TEAM SNAPSHOTS
BLUES The St. Louis Blues are likely to get captain Ryan O'Reilly back in the lineup for Sunday's matchup with the Anaheim Ducks.
O'Reilly was sidelined for four games while on the COVID-19 protocol list, but he flew to Anaheim and practiced with the team on Saturday.
In the captain's absence, the Blues went 2-1-1 and collected five of a possible eight points.
"Just watching was different. I didn't like it," O'Reilly said. "It was tough not being able to do anything, but it is what it is, these things happen. I'm excited to get back with the boys now. It's going to be fun, the boys are playing well, they had some good wins there. I'm excited to join them."
While O'Reilly could return, the Blues will be down two more players due to COVID protocols. Defensemen Torey Krug and Niko Mikkola were added to the protocols on Friday, joining goalie Ville Husso and forward Kyle Clifford.
If more players get added to the list, the Blues will likely have to play games with less than a full roster.
"We are out of salary cap space," General Manager Doug Armstrong said Friday. "We're very close to having to play short because of these COVID situations. If we sustain any injuries, we're gonna have to play short per the guidelines the way they are set now."
DUCKS The Anaheim Ducks will wrap up a four-game homestand when they host the Blues at Honda Center.
The Ducks have won their last three games and have collected points in five straight.
On Tuesday night, Anaheim beat the Arizona Coyotes 3-1 thanks to Adam Henrique netting a goal and an assist and goalie Anthony Stolarz making 28 saves in place of John Gibson, who missed the game due to illness.
The Ducks, who averaged the fewest goals in the NHL last season, have scored three or more in 10 of its 12 games this season.
HEAD-TO-HEAD The Blues went 5-1-2 against the Ducks last season and 4-0-0 at Honda Center… O'Reilly and David Perron each had seven points against the Ducks last season… Jordan Binnington has met the Ducks nine times in his career, allowing two or fewer goals in six of the nine starts (5-2-2, 2.11 goals-against average, .913 save-percentage).
PLAYERS TO WATCH
BLUES David Perron, who will play in his 616th game as a Blue on Sunday to tie Bobby Plager for 10th in games played in franchise history.
DUCKS Troy Terry, who carries a 10-game point streak into Sunday's matchup with the Blues. Terry has seven goals and six assists in those 10 games.
BLUE NOTES
Craig Berube will coach his 200th game behind the Blues bench on Sunday, becoming the eighth coach in team history to reach the milestone… The Blues have points in their first five road games of the season (4-0-1) for just the second time in history, matching a mark previously set in the 2002-03 season… With a 7-1-1 record in their first nine games, the Blues have a chance to match the best 10-game start in team history with a win Sunday against the Ducks. The Blues' best start was during the 2002-03 season when they opened 8-1-1.
On a night the Anaheim Ducks honored one of their all-time great players, one of their youngest continued to show he may earn one of those ceremonies years from now.
Shortly after Ryan Getzlaf was honored for becoming the franchise's all-time leading scorer, teammate Troy Terry notched a point in his 10th straight game in the Ducks' 3-1 win over Arizona on Friday night.
Terry will try to make it 11 in a row Sunday when Anaheim closes out a four-game homestand against the St. Louis Blues.
In his point streak, Terry has seven goals and six assists. He's just the sixth player in franchise history to log a point in double-figure games, joining luminaries such as Getzlaf, Teemu Selanne, Paul Kariya and Corey Perry. Andy McDonald also hit the scoresheet in 10 straight games.
"The sky is the limit for him," said teammate Sam Carrick of Terry. "He's continued to just get better and better. I think he can keep going and who knows how good he can be. We're getting a taste of it now."
Nothing about Terry's first 129 NHL games suggested this was coming. He scored 15 goals with 33 assists between 2017-20. But with the Ducks attempting to retool under new coach Dallas Eakins, Terry is taking advantage of this chance.
Anaheim is aiming to sweep the homestand after victories over Montreal and New Jersey preceded the decision against the winless Coyotes.
But it is stepping up in class several notches against St. Louis.
While the Canadiens, Devils and Arizona are a combined 7-23-3, St. Louis by itself has notched seven wins. Its 15 points are good enough for first place in the stacked Central Division, and a look at the Blues' stats shows why they're off to such a good start.
Want offense? The Blues are fifth in the NHL with 36 goals, just two behind the Ducks.
Looking to test their defense? They've allowed only 20 markers, third-fewest in the league.
Make it a special teams battle? Good luck with that, as St. Louis is second on the power play at 32 percent and second on the penalty kill at 90.6 percent.
The Blues' 5-3 win in San Jose on Thursday night was more about their offense. Brandon Saad, who won a surprisingly big free-agent deal, potