St. Louis Blues lineup changes after Jake Neighbours return

The St. Louis Blues lineup changes after Jake Neighbours return have sparked fresh optimism inside Enterprise Center and across Blues Twitter. After missing nine games with an upper-body injury, the 21-year-old winger was back on the ice for Monday’s morning skate between Jordan Kyrou and Robert Thomas, a trio that torched opponents for a 62 percent expected-goals rate in October. His re-insertion immediately forces coach Jim Montgomery to shuffle the deck: veterans are bumped down, special-teams units are tweaked, and a roster that had begun to feel stale suddenly has a pulse again.

Neighbours himself downplayed the ripple effect, telling reporters “I just want to bring the same forecheck energy we had early,” but the underlying numbers scream louder. In the nine games without him the Blues scored only 2.22 goals per 60 at five-on-five, 29th in the NHL over that span. With Neighbours on the ice this season, that figure jumps to 3.54. One player doesn’t cure everything, yet the coaching staff is betting that his heavy-wall game and net-front touch can re-ignite a top-nine that had gone cold.

How the forward lines look after Neighbours slots back in

Montgomery kept things simple at practice: Neighbours reclaimed the left side on the top line, pushing Pavel Buchnevich to the right of Brayden Schenn on the second unit. The move reunites Schenn with his most frequent 2023-24 partner while giving the Blues a legit scoring line to throw over the boards against Colorado’s MacKinnon–Rantanen duo tomorrow night.

The third line is where the real competition begins. Jake Neighbours’ return shoves Brandon Saad to a sheltered role with Oskar Sundqvist and Kasperi Kapanen—speed on the wings, responsible center in the middle, and a group that could feast against soft matchups. Saad, who has only one even-strength point since Halloween, needs a reset; Sundqvist’s 56 percent face-off win rate gives the Blues possession stability they lacked during the skid.

On the fourth line, Montgomery chose toughness over youth, keeping Nathan Walker alongside Sammy Blais and rookie center Zachary Bolduc. Walker’s 28 hits in 14 games lead all Blues forwards, and the staff values that physical toll when games tighten in the third period. Bolduc, still looking for his first NHL goal, gets another audition thanks to his 67 percent expected-goals mark in limited minutes—numbers the Blues hope climb once Neighbours’ cycle game filters down the lineup.

Defensive pairs stay intact, but usage will change

The blue line escaped the Neighbours ripple, yet partner minutes are expected to shift. With the top line now capable of extended offensive-zone time, Justin Faulk and Nick Leddy will start more shifts in the attacking end, freeing Torey Krug to anchor the second pair against middle-six competition. Colton Parayko, meanwhile, draws the unenviable task of matching Nathan MacKinnon’s line on Thursday; his 6-foot-6 reach and improved gap control will be tested quickly.

Montgomery hinted at those plans after practice: “When Jake’s line is rolling, we can protect Parayko from D-zone starts the way we protected [Ryan] O’Reilly last year.” Translation—the Blues want their shutdown pair fresh for late-game situations instead of grinding through early forechecks. It’s a subtle tweak, but one that could keep the 30-year-old Parayko under 23 minutes and more effective when it matters.

Special-teams ripple: power-play units reloaded

Neighbours’ biggest impact may come on the man advantage. Before the injury he was parked in the bumper role on PP1, screening goalies and winning 52 percent of loose-puck recoveries. His return bumps Jordan Kyrou to the half-wall—Kyrou’s preferred shooting spot—and slides Brayden Schenn to the second unit, giving St. Louis two balanced groups.

The numbers back the decision. In 38 minutes with Neighbours on PP1 the Blues scored 9.5 goals per 60, tops on the team. Without him that rate plummeted to 5.8. Even more telling: the top unit generated 14 high-danger chances in those 38 minutes, the same total the group managed in 65 minutes during his absence. A small sample, yes, but one that convinced assistant coach Steve Ott to restore the original look.

On the kill, Neighbours’ absence forced Schenn and Saad to double-shift on the second pair, a workload that showed in tired clears and three shorthanded goals against. His fresh legs allow Montgomery to roll four forwards—Schenn, Thomas, Neighbours, and Kapanen—while keeping the defensive structure intact. The Blues’ penalty kill, ranked 18th at 77.9 percent, needs every percentage point with Colorado and Dallas coming up on the schedule.

What the locker room is saying

Veteran leadership quickly noticed the jolt. Captain Brayden Schenn called Neighbours “our tone setter” and joked that “the kid somehow makes the rest of us feel younger.” Robert Thomas offered a more analytical view, pointing out that Neighbours’ 2.6 expected-goals-for per 60 leads all Blues wingers: “When he’s on the ice we’re playing downhill; that’s a fact, not a feeling.”

Even goalie Jordan Binnington weighed in, recalling a first-period sequence in October when Neighbours blocked a slap shot, raced up ice, and drew the penalty that led to the game-winning power play. “That shift sums him up,” Binnington said. “He sacrifices body and then makes the smart play. You want guys like that in front of you every night.”

The praise isn’t one-way. Neighbours credits a three-game conditioning stint in the AHL—where he posted four points with Springfield—for sharpening his timing. “I got to handle the puck in traffic again,” he said. “Coming back, the pace doesn’t feel overwhelming.” That confidence showed in Monday’s skate when he buried a one-timer off a Thomas feed, the type of finish the Blues lacked during their scoring drought.

Projected lineup vs. Colorado on Thursday

Forwards
Jordan Kyrou – Robert Thomas – Jake Neighbours
Pavel Buchnevich – Brayden Schenn – Alexey Toropchenko
Brandon Saad – Oskar Sundqvist – Kasperi Kapanen
Sammy Blais – Zachary Bolduc – Nathan Walker

Defense
Nick Leddy – Justin Faulk
Torey Krug – Colton Parayko
Scott Perunovich – Tyler Tucker

Goalie
Jordan Binnington (confirmed starter)

Scratches: Marco Scandella (healthy), Jakub Vrana (lower-body, day-to-day)

Key takeaways and what it means for the playoff race

The St. Louis Blues lineup changes after Jake Neighbours return are more than a feel-good story; they’re a tactical adjustment aimed at stopping a three-game slide before it snowballs into December doom. By restoring a proven top-nine combination and re-balancing special-teams usage, Montgomery gives his club a clearer identity: two scoring lines, one shutdown pair, and a fourth line that can tilt the ice physically.

If Neighbours can stay healthy, the ripple effect could decide whether the Blues shop or sell at the March deadline. They sit three points out of the final wild-card spot with three games in hand; bank those points and president Doug Armstrong keeps his first-round pick. Drop them, and the front office may pivot toward futures. Either way, the kid who started the season on the fringe is now central to St. Louis’ winter plans—proof that one lineup tweak can swing an entire franchise’s trajectory.