mind. “If he didn’t say anything, I would have forgotten about it,” Carl Gunnarsson said. “For sure.” It was the veteran defenseman who scored the game-winning overtime goal against the Bruins in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final. It was Blues coach Craig Berube who shared with the team that Gunnarsson predicted his heroics during a conversation the coach and player shared during a bathroom break at the end of regulation. “Quick story here,” Berube told the dressing room that night after the 3-2 win, and the legend of the urinal was launched. Gunnarsson, who had bounced a shot off a post earlier in the game, found the perfect time to score the only postseason goal of his career. His coach knows a few things about timing, too. The Blues went wild when Berube shared the story. The video of the moment went viral. St. Louis had evened its series against Boston, in Boston. The Blues did not lose there again. The defending Stanley Cup champions’ quest for a rare repeat hinges on so many factors, but it’s hard to find a bigger one than how Berube’s leadership ages in a league that recycles coaches like it resurfaces ice. Berube’s ability to sense what his team needs, and when, is just one of the many reasons the Blues believe his era won’t be limited to one parade. Berube, 53, pressed every right button after he made the transition from Mike Yeo assistant to Mike Yeo’s replacement. The Blues went from lost, to last team standing. Berube went from temp, to signing a three-year extension and receiving free meals for life — if he decides to take advantage of them, that is. “I don’t go out,” Berube said the first week of training camp, in one of those moments where it’s hard to tell if he’s joking. (His players aren’t the only ones he keeps guessing.)

DAVID CARSON, DCARSON@POST-DISPATCH.COM

Berube has proven to be the right blend of no-nonsense, non-negotiable expectations, along with the right amount of surprise. His style can be compared to how he runs his practices — fast-paced, intense and lacking in anything unnecessary. With the occasional twist. All business all the time can become a grind. Berube, a former player, knows it. He’s more nuanced than he lets on. His wit arrives in one-liners. Sometimes, there is even a sense of whimsy to him. How else do you explain captain Alex Pietrangelo sharing the story of players watching videos of Berube’s old hockey ﬁghts on YouTube, but only after they make sure the coach won’t walk in and catch them? Another example: Berube entered the Blues’ dressing room after one of their playoff wins and told the team he had scheduled an early morning practice the following day. The room looked surprised, even a bit upset — until Berube said he was kidding. Cheers filled the room.

One player described recently how watching film with Berube can pivot between belly laughs sparked by the coach’s jokes, to a criticism that lands with the heft of a high stick. Tyler Bozak credited Berube’s upbeat, optimistic and even humorous vibe before Game 7 as something the team used to combat nerves. Given an entire day to come up with a story about one of the times Berube has made him laugh, Blues general manager Doug Armstrong returned and said he had nothing. Berube had never made him laugh? Armstrong clariﬁed that he didn’t have a hard time coming up with an example. He had a hard time coming up with an example that could appear in the newspaper. Wisecracking one moment, hollering the next, Berube can shift gears between warm and withering depending on what he feels each situation needs. And while his players never quite know what to expect from him, they have made it clear they appreciate his demanding yet fair expectations. Beru-

be’s boss feels the same way. “You don’t have to push or prod to try to get stuff out of him,” Armstrong said. “He answers questions. He expects answers the same way.” Berube made hard decisions last season, from demoting veteran Alexander Steen to the fourth line, to turning to goalie Jordan Binnington before it was obvious he was a star, to challenging Vladimir Tarasenko in San Jose, to knowing when to shuffle defensemen during the championship run. When he felt like the Blues were on the wrong side of the officials, he played politics. When he felt like his players were at risk of being distracted by officiating, he shut it down. His players accepted his decisions and responded well to his moves because he based them off performance and explained them in a straightforward manner. In previous seasons under previous coaches, asking a Blues player why he wasn’t getting more ice time might result in an answer that included more politics than cable news, more drama than daytime soaps. Now? “Just have to play better,” has become a common refrain. In a league that scoffs at coaching sustainability, this could work. When the Blues entered last season’s playoffs, Berube told those close to him that his team did not need to change in order to win the Cup. What the Blues needed, Berube said, was to stay true to the identity they had forged through hard work, teamwork and a relentlessness no opponent could match. Mission accomplished. Another begins. On the eve of training camp, Berube gathered his champions at Enterprise Center to deliver a tone-setting message that continues to echo. “We want to do it again,” Pietrangelo said. “Turn the page,” Brayden Schenn said. “Stay in the present,” Alexander Steen said. “What can we do today?” “This is the message from him,” Vladimir Tarasenko said. “It’s on us, the older players, to tell the guys it’s not done yet. Just keep the guys hungry. Everybody understands this.” Sound familiar? “Move on from last year,” Berube said. “Lots of work to do.” Follow the leader. Ben Frederickson @Ben_Fred on Twitter bfrederickson@post-dispatch.com

NHL PREVIEW

8 • ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

M 1 • SUnDAy • 09.29.2019

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09.29.2019 • SUNDAY • M 1

NHL PREVIEW

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH • 9

A POWER PLAY GUY New assistant coach, Savard, wants Blues to buy into puck movement BENJAMIN HOCHMAN St. Louis Post-Dispatch

ast postseason, the Blues were so bad on the power play, one wonders if they hired the wrong Marc Savard? Sure, the former NHL player hired this summer to ﬁx the power play made for a sensible choice. But after trying seemingly everything — and going 1-for-18 in the Stanley Cup Final (and 2-for-22 against Dallas) — one wonders if they should’ve brought in Marc Savard, the famed Vegas Strip hypnotist? “What’s better than one Marc Savard? Two Marc Savards!” the hypnotist said with a laugh by phone. He’s a Canadian and a die-hard hockey fan — and has become friends with his St. Louis coaching namesake. “His offensive hockey sense is incredible,” the Vegas performer said. “There’s no doubt in my mind that he’s going to be able to help the team. … Though when you go 1-for-18, anyone can help the team! You can only really go up from there.” Now that it’s over, and the Blues’ names are on the Stanley Cup, it’s easier to look back and laugh at the futility of the power play. It was like a one-man disadvantage. The Blues had a series go seven games twice, in part because they couldn’t put away teams via the power play (though, if they had been better against Dallas, they might’ve won the series earlier, and St. Louis would’ve been deprived of Patrick Maroon’s Game 7 heroics). In the playoffs on the power play, the Blues’ success rate was 12th of 16 teams (16.3 percent). Only two teams that won a round — Colorado and Carolina — had a worse power-play percentage. Going forward, it’s hard to think that any team — St. Louis or otherwise — could be that bad in two rounds on the power play and still win the Cup. But of all the possible assistants to bring in, it was curious that coach Craig Berube went with Savard, who lacks NHL coaching experience. But as we’ve seen in modern sports, sometimes the best thinkers are the fresh thinkers. “There are a lot of guys,” Berube said, “and you can choose coaches who have been around and have experience, but I just wanted a guy who played the game not that long ago, so players know what

