顔触れ shuffling 利益s Blues in Stanley Cup Final
ST. LOUIS (AP) - Had Oskar Sundqvist not gotten 一時停止するd and Robert Thomas 支配するd out with a nagging 傷害, Zach Sanford might never have gotten a chance to show his stuff on ホッケー's biggest 行う／開催する／段階.
If Vince Dunn not taken a puck to the mouth during the last 一連の会議、交渉／完成する, Robert Bortuzzo might not have had the chance to 得点する／非難する／２０ a 重要な goal in the Stanley Cup Final.
This is the 魔法 of the St. Louis Blues in the プレーオフs and even more 特に their series against the Boston Bruins. They've dressed a 宝くじ ball machine 量 of 顔触れ combinations this postseason and because of 中断s and 傷害s in the final will have their sixth different 顔触れ in six games.
Instead of interrupting 連続 that's usually 最高位の in the プレーオフs, the Blues' game of musical jerseys with players in and out of the 顔触れ has given them a variety of looks for the Bruins to 競う with and 与える／捧げるd to St. Louis 存在 on the 瀬戸際 of winning the Stanley Cup.
"You never want to see guys get 一時停止するd or go 負かす／撃墜する with an 傷害," 今後 Patrick Maroon said Saturday. "But Zach Sanford, Sammy Blais and Robby Fabbri have done a really good 職業 filling in. Thomas was playing until he went out. They've been here all year, and they know what it takes to 勝利，勝つ."
Maroon is one of only 12 スケートをする人s 加える goaltender Jordan Binnington to play in all 24 of St. Louis' プレーオフ games so far. That number will 下落する to 11 with Ivan Barbashev 一時停止するd and the very real 可能性 Thomas is ready to return after 行方不明の the past four games with what's believed to be a 手渡す/wrist 傷害.
St. Louis Blues' Zach Sanford (12) checks Boston Bruins' David Pastrnak (88), of the Czech 共和国, to the ice during the first period in Game 5 of the NHL ホッケー Stanley Cup Final, Thursday, June 6, 2019, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
傷害 attrition can take its （死傷者）数 this time of year, something the San Jose Sharks 設立する out when the Blues 除去するd them without Erik Karlsson, Joe Pavelski and Tomas Hertl. The Blues have kept on chugging through the 傷害s and gotten impressive 業績／成果s from players shuffling in and out of the 顔触れ like Bortuzzo or returning off a long layoff like Sanford and Fabbri.
Barbashev isn't 利用できる for Game 6, and coach Craig Berube said other 決定／判定勝ち（する）s will be made closer to puck 減少（する）. 最高の，を越す-line 今後 Vladimir Tarasenko and 底（に届く）-six grinder Alex Steen are 推定する／予想するd to play after 行方不明の practice for 維持／整備, but there are other questions about who's in and out and St. Louis won't have much of a 減少（する）-off either way.
"We have good depth, which is very important on the 支援する end and up 前線," Berube said. "A guy like Sanford coming in and doing a good 職業 for us after 存在 out for some time, and Sammy Blais, just different guys. It's really important."
Sanford has had some 重要な jump in his 脚s the past three games after sitting out six weeks as a healthy scratch. Dunn showed little rust from 行方不明の almost three weeks before getting 支援する in for Game 4.
And there has been no pouting from guys like Bortuzzo and fellow defenseman Joel Edmundson 貿易（する）ing places on the ice and in the 圧力（をかける） box.
"There's been different circumstances for different things," Bortuzzo said. "You're going to get in there and you're going to be excited to play. You're going to be refreshed 関わりなく what's going on."
The Blues had already done a strong 職業 in the first three 一連の会議、交渉／完成するs of wearing 負かす／撃墜する 対抗者s as series dragged on, and they're in the 過程 of doing the same to Boston. They play the same style, but the Bruins never seeing the same St. Louis team twice in a プレーオフ series that usually 産む／飼育するs familiarity and contempt makes it even more difficult to 準備する.
Boston could dress its same 顔触れ from Game 5 because 今後 Noel Acciari is 推定する／予想するd to play after leaving in the third period Thursday and Marcus Johansson had no ぐずぐず残る 影響s from the 攻撃する，衝突する on him Barbashev was 一時停止するd for.
While the Bruins 促進するd Johansson to their 最高の，を越す 力／強力にする-play 部隊 to get that 部隊 going, the Blues have to adjust without Barbashev, who's a 重要な 刑罰，罰則 殺し屋.
"He's physical for us," 今後 Brayden Schenn said. "He does a good 職業 on the PK, 得点する／非難する／２０ing some goals. We can't worry about him 存在 out. You've got to worry about someone else stepping up, stepping in and filling his 役割.
That has been 重要な to the Blues' run the past two months, in large part because of 傷害s and Berube shaking things up with coach's 決定／判定勝ち（する）s for 業績／成果. The 中断s of Sundqvist and now Barbashev 軍隊d Berube's 手渡す even more, but it hasn't led the Blues to abandon their bruising approach.
"If that was a thing, then we'd have slowed 負かす／撃墜する on our physical game and that's not us," Carl Gunnarsson said. "I think we've just got to keep on going, just going to keep it clean and keep doing what we're doing."
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Follow AP ホッケー Writer Stephen Whyno on Twitter at https://twitter.com/SWhyno
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St. Louis Blues' Vince Dunn, left, checks Boston Bruins' Joakim Nordstrom, of Sweden, during the second period in Game 5 of the NHL ホッケー Stanley Cup Final, Thursday, June 6, 2019, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
