Sharks Vs Blues: Thomas Out, Dvorsky Elevated as St. Louis Shuffles Lines for Thursday Night
sharks vs blues is set for Thursday night at Enterprise Center, with St. Louis confirming Robert Thomas will not play as he remains day-to-day after leaving Tuesday’s game with an injury. The puck is scheduled to drop at 7: 00 p. m. ET, and the Blues are reshaping both their forward lines and defense pairs in response. Head Coach Jim Montgomery outlined the changes after an optional morning skate in St. Louis.
Sharks Vs Blues lineup shakeup: Dvorsky to top line, Hofer starts
The Blues will elevate Dalibor Dvorsky to center the top line in Thomas’ absence, skating between Dylan Holloway and Jimmy Snuggerud. Montgomery said Thomas, who left Tuesday’s game against Washington with an injury, is considered day-to-day.
With Dvorsky moving up, Pius Suter shifts to the third-line center role alongside Otto Stenberg and Jonatan Berggren. Nathan Walker also draws in after being a healthy scratch for the past five games and nine of the past 11, joining Alexey Toropchenko and Jack Finley on the fourth line.
On defense, Matthew Kessel will enter the lineup in place of Justin Holl. In net, Joel Hofer gets the start again Thursday, with Jordan Binnington listed as the backup.
Projected forward lines and defense pairs provided by the team include:
- Dylan Holloway – Dalibor Dvorsky – Jimmy Snuggerud
- Jake Neighbours – Pavel Buchnevich – Jordan Kyrou
- Otto Stenberg – Pius Suter – Jonatan Berggren
- Alexey Toropchenko – Jack Finley – Nathan Walker
- Philip Broberg – Logan Mailloux
- Theo Lindstein – Colton Parayko
- Cam Fowler – Matthew Kessel
Immediate reactions: Montgomery on Thomas’ status and Dvorsky’s opportunity
Montgomery characterized Thomas’ availability in cautious terms, keeping the focus on recovery.
“He’s still day to day from the incident the other night, ” Jim Montgomery, Head Coach of the St. Louis Blues, said Thursday.
The coach also framed the promotion as a major moment for the young center stepping into top minutes.
“What an opportunity, right, and he’s just been getting better and better, and here’s an opportunity to play first-line minutes, ” Montgomery said of Dalibor Dvorsky.
Montgomery also credited team structure and key areas of performance as St. Louis prepares for the matchup.
“It has been the goalies, number one, and I think our D-corps, number two, ” Montgomery said. “They’re really skating, they’re really adding a lot to our offensive O-zone time in rushes and also how well they’ve been defending, and the penalty kill’s been excellent. ”
Quick context: March series, tight standings, and what’s next at 7: 00 p. m. ET
The Blues and Sharks are scheduled to face each other three times in March, with the final matchup set for Monday in San Jose. The teams were separated by one point in the standings at the time of Thursday’s game, and St. Louis entered the night on an 8-1-2 run.
What’s next is immediate: sharks vs blues begins at 7: 00 p. m. ET at Enterprise Center, with the Blues leaning on Hofer in net and a reworked top line to cover for Thomas while he remains day-to-day.