ELISE AMENDOLA, ASSOCIATED PRESS

he’s like and what kind of a player he was. I think that has clout. He was a real good power-play guy. And his personality and stuff, he’s going to relate to our players. I think that’s why I chose him. “He’s a funny, witty guy, in a good way. I think the players will really catch onto that, hopefully. And that he’ll have a good rapport with all those offensive guys that are on the power play. He had some unreal years on the power play, stat-wise. He knows what he’s doing.” So, what is he doing? Savard is trying to get the Blues to buy into puck movement. No hesitation. No second-guessing. No “dusting” — the concept of a player possessing the puck and tapping it back-and-forth in place, as if to dust the ice off. “The puck moves a lot faster than any person,” said Berube (the Blues don’t make assistant coaches available to the media once camp begins). “So his philosophy is moving that puck quick, attacking and getting shots. That’s what we’re working on, that’s what we’re talking about, trying to get the terminology across to the players. Don’t be hanging onto it, taking your time. Move it quick and attack as much as possible,

whether it’s off the face-off or off the rush or anything.” Berube believes in Savard. He knew Savard as a player. Admired his mind. Some of the veteran Blues knew him, too. “Just a real intelligent offensive player offensively,” center Ryan O’Reilly said. “The stuff he would do was just really smart. I think it’s nice to have another set of eyes looking at us. … He definitely provides a lot of insight for us that can hopefully help spark us — and get us going in the right way. … It’s a key thing that we’re looking to improve. It starts with our work ethic, and being on the same page.” If you look back at the Blues’ 2018-19 season, some of it was peculiar, other parts spectacular. The Blues finished 10th in the NHL in regular-season power play (21.1 percent), yet 18th at home (18.5) and fifth on the road (23.9). Remember, of course, the Blues were road warriors during the playoffs, too. And before the All-Star break, the Blues were 17th on the power play (19.4), while after the break they were third (23.7). And the addition of power-play specialist Justin Faulk, a confident defenseman, should help ignite Savard’s system.

The goal, of course, is winning the Cup again. But to do that, the Blues will ﬁrst have to make the playoffs in the absolutely loaded Western Conference. Last year, 10 of the top 12 NHL teams in power-play percentage made the playoffs. And now the Blues are savvier with the player who used to go by “Savvy.” Savard was an All-Star in 2008 and 2009. He had one of those what-if careers — concussions forced him to retire. From ages 28-31, he had point totals of 97, 96, 78 and 88. But by 33, he was done. He did play 25 games for the 2010-11 Boston Bruins. Savard was so beloved, his name was added to the Stanley Cup, even though he didn’t meet the playing requirements (the team had to ﬁle an exemption with the league). Really, that’s all you need to know about the guy’s character. Will that translate to power-play success for St. Louis? “He expects us to execute,” captain Alex Pietrangelo said. Benjamin Hochman @hochman on Twitter bhochman@post-dispatch.com

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10 • ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

NHL PREVIEW

M 1 • SUnDAy • 09.29.2019

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ST. LOuIS POST-dISPaTCH • 11

NHL PREVIEW

BLUES 2019-20 SCHEDULE OCTOBER Sun.

Away

Fri.

Sat.

5 FSM Dal 7

10 FSM 11 Ott 6:30

12 FSM Mon 6

Tue.

Wed.

2 NBCS 3 Was 7

7 FSM Tor 7

14 FSM NYI Noon

17 FSM Van 7

19 FSM Mon 2

21 FSM 22 Col 7

24 FSM LA 7

26NBCS Bos 6

27 FSM Det 4

30NBCS 31 Min 7

25 FSM 26 Nas 7

Mon.

NOVEMBER

Home

Thu.

JANUARY Sun.

Mon.

Tue.

Home

Away

Fri.

Sat.

Wed.

Thu.

2 NBCS 3 Col 8:30

Sun.

Mon.

Tue.

Away

Wed.

Thu.

Fri.

Sat.

1 FSM 2 FSM Min CBJ 7 7

2 FSM Chi 7:30

4 NBCS Pit 7

7 FSM Tor 6

6 FSM 7 Edm 7:30

10 FSM 11 Buf 6:30

12 FSM Ari 7

15 FSM 16 FSM Ana CBJ 7 6

16 FSM 17 Col 7

19NBCS TB 7

21 FSM 22 Cal 7

23 FSM 24 LA 9

29 FSM Win 7

27 FSM 28 TB 6

FEBRUARY Mon.

Sat.

Home

Tue.

Van 9

Sun.

Fri.

DECEMBER Mon.

FSM

Thu.

Away

Sun.

Wed.

Home

Tue.

Wed.

Thu.

9 FSM Cal 9

23 FSM Nas 7

29 FSM 30 FSM Pit Dal 7 7:30

12 FSM 13 Veg 7

14 FSM Chi 7

18 FSM Edm 7:30

21 FSM SJ 9:30

27 FSM Win 7

Home

Away

Thu.

Fri.

Sat.

31 FSM Ari 8

MARCH/APRIL

Home

Away

Fri.

Sat.

Sun.

Mon.

Tue.

1 FSM Win 6

3 FSM 4 NYR 6

6 FSM 7 NJ 6

10 FSM 11 Fla 7

13 FSM 14 SJ 7

4 FSM Veg 3

Wed.

7 FSM SJ 7

9 FSM Buf 7

11 FSM NYR 7

4 FSM 5 Car 7

6 FSM Win 7

8 FSM Dal 7

8 NBCS 9 Chi 6:30

13 FSM Ana 7

15NBCS Phi 7

18 FSM Col 2

11 FSM 12 Ana 9

13 FSM Veg 9

15 FSM Nas 2

15 FSM Ott 2

17NBCS 18 Phi 6

19 FSM 20 Car 6

21 FSM Fla 6

16NBCS 17 Nas 5

18 FSM 19 NJ 7

20 FSM 21 FSM 22 Dal Ari 7:30 7

24NBCS 25 Was 6

27 FSM LA 7

27 FSM Van 9

28 FSM 29 Cal 8

31 FSM Edm 8

23 NBCS Min 6:30

25 NBCS Chi 7

27 FSM NYI 7

2 FSM Bos 7

4 FSM Col 2

29NBCS Dal 7

29NBCS 30 Min 6

31 FSM Det 7

St. Louis times and subject to change. All game times are St. Louis times and may be subject to change. • TV: NBCSN (NBCS)

82 regular season games. Four playoff series. One Stanley Cup. Congratulations to our St. Louis Blues on a remarkable season and hard-fought Finals victory. We’re looking forward to this season and making sure they’re healthy and ready to defend the Cup.

12 • ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

M 1 • SUNDAY • 09.29.2019

NHL PREVIEW

HARD AND HEAVY Teams that punish opponents in playoffs often ﬁnd success JEFF GORDON St. Louis Post-Dispatch

eams seeking Stanley Cup glory should learn from the Blues. Speed and skill are rewarded in today’s NHL, but hard and heavy play can decide playoff series. If you want to hold a drunken championship parade in your town, come to the rink prepared to hit and be hit. San Jose Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said as much after the Blues advanced to face the Boston Bruins for the Cup. “I think the two hardest, heaviest teams are in the final,” DeBoer said during his news conference after the Blues eliminated his team. “Everybody talks about skill and speed and there’s room for small players, but I don’t think it’s an accident. There’s no space. They’re heavy. They’re hard. They’re organized.” The Blues outlasted the Bruins in a physical seven-game series to win the Cup and pounded home that point. But there is no debate about one style over another, speed and skill versus hard and heavy. Contenders need both elements, one to get into the playoffs and one to succeed when they get there. The same NHL rules changes and interpretations that opened up the sport for more speed and skill also put jet packs on forecheckers. It’s easier now to generate speed through the neutral zone for clean offensive zone entries or chip-and-chase checking. The NHL shifted from a trapping league to a 200-foot pressure league. Opposing forwards can’t hold up opponents, so teams can put the puck on the back wall and come bowling for defensemen. But here’s the difference: Regular-season hockey features speed minus hitting, while the playoffs feature speed plus hitting. In the regular season, referees punish crunching hits with boarding, charging or interference calls. Any hard check is a potential penalty. Player safety is paramount. Come playoff time, referees prefer not to make calls so players can get after each other. As for player safety, well, maybe the league will suspend an Oskar Sundqvist here or an Ivan Barbashev there. At times, Blues forward Brayden Schenn took ﬂying starts at foes — leaving his skates to crunch them with impunity.

