Following an ugly 4-0 loss in Game 2 of the Western Conference Final, Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock alluded to lineup changes for when the series shifted back to San Jose for Game 3.
“Changing your lineup has a real impact,” Hitchcock said, per the Post-Dispatch. “We’ve made adjustments all playoffs and everyone of them has worked.
“We’re probably going to have to make a few more [Thursday] and hopefully they work.”
So, what are those changes going to be?
Here are Blues beat reporters Jeremy Rutherford and Lou Korac:
Paajarvi off ... Reaves, Jaskin and Ott still on.
— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) May 19, 2016
Hitch said there will be changes. Didn't say who but both Paajarvi and Jaskin could wind up in the lineup. #stlblues
— Lou Korac (@lkorac10) May 19, 2016
Of the two, Paajarvi would be the biggest move. The veteran Swede hasn’t played at all in the playoffs, with his last action coming on Apr. 9, and he finished the year with just three goals and nine points in 48 games.
That said, Hitchcock has been fond of what Paajarvi brings to the table -- calling him one of the team’s best players back in late December -- and the move could give St. Louis some more speed, which has been an issue against the Sharks.
“They skate fast,” Hitchcock said, also per the Post-Dispatch. “They skate fast, they support the puck. They might look faster than they are, but they’ve got a lot of quick players. They’ve got a lot of aggressive skating players.”
Jaskin has been more involved than Paajarvi this postseason, though only slightly. He appeared in two games during the Dallas series, but did score the game-winning goal in Game 5 of the series.
There’s also the possibility Hitchcock could shake up his defense as well. Roberto Bortuzzo, who hasn’t played since Game 6 of the Dallas series, could draw in ahead of Joel Edmundson, who was out doing extra work following this morning’s skate.