J.B. FORBES, JFORBES@POST-DISPATCH.COM

“If you look at me personally or anyone else on this team, I just think playoffs is just more physical in general,” Schenn said. “Whether it’s more guys hitting, harder hits, stuff like that.” Teams that smother and punish opponents in the playoffs can tilt the ice in their favor. While coaching the Blues, Ken Hitchcock marveled at the tenacity of the Cup-winning Los Angeles Kings. Hitchcock got the Blues to the Final Four with battle-tested warriors like David Backes and Troy Brouwer. After the team bogged down, coach Mike Yeo sped it back up after replacing Hitchcock. But along the way the group lost its tenacity. Craig Berube, a Hitchcock disciple, helped get it back. He reintroduced the Blues to hard and heavy, a theme that will continue this season. “I think our team is built a certain way, and I don’t think that’s going to change,” general manager Doug Armstrong said. “I don’t think Craig’s coaching philosophy is going to change. We want to play quick, we want to play heavy, and we want to play in the offensive zone. That’s the way we are built. “We do have some faster players in our

2019

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group, but still you don’t stretch a lot from your identity.” Armstrong added some heft last summer when he signed the Big Rig, Pat Maroon. But he also added skilled, agitating winger David Perron, sturdy two-way center Ryan O’Reilly and supplemental playmaker Tyler Bozak. He left openings for smaller, more skilled players to compete for work, and last season rookie Robert Thomas grabbed one of those jobs. This preseason, with top prospect Jordan Kyrou still recovering from knee surgery, Robby Fabbri tried to make his case. While the team will miss Maroon, who signed with Tampa Bay this summer, power forward prospect Klim Kostin could replace some of that heft as he develops. Sundqvist, Barbashev and Sammy Blais all served as human missiles during the playoffs, and they could have bigger roles this season. Will teams copy their postseason success? “I don’t know, to be honest,” forward Alexander Steen said.“I am more focused on what we need to do here and how we want to play and the identity and the cul-

ture we’ve created and how we’re going to keep building on that.” Certainly the Tampa Bay Lightning paid attention to that identity. That highly talented team rolled to 128 points in the regular season but lost to the Columbus Blue Jackets in four games in the ﬁrst round. Maroon can help the Lightning learn the hard and heavy side of hockey, which the Blues used to batter the Sharks. “In the San Jose series, they took it to us the ﬁrst game, but after the handpass game, we took it to them, just wore them down,” Maroon told the Tampa Bay Times. “We got pucks in and went after them. It’s all mental. You make them frustrated. When they go back for the puck, they’re breathing heavy, thinking ‘Here we go again.’ You want that. We did that.” Now the Lightning want to do that. So do the Sharks and every other contender that watched the Blues and Bruins go after each other full-tilt. Jeff Gordon • 314-340-8175 @gordoszone on Twitter jgordon@post-dispatch.com

09.29.2019 • Sunday • M 1

ST. LOuIS POST-dISPaTCH • 13

NHL PREVIEW LIVE CHATS

Every Wednesday at 1 p.m., either Jim Thomas or Tom Timmermann will respond to your Blues and NHL questions and comments. STLtoday.com/chats

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14 • ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH 2018-2019 BLUES REGULAR SEASON STATISTICS Players

GP G A

P +/- PIM PPG PPP SHG SHP

S% FO%

Alex Pietrangelo

71 13 28 41

2 22

1 168

7.7

Alexander Steen

65 10 17 27

2 14

2 114

8.8 37.9

0 159 10.7 47.5

Brayden Schenn

72 17 37 54

3 40

Carl Gunnarsson

25 3

21 14.3

Chris Thorburn

1 0

0 0

80 10 18 28 20 15

1 176

5.7

0 112 20.5 45.5

Colton Parayko David Perron

57 23 23 46

3 46

Ivan Barbashev

80 14 12 26 -4 17

2 60 23.3 45.6

Jaden Schwartz

69 11 25 36 -6 16

0 183

Jay Bouwmeester

78 3 14 17 -3 40

Joel Edmundson

64 2

6 48.7

0 82

3.7

9 11

8 68

0 102

MackenzieMacEachern 29 3

0 10

9.1

Michael Del Zotto

3 -2

7 0

74 14 17 31 -1 22

2 113 12.4

Pat Maroon

74 10 18 28 -3 64

0 118

8.5

Robby Fabbri

32 2

0 43

4.7 28.6

Robert Bortuzzo

59 2

8 10

9 47

2.7

Robert Thomas

70 9 24 33 -2 14

0 80 11.3

Ryan O’Reilly

82 28 49 77 22 12

3 234

12 56.9

Sammy Blais

32 2

7.4

Tyler Bozak

72 13 25 38 -3 20

0 141

Vince Dunn

78 12 23 35 14 45

Vladimir Tarasenko

76 33 35 68

8 22

Zach Sanford

60 8 12 20

8 21

4 -1

Goalies

GP GS W L T OT

Jake Allen

46 45 19 17 0

Jordan Binnington 32 30 24 5 0

0 150

0 275

SA GA GAA

12 66.7

77 10.4 61.5

S SV% SO MIN 3 2,568

5 1,877

748 0.927

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M 1 • SUnDAy • 09.29.2019

NHL PREVIEW

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2018-2019 REGULAR SEASON RESULTS Date 10/4/2018 10/6/2018 10/11/2018 10/13/2018 10/14/2018 10/17/2018 10/20/2018 10/22/2018 10/25/2018 10/27/2018 11/1/2018 11/3/2018 11/6/2018 11/9/2018 11/11/2018 11/14/2018 11/16/2018 11/17/2018 11/19/2018 11/21/2018 11/23/2018 11/24/2018 11/28/2018 11/30/2018 12/1/2018 12/5/2018 12/7/2018 12/9/2018 12/11/2018 12/14/2018 12/16/2018 12/18/2018 12/20/2018 12/22/2018 12/27/2018 12/29/2018 12/31/2018 1/3/2019 1/5/2019 1/7/2019 1/8/2019 1/10/2019 1/12/2019 1/14/2019 1/15/2019 1/17/2019 1/19/2019 1/21/2019 1/23/2019 2/2/2019 2/5/2019 2/7/2019 2/9/2019 2/10/2019 2/12/2019 2/14/2019 2/16/2019 2/17/2019 2/19/2019 2/21/2019 2/23/2019 2/24/2019 2/26/2019 3/1/2019 3/2/2019 3/6/2019 3/7/2019 3/9/2019 3/12/2019 3/14/2019 3/16/2019 3/17/2019 3/19/2019 3/21/2019 3/23/2019 3/25/2019 3/29/2019 3/30/2019 4/1/2019 4/3/2019 4/4/2019 4/6/2019

Opponent Winnipeg Jets Chicago Blackhawks Calgary Flames at Chicago Blackhawks Anaheim Ducks at Montreal Canadiens at Toronto Maple Leafs at Winnipeg Jets Columbus Blue Jackets Chicago Blackhawks Vegas Golden Knights Minnesota Wild Carolina Hurricanes San Jose Sharks Minnesota Wild at Chicago Blackhawks at Vegas Golden Knights at San Jose Sharks Los Angeles Kings at Nashville Predators Nashville Predators Winnipeg Jets at Detroit Red Wings at Colorado Avalanche at Arizona Coyotes Edmonton Oilers at Winnipeg Jets Vancouver Canucks Florida Panthers Colorado Avalanche Calgary Flames at Edmonton Oilers at Vancouver Canucks at Calgary Flames Buffalo Sabres Pittsburgh Penguins New York Rangers Washington Capitals New York Islanders at Philadelphia Flyers Dallas Stars Montreal Canadiens at Dallas Stars at Washington Capitals at New York Islanders at Boston Bruins Ottawa Senators at Los Angeles Kings at Anaheim Ducks at Columbus Blue Jackets at Florida Panthers at Tampa Bay Lightning Nashville Predators at Nashville Predators New Jersey Devils at Arizona Coyotes at Colorado Avalanche at Minnesota Wild Toronto Maple Leafs at Dallas Stars Boston Bruins at Minnesota Wild Nashville Predators at Carolina Hurricanes Dallas Stars at Anaheim Ducks at Los Angeles Kings at San Jose Sharks Arizona Coyotes at Ottawa Senators at Pittsburgh Penguins at Buffalo Sabres Edmonton Oilers Detroit Red Wings Tampa Bay Lightning Vegas Golden Knights at New York Rangers at New Jersey Devils Colorado Avalanche at Chicago Blackhawks Philadelphia Flyers Vancouver Canucks

Score L 1-5 L 4-5, overtime W 5-3 L 3-4, overtime L 2-3 L 2-3 W 4-1 L 4-5, overtime L 4-7 W 7-3 W 5-3 L 1-5 W 4-1 W 4-0 L 2-3 L 0-1 W 4-1 L 0-4 L 0-2 L 1-4 W 6-2 L 4-8 L 3-4 W 3-2, overtime L 1-6 L 2-3, shootout W 1-0 L 1-6 W 4-3 W 4-3, overtime L 2-7 W 4-1 L 1-5 W 3-1 W 4-1 L 1-6 L 1-2 W 5-2 L 3-4 W 3-0 L 1-3 W 4-1 W 3-1 W 4-1 L 1-2, overtime L 2-5 W 3-2 L 3-4 W 5-1 W 4-2 W 3-2 W 1-0, overtime W 3-2 W 5-4, overtime W 8-3 W 4-0 W 3-0 W 4-0 W 3-2, overtime L 2-5 W 2-1, shootout L 1-2, shootout W 2-0 L 2-5 L 1-4 W 5-4 W 4-0 L 2-3, overtime L 1-3 L 0-2 W 5-1 L 3-4, overtime W 7-2 W 5-2 W 4-3 W 3-1 L 2-4 W 3-2, overtime W 3-2, shootout L 3-4, shootout W 7-3 W 3-2, shootout

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09.29.2019 • Sunday • M 1

ST. LOuIS POST-dISPaTCH • 15

NHL PREVIEW

GET THE LATEST BLUES NEWS FAN FORUM Diehards rant and rave all season long — and especially on game nights — in Blues Talk. STLtoday.com/bluestalk

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NHL PREVIEW

16 • ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

M 1 • SUnDAy • 09.29.2019

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NHL PREVIEW

09.29.2019 • Sunday • M 1

ST. LOuIS POST-dISPaTCH • 17

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18 • ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

NHL PREVIEW

M 1 • SUnDAy • 09.29.2019

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09.29.2019 • Sunday • M 1

NHL PREVIEW

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ST. LOuIS POST-dISPaTCH • 19

MEET YOUR STANLEY CUP DEFENDING CHAMPIONS

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20 • ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

M 1 • SUnDAy • 09.29.2019

NHL PREVIEW EASTERN CONFERENCE • LISTED IN ORDER OF PROJECTED FINISH

TAMPA BAY REPLAY Bruins, Pens in mix; don’t overlook Coach Q-led Panthers BY JEFF GORDON • ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

ATLANTIC DIVISION

METROPOLITAN DIVISION

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING 2018-19 record • 62-16-4 Coach • Jon Cooper Key newcomers • Kevin Shattenkirk, Pat Maroon, Curtis McElhinney, Luke Schenn Key departures • J.T. Miller, Anton Stralman, Adam Erne, Ryan Callahan, Dan Girardi Outlook • It’s Stanley Cup or bust for this juggernaut, which piled up 128 regular-season points last season and then suffered a four-game sweep from Columbus in the first round of the playoffs. This team has no discernible weakness, and Maroon will add grit and leadership. It’s time for Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos, Victor Hedman and Andrei Vasilevskiy to win.

WASHINGTON CAPITALS

Maroon

BOSTON BRUINS 2018-19 record • 49-24-9 Coach • Bruce Cassidy Key newcomers • None Key departures • Noel Acciari, Marcus Johansson Outlook • Like the Blues, the Bruins largely stood pat after playing for the Cup. They have a wave of good young forwards to support Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak and David Krejci. The Bruins have several good young defensemen, too, and Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak form a solid tandem in goal. This team could make another run or two before its competitive window slams shut.

Bergeron

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS 2018-19 record • 46-26-8 Coach • Mike Babcock Key newcomers • Tyson Barrie, Cody Ceci, Alex Kerfoot, Jason Spezza, Pontus Aberg Key departures • Nazem Kadri, Jake Gardiner, Nikita Zaitsev, Patrick Marleau, Connor Brown, Ron Hainsey, Tyler Ennis, Garrett Sparks Outlook • Babcock has earned lots of money to not lead the Leafs on Cup runs. So this might be his last chance to bring joy to long-suffering Toronto fans. No team can match the frontline power of John Tavares, Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and Co., and the addition of Barrie adds even more offense on the blue line. Frederik Andersen is a reliable workhorse in goal. There are no excuses!

Tavares

2018-19 record • 48-26-8 Coach • Todd Reirden Key newcomers • Radko Gudas, Richard Panik, Garnet Hathaway Key departures • Matt Niskanen, Brooks Orpik, Andre Burakovsky, Brett Connolly, Dmitrij Jaskin, Devante Smith-Pelly Outlook • High-scoring winger Alexander Ovechkin wants to play for quite a while longer, it seems, so the Capitals will stay in contender mode. If top center Evgeny Kuznetsov gets his career back on track after his brief cocaine-related suspension, the Capitals will have enough firepower to make another Stanley Cup run. Goaltender Braden Holtby is in the walk year of his contract, so he has ample motivation to star.

Kuznetsov

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS 2018-19 record • 44-26-12 Coach • Mike Sullivan Key newcomers • Alexander Galchenyuk, Dominik Kahun, Brandon Tanev Key departures • Phil Kessel, Olli Maatta, Matt Cullen Outlook • The Penguins are putting off their rebuild as long as they have Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang on board. The moody Malkin seems in better spirits with the enigmatic Kessel gone. Look for winger Jake Guentzel to pick up Kessel’s power-play slack and post big numbers. Whether Galchenyuk can make the most of his golden opportunity remains to be seen.

CAROLINA HURRICANES 2018-19 record • 46-29-7 Coach • Rod Brind’Amour Key newcomers • Joel Edmundson, Jake Gardiner, Erik Haula, James Reimer, Ryan Dzingel Key departures • Justin Faulk, Justin Williams, Michael Ferland, Curtis McElhinney, Scott Darling Outlook • The Storm Surge washed over the division last season, in part because so many other teams suffered adversity. Brind’Amour, a yesteryear Blue, will be hard-pressed to lead the Canes on another deep playoff run. The retired Williams will be sorely missed as captain. McElhinney was a great tag-team partner for goaltender Petr Mrazek and he, too, was a notable loss. Edmundson will give the blue line needed grit, but the loss of scoring defenseman Faulk will be tough to overcome.

Malkin

Edmundson

NEW YORK ISLANDERS FLORIDA PANTHERS 2018-19 record • 36-32-14 Coach • Joel Quenneville Key newcomers • Sergei Bobrovsky, Anton Stralman, Brett Connolly, Noel Acciari Key departure • Roberto Luongo Outlook • Quenneville reunited with former Chicago Blackhawks general manager Dale Tallon to make one more run at building a champion. The addition of Bobrovsky fixed the goaltending problem, and Coach Q will instill defensive structure in front of him, as Blues fans know from his time here. This team has lots of firepower, led by Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau, so they will make noise.

Barkov

DETROIT RED WINGS 2018-19 record • 32-40-10 Coach • Jeff Blashill Key newcomers • Adam Erne, Valterri Filppula Key departures • Nicklas Kronwall, Thomas Vanek, Martin Frk Outlook • Former Tampa Bay Lightning GM Steve Yzerman returned home to Motown to save his former franchise. He has a nice starting point with talented young forwards Dylan Larkin, Anthony Mantha, Tyler Bertuzzi and Andreas Athanisiou. But predecessor Ken Holland left him short on the blue line, and the franchise still has to locate its future goaltender to replace Jimmy Howard.

OTTAWA SENATORS 2018-19 record • 29-47-6 Coach • D.J. Smith Key newcomers • Connor Brown, Nikita Zaitsev, Artem Anisimov, Ron Hainsey, Tyler Ennis Key departures • Zach Smith, Mike Condon, Magnus Paajarvi Outlook • Senators owner Eugene Melnyk is a modernday Harold Ballard. Ottawa is stuck with him. City fathers haven’t been eager to build him the needed new arena, so the franchise is sort of in limbo. Our town’s Brady Tkachuk and defenseman Thomas Chabot are terrific pieces to build around, and Smith is a promising coach, but the Senators will be playing for lottery picks for the next two or three years.

Varlamov

NEW JERSEY DEVILS 2018-19 record • 31-41-10 Coach • John Hynes Key newcomers • Jack Hughes, P.K. Subban, Nikita Gusev, Wayne Simmonds Key departures • None Outlook • Last year the Islanders came out of nowhere to make a run. This season the surprise team could be the Devils, thanks to the arrival of Hughes, the first overall pick, along with Subban, Gusev and Simmonds. Winger Taylor Hall and goaltender Corey Schneider look frisky after recovering from surgical repairs, and center Nico Hischier is poised for an offensive breakout. Suddenly this team is loaded.

MONTREAL CANADIENS 2018-19 record • 44-30-8 Coach • Claude Julien Key newcomers • Ben Chiarot, Nick Suzuki, Keith Kinkaid, Nick Cousins Key departures • Andrew Shaw, Jordie Benn, Antti Niemi Outlook • General manager Marc Bergevin, the former Blue, has done a nice job rebuilding this storied franchise with youth. Dealing for forward Max Domi triggered the turnaround, and the addition of Suzuki could pay off as soon as this season. But the Canadiens must develop the next wave of good young defensemen to play in front of elite goaltender Carey Price.

BUFFALO SABRES 2018-19 record • 33-39-10 Coach • Ralph Krueger Key newcomers • Marcus Johansson, Henri Jokiharju, Jimmy Vesey, Colin Miller, Curtis Lazar Key departures • Jason Pominville, Matt Moulson Outlook • It shouldn’t take a hundred years to rebuild a team, but that’s what the process feels like to Buffalo fans. Dealing Ryan O’Reilly to the Blues for Tage Thompson, Vladimir Sobotka and the ghost of Patrik Berglund slowed the process further. Now the Sabres are trying again, this time with the European mastermind Krueger behind the bench. Buffalo star Jack Eichel feels Connor McDavid’s pain.

2018-19 record • 48-27-7 Coach • Barry Trotz Key newcomers • Semyon Varlamov, Derick Brassard Key departures • Robin Lehner, Valterri Filppula Outlook • The Islanders played willy-nilly hockey under coach Doug Weight, another former Blue. Trotz cured them of that in a hurry, instilling tremendous defensive discipline. But then general manager Lou Lamoriello ran off Lehner after his Vezina-worthy performance and gambled long-term money on Varlamov instead. That curious decision and the refusal to make notable upgrades could cost the team in a big way.

Hughes

Price

PHILADELPHIA FLYERS 2018-19 record • 37-37-8 Coach • Alain Vigneault Key newcomers • Kevin Hayes, Matt Niskanen, Justin Braun, Nate Prosser Key departures • Radko Gudas, Michael Neuvirth, Cam Talbot, Jori Lehtera Outlook • The Flyers stopped just short of using Craigslist to locate fill-in goaltenders when injuries decimated that position. Now they have their goaltender in promising Carter Hart, backed by former Blue Brian Elliott. The addition of Hayes as the No. 2 center creates a strong second scoring line, something they have missed since mindlessly dealing Brayden Schenn to the Blues. And hiring Vigneault gives them a chance to contend before Claude Giroux slips over the hill.

Eichel

Hart

NEW YORK RANGERS

Larkin

Tkachuk

Kakko

2018-19 record • 32-36-14 Coach • David Quinn Key newcomers • Artemi Panarin, Jacob Trouba, Kaapo Kakko, Adam Fox Key departures • Kevin Shattenkirk, Jimmy Vesey, Neal Pionk Outlook • Former Blues president John Davidson is running the show in New York after his successful stint in Columbus. The rebuild started before he arrived and accelerated with the additions of Trouba, Panarin and second overall draft pick Kakko. If venerable Henrik Lundqvist can bounce back from a bad season in goal, the Blue Shirts could get back into the playoff race.

COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS 2018-19 record • 47-31-4 Coach • John Tortorella Key newcomer • Gustav Nyquist Key departures • Artemi Panarin, Sergei Bobrovsky, Matt Duchene, Ryan Dzingel, Keith Kinkaid, Mark Letestu Outlook • The Blue Jackets went “all in” last spring and finally had some postseason success, upsetting the Lightning. But a massive free-agent exodus from Central Ohio thrust the team back into rebuilding mode. Relying on career back-up Joonas Korpisalo to take over in goal is risky, so import Elvis Merzlikins could be the X-factor for the Jackets.

Korpisalo

09.29.2019 • Sunday • M 1

ST. LOuIS POST-dISPaTCH • 21

NHL PREVIEW WESTERN CONFERENCE • LISTED IN ORDER OF PROJECTED FINISH

ANOTHER WILD WEST No easy nights for contenders in loaded Central Division BY JEFF GORDON • ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

CENTRAL DIVISION

PACIFIC DIVISION

ST. LOUIS BLUES 2018-19 record • 45-28-9 Coach • Craig Berube Key newcomers • Justin Faulk, Klim Kostin Key departures • Joel Edmundson, Pat Maroon, Chris Butler, Jordan Schmaltz, Michael Del Zotto, Chris Thorburn Outlook • The reigning Stanley Cup champions return most of their championship lineup except for Maroon and Edmundson. Justin Faulk is a blue-line scorer (11 G, 24 A last year) and was an alternate captain for Carolina. Kostin, an elite power forward prospect, could replace Maroon’s muscle up front. Berube is counting on further development from young forwards Sammy Blais, Zach Sanford, Robby Fabbri and Jordan Kyrou to keep things fresh. And look for forwards Brayden Schenn and Jaden Schwartz to produce bigger regular seasons.

Sanford

VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS 2018-19 record • 43-32-7 Coach • Gerard Gallant Key newcomer • Cody Glass Key departures • Erik Haula, Pierre-Eduoard Bellemare, Ryan Carpenter Outlook • Adding newcomer Mark Stone to the Paul Stastny/ Max Pacioretty line made the Golden Knights dangerous in the playoffs. But for a bad call and an explosive Sharks power play, Vegas would have reached the Final Four. This historically successful expansion team is in “win now” mode behind goaltender Marc-Andrew Fleury and is a serious Cup threat again.

Stone

CALGARY FLAMES NASHVILLE PREDATORS 2018-19 record • 47-29-6 Coach • Peter Laviolette Key newcomers • Matt Duchene, Steven Santini Key departures • P.K. Subban, Wayne Simmonds, Brian Boyle, Zac Rinaldo Outlook • The Preds essentially swapped Subban for Duchene, clearing salary cap space from their defensive strength to fill the void at center. Duchene creates a second scoring line and should add more juice to a power play that somehow ranked last in the NHL last season with a 12.9 percent conversion rate. If Duchene and new assistant coach Dan Lambert can fix that, this could be Nashville’s year.

DALLAS STARS 2018-19 record • 43-32-7 Coach • Jim Montgomery Key newcomers • Jim Pavelski, Corey Perry, Andrej Sekera Key departures • Mats Zuccarello, Jason Spezza, Valeri Nichushkin, Marc Methot Outlook • The Stars came within a inch here or there from knocking off the Blues in the playoffs last spring, and they should be tougher this season. Miro Heiskanen is an emerging superstar on defense. Pavelski should anchor an effective No. 2 scoring line and bolster the power play. But Dallas needs more from its bottom six forwards and third defensive pairing to make a Cup run.

2018-19 record • 50-25-7 Coach • Bill Peters Key newcomers • Milan Lucic, Cam Talbot Key departures • James Neal, Mike Smith, Garnet Hathaway, Curtis Lazar Outlook • Our town’s Matthew Tkachuk helped the Flames lord over this division last season. It took him no time to become one of the league’s best (and most hated) power forwards, just like dad. But do they have Cup-caliber goaltending with David Rittich and Talbot? And will top guns Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan and Elias Lindholm suffer regression this season as peak performances last season?

Duchene

SAN JOSE SHARKS 2018-19 record • 46-27-9 Coach • Peter DeBoer Key newcomers • None Key departures • Joe Pavelski, Joonas Donskoi, Gustav Nyquist, Justin Braun Outlook • Last season they had a maximum amount of talent under their salary cap. This season the Sharks don’t have that sort of depth. Losing their captain, Pavelski, to free agency was especially hurtful. But if defenseman Erik Karlsson can stay healthy and forwards Timo Meier and Tomas Hertl reach their full potential, the Sharks could make another deep run.

Heiskanen

COLORADO AVALANCHE 2018-19 record • 38-30-14 Coach • Jared Bednar Key newcomers • Nazem Kadri, Andre Burakovsky, Joonas Donskoi, Bowen Byram, Pierre-Eduoard Bellemare, Kevin Connauton Key departures • Tyson Barrie, Semyon Varlamov, Alexander Kerfoot, Carl Soderburg, Derick Brassard Outlook • Soon the ‘Lanche will have a strong defensive foundation as top prospects Byram, Cale Makar and Sam Girard mature. But they may suffer growing pains in the meantime in front of Philipp Grubauer, who finally gets his chance to be a No. 1 goaltender. The acquisition of Kadri, Burakovsky and Donskoi gives Colorado badly needed scoring depth behind the explosive top line of Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen.

WINNIPEG JETS 2018-19 record • 47-30-5 Coach • Paul Maurice Key newcomers • Neal Pionk, Mark Letestu Key departures • Jacob Trouba, Tyler Myers, Kevin Hayes, Ben Chiarot, Brandon Tanev, Marko Dano Outlook • In this hypercompetitive conference the oncepowerful Jets will have to fight to stay in the playoff hunt. They suffered big losses on defense, losing Trouba, Myers and Chiarot. Blue-line bulwark Dustin Byfuglien took a personal leave to ponder retirement. Restricted free agents Kyle Connor and Patrik Laine missed time during preseason play while negotiating new deals. Maurice had a trying training camp.

Grubauer

Karlsson

VANCOUVER CANUCKS 2018-19 record • 35-36-11 Coach • Travis Green Key newcomers • J.T. Miller, Tyler Myers, Michael Ferland, Jordie Benn Key departures • Ben Hutton, Luke Schenn, Markus Granlund Outlook • Finally the Canucks are heading in the right direction. Playmaker Elias Pettersson is a generational talent. He combines with excellent two-way center Bo Horvat to give Vancouver uncommon strength down the middle. Winger Brock Boeser and defenseman Quinn Hughes are budding stars, so the long-term nucleus is in place. As this group matures and the supporting cast improves, look out.

ARIZONA COYOTES 2018-19 record • 39-35-8 Coach • Rick Tocchet Key newcomers • Phil Kessel, Carl Soderberg Key departures • Alexander Galchenyuk, Kevin Connauton, Richard Panik Outlook • This is another emerging team. Our town’s Clayton Keller along with Nick Schmaltz, Jakob Chychrun, Christian Dvorak and Vinnie Hinostroza form the youthful foundation. If Tocchet can motivate Kessel — who wore out his welcome in Pittsburgh — this team could slip into the playoff bracket. Getting goaltender Antti Raanta back to top form after an injury-ruined season would help.

Letestu

Horvat

Keller

ANAHEIM DUCKS 2018-19 record • 35-37-10 Coach • Dallas Eakins Key newcomer • Michael Del Zotto Key departures • Corey Perry, Ryan Kesler, Chad Johnson Outlook • It’s time to hit the reset button. General manager Bob Murray took over as coach last season and saw that firsthand. Fortunately the Ducks have an army of good young forwards coming, led by Sam Steel, Troy Terry, Max Comtois and Max Jones. Forwards Rickard Rakell, Ondrej Kase and Jakob Silfverberg all have more to give, too, and John Gibson might be the NHL’s best goaltender. But about that defense ...

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS 2018-19 record • 36-34-12 Coach • Jeremy Colliton Key newcomers • Robin Lehner, Olli Maatta, Andrew Shaw, Alexander Nylander, Zack Smith, Calvin de Haan, Ryan Carpenter Key departures • Artem Anisimov, Dominik Kahun, Henri Jokiharju, Cam Ward, Chris Kunitz, Marcus Kruger Outlook • The Blackhawks were highly entertaining after Colliton replaced long-time coach Joel Quenneville and turned Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Alex Debrincat and Co. loose. But they lost their defensive structure, and the goaltending was awful. Netminder Corey Crawford seems past his concussion woes, for now, and he forms a strong tandem with Lehner — who starred for the Islanders last season.

MINNESOTA WILD 2018-19 record • 37-36-9 Coach • Bruce Boudreau Key newcomers • Mats Zuccarello, Ryan Hartman Key departures • Eric Fehr, Nate Prosser, Pontus Aberg Outlook • New general manager Bill Guerin, the former Blue, is cleaning up after the disastrous Paul Fenton regime. He needs to rebuild with youth around defenseman Matt Dumba, but the franchise has massive long-term dollars committed to Zuccarello, Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. A bounce-back year from goaltender Devan Dubnyk and a full year of Mikko Koivu could keep the Wild viable while Guerin plots his long-term course.

Tkachuk

Crawford

EDMONTON OILERS 2018-19 record • 35-38-9 Coach • Dave Tippett Key newcomers • James Neal, Mike Smith, Markus Granlund Key departures • Milan Lucic, Jesse Puljujarvi Outlook • Epic mismanagement left this team with a topheavy roster. Connor McDavid is the NHL’s brightest star. Forward Leon Draisaitl is an elite scorer. Forward Ryan NugentHopkins and defensemen Darnell Nurse and Oscar Klefbom are nice assets, too. But the rest of the skaters have little to offer, and the goaltending tandem of Mikko Koskinen and Smith is iffy. How is it possible to stay this bad this long?

Terry

McDavid

Dumba

LOS ANGELES KINGS 2018-19 record • 31-42-9 Coach • Todd McLellan Key newcomers • Ben Hutton, Martin Frk Key departure • Brendal Leipsic Outlook • This team got old in a hurry, so investing millions in yesteryear sniper Ilya Kovalchuk last summer wasn’t a bright move. He joins Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown, Jeff Carter, Jonathan Quick and Drew Doughty in the fading veteran core group. All those seasons of trading picks and prospects to stay in the Cup chase took a toll. Rebuilding this team will take many years. Jeff Gordon • 314-340-8175 @gordoszone on Twitter jgordon@post-dispatch.com

Kovalchuk

NHL PREVIEW

22 • ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

M 1 • SUnDAy • 09.29.2019

Call One Day Meat in Advance Place Packages toOrder 314-631-2440

• We Accept Food Stamps •

4324 Weber Rd • St. Louis, MO 63123 Fax 314-631-6452 Hours: Mon.-Fri. 8-7 Sat. 7-5 • Sun. 9-4

“Old Fashioned Butcher Service”

Spend $200 or more and get 10 lbs. of Chicken Cut Up for FREE Only 2 Substitutions Per Package STOCK UP YOUR FREEZER AND SAVE! BRATS-BURGERS-DOGS ..................................... $33 ALL BEEF ROAST.............................................. $90 SLIM & DOWN PACK ....................................... $48 KENRICK’S POULTRY PACK .................................. $85 6-Kenrick’s Original Bratwursts 6-Beer Bratwursts 6-All Beef Grilling Burgers

6-BBQ Pork Steak Burgers 8-4 to 1 New York Style

3 lbs. Boneless Chuck Roast 3 lbs. Boneless Rump Roast 3 lbs. Boneless Sirloin Tip Roast

Hot Dogs

MAIN ENTREE PACK ..........................................

JOE’S SPECIALTY PACK......................................

$33

4 Pcs. Bacon Cheddar Burgers 4 Pcs. Jalapeno Cheddar Burgers 4 Pcs. Loaded Burgers (Cheddar, Onions, & Green Pepper) 4 Pcs. Seasoned Pork Sizzlers 4 Pcs. Seasoned Chicken Sizzlers 10 Pcs. Ozark Grillers

2 lbs. Meat Loaf 1/2 Smoked Chicken in BBQ Sauce 2 lbs. Roast Beef in Au Jus 2 lbs. Roasted Pork & Gravy 2 lbs. BBQ Pulled Pork in BBQ Sauce Fully Cooked-Just Heat and Eat

DINNER FOR 2................................................. 2-8oz. Bacon Wrapped Filet Mignons 2-8oz. New York Strip Steaks 2-10oz. Top Sirloin Steaks 2-12oz. Center Cut Pork Steaks 2½ lbs. Country Style Pork Ribs 2 lbs. (Approx. 4) Pork Cutlets 2½ lbs. (Approx. 5) Sirloin Pork Chops 2 lbs. (1 lb. Pkgs.) Lean Ground Chuck 2 lbs. (1 lb. Pkgs.) Lean Beef Stew Meat 3 lbs. Boneless Chuck Roast

3 lbs. Boneless Chuck Roast 3 lbs. Boneless Sirloin Tip Roast 3 lbs. Center Cut Pork Steaks 3 lbs. Sirloin Pork Chops 2-8oz. Boneless New York Strip Steaks 2-8oz. Bacon Wrapped Filet Mignons

$105

$135

2-8oz. Boneless Rib Eye Steaks 7 lbs. (Approx. 2) Cut Up Chicken 1 lb. Sliced Country Slab Bacon 2 lbs. Center Cut Round Steak 5 lbs. (1 lb. Pkgs.) Lean Ground Chuck 2 lbs. (Approx. 4) Pork Cutlets

5 lbs. Center Cut Pork Steaks 5 lbs. Country Style Ribs 2 lbs. BBQ Pork Steak Burgers 2 lbs. Jalapeno & Cheddar Burgers 2 lbs. Bacon & Cheddar Burgers Chicken Burgers

Whole Deer Processed only $89 Skinning only $30 Save Skin & Antlers Only Full Cap Shoulder Head Mount $10 Extra

Standard Saw Cut

• Round Steaks • Backstraps Boneless Whole • Backstraps Boneless Cut Into Butterfly Steaks • Tenderloins • Roasts • Ribs • Chops Bone-In Back Straps • Stew • Boneless Venison for Grinding • Ground Venison Mixed with Pork $2.75 lb. Mixed with Beef $2.75 lb.

$85

2 lbs. 4 to 1 New York Style Hot Dogs 5 lbs. Rib Tips 5 lbs. Chicken Leg Quarters 4 lbs. Country Style Ribs

BIG MIKE’S SPECIAL .......................................

2 lbs. (Approx. 4) Cube Steaks 3 lbs. (Approx. 4) Center Cut Pork Steaks 4-8oz. Avg. New York Strip Steaks 2 lb. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast

1 lb. Ground Turkey 2-6oz. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts 4-Turkey Saziza 2 lbs. London Broil

4 Roasted Pepper Onion Chicken Burgers 1 lb. Potato Crunch Tilapia 1 lb. Roasted Garlic Tilapia

JUMBO FAMILY PACK ....................................

$150

JOE’S BACKYARD BBQ ....................................... 3 lbs. Pork Spare Ribs 2 lbs. Beer Bratwurst 2 lbs. 1/3 lb. Ground Chuck Patties 5 lbs. Center Cut Pork Steaks 2 lbs. Cheddar Bratwurst

$95

4 Pcs. Steak & Potato Kabobs 4 Pcs. Philly Cheese Roll Ups 4 Pcs. Chicken Cordon Bleu Balls 4 Pcs. Chicken Spedini 4 Pcs. Beef Spedini 5 Pcs. BBQ Pork Steak Burgers

VARIETY PACK...............................................

1 lb. Sliced Country Slab Bacon 3½ lbs. Cut Up Chicken (8 pcs.) 3 lbs. Select Arm Roast 3 lbs. (Approx. 4) Center Cut Pork Steaks 1 lb. Pkg. Wieners 3 lbs. Bone-In Chicken Breasts

BALANCED DIET PACK .................................... 3 lbs. Boneless Chuck Roast 2 lbs. (1 lb. Units) Lean Beef Stew Meat 5 lbs. (1 lb. Units) Lean Ground Chuck 3½ lbs. Cut Up Chicken (8 pcs.) 2 lbs. (Approx. 4) Pork Cutlets 2 lbs. (Approx. 5) Center Cut Pork Chops

$60

2-6oz. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts 2-8oz. Bacon Wrapped Pork Fillets

ECONOMY PACK...........................................

3 lbs. Boneless Top Round Roast 3 lbs. Boneless Eye of Round Roast

$120

1 Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin Stuffed with Hot Pepper Cheese 3 lbs. Top Sirloin Steaks 4 lbs. Rib Tips 2 lbs. Roasted Pepper & Onion

4 lbs. Pork Cutlets 4 lbs. Stew Meat 8 - 1 lb. Packages Ground Chuck 4 lbs. Center Cut Rib Chops 4 lbs. Lean Cube Steak 2 lbs. Round Steak 3 lbs. Sirloin Steaks

4 lbs. T-Bone Steaks 4 lbs. Porterhouse Steaks 4 lbs. Top Sirloin Steaks 4-8oz. New York Strip Steaks 4-8oz. Boneless Rib Eye Steaks

1 lb. Tortilla Crusted Tilapia 1 lb. Roasted Garlic & Herb Tilapia 1 lb. Shark Steaks 1 lb. Cod Fillets

$65

1 lb. Catfish Fillets 1 lb. Breaded Cod Fillets 1 lb. Jack Salmon

HEAT & EAT PACK.............................................

$50

Mostaccioli in Red Meat Sauce Pulled Pork in BBQ Sauce Chicken & Dumplings Hearty Beef Stew Sliced Boneless Pork Loin in Gravy Stuffed Green Peppers Our Famous Roast Beef in Au Jus This Package is Fully Cooked-Just Heat-N-Eat

$180

2 lbs. (Approx. 2) T-Bone Steak 7 lbs. Cut Up Chickens (16 pcs.) 5 lbs. Lean Ground Chuck Patties 2 lbs. Bavarian Bratwurst Sausage 2 lbs. Italian Saziza Sausage 2 lbs. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

ALL STEAK PACK..........................................

2 lbs. Greek Chicken Burgers 5 lbs. Chicken Wings 5 lbs. Chicken Leg Quarters

SEAFOOD PACK ..............................................

$265

7 lbs. Cut Up Chicken (16 pcs.) 4 lbs. Slab Bacon 4 lbs. Bulk Pork Sausage 3 lbs. Boneless Chuck Roast 3 lbs. Boneless Pork Loin Roast 4 lbs. Center Cut Pork Steaks 3 lbs. Fresh Meatloaf Mix

BBQ PACK .................................................. 3 lbs. Center Cut Pork Steaks 3½ lbs. Slab of BBQ Ribs 3 lbs. (Approx. 8) Center Cut Pork Chops 2½ lbs. Country Style Pork Ribs 2-8oz. Avg. Rib Eye Steaks 2-8oz. Avg. Bacon Wrapped Filet Mignons 2-8oz. Avg. New York Strip Steaks

2 lbs. Kenrick’s Chicken Spedini 7 lbs. Cut Up Chicken (16 pcs.) 2 lbs. Chicken Cordon Bleu Balls 5 lbs. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast

BIG “5” PACK............................................... 5 lbs. All Beef Grilling Burgers 5 lbs. Center Cut Pork Steaks 5 lbs. Pork Cutlets 5 lbs. Rib Pork Chops

BREAKFAST, LUNCH & DINNER PACK ..................

$295

3 lbs. Slab Bacon 3 lbs. Old Fashioned Pork Sausage 1 lb. Kenricks Black Label Ham 1 lb. Honeysuckle Turkey Breast 1 lb. American Cheese 3 lbs. Ground Chuck

4-8oz. Bacon Wrapped Filet Mignons 2 lbs. Center Cut Round Steaks 5 lbs. Ground Steak 3 lbs. Cube Steak

$145

5 lbs. Cube Steak 5 lbs. Bavarian Bratwursts 5 lbs. Chicken Wings 5 lbs. Cut Up Chicken

$125

3 lbs. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast 2 lbs. Cube Steak 3 lbs. Loin Pork Chop 4-8oz. Bacon Wrapped Filet Mignons 4 Pcs. Italian Beef Spedini

• Deer Processed by Union Local 88 Meatcutters • $50.00 DEPOSIT REQUIRED FOR ALL DEER PROCESSED Kenrick’s Specialty Venison Sausages 3 lb. Stick Hickory Smoked Summer Salami ...... $4.29 lb ............................................................... $12.87 per stick 3 lb. Sticks Jalapeno & Cheddar Salami............ $4.99 lb ............................................................... $14.97 per stick 3 lb. Sticks Polish Krackow Sausage................. $4.99 lb ............................................................... $14.97 per stick 3 lb. Sticks Bologna Venison............................... $4.99 lb ............................................................... $14.97 per stick 3 lb. Sticks Habanero Summer Sausage ........... $4.99 lb ............................................................... $14.97 per stick with Hot Pepper Cheese Snack Stick Landejager ....................................... 3 lbs. for $14.97 .............................................................. $4.99 lb. Snack Stick Pepperoni......................................... 3 lbs. for $14.97 .............................................................. $4.99 lb. Deer Jerky ............................................................ 3 lbs. for $14.97 .............................................................. $4.99 lb.

Great for the Grill Fresh Fresh Fresh Fresh Fresh

Venison Venison Venison Venison Venison

Bratwurst...................................... 3 Saziza ............................................ 3 Country Sausage ......................... 3 Jalapeno & Cheddar Brats ......... 3 Bacon & Cheddar Brats .............. 3

lbs. lbs. lbs. lbs. lbs.

for for for for for

$11.97............................................................... $3.99 $11.97............................................................... $3.99 $11.97............................................................... $3.99 $13.47 .............................................................. $4.49 $13.47 .............................................................. $4.49

lb. lb. lb. lb. lb.

Deer Burgers 1/3 lb. Plain (mixed w/beef).............................................. 3 lbs. for $8.97 ................................................................ $2.99 lb. Jalapeno & Cheddar............................................ 3 lbs. for $9.87 ................................................................ $3.99 lb. Bacon & Cheddar................................................. 3 lbs. for $9.87 ................................................................ $3.99 lb.

THE OFFICIALLY LICENSED ®

STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS Ornament Honoring the St. Louis Blues® NO IN T A AN VA Y ILA ST B OR LE E!

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The 2018-2019 Championship Season: 45 Wins 28 Losses 9 OT 99 Points

Hold the Cup in your hands! Teams and fans across the National Hockey League ® can wait entire generations before winning the coveted Stanley Cup®, the oldest and most prized trophy in all of sports. For the players of the NHL ®, to hoist the Cup in victory is fulfilling a dream that started long, long ago when they first laced up the skates and strapped on the pads. And this year, after winning the best of 7 series over the Eastern Conference champions, that dream was realized for the players of your Blues® as they brought the Stanley Cup® to St. Louis for the FIRST time!

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An exceptional value that’s not available in any store – PRE-ORDER yours today! The heirloom-quality Officially Licensed Stanley Cup ® Champions Ornament Honoring the St. Louis Blues ® can be yours for $39.98, payable in two installments of just $19.99 each*, the first billed before shipment. Of course, your satisfaction is assured with our best-in-the-business 365-day money-back guarantee. Due to expected high demand from Blues® fans, we urge you not to wait. To PRE-ORDER yours, send no money now. Simply complete and return the attached post paid Reservation Application today! *For information on sales tax you may owe to your state, go to bradfordexchange.com/use-tax

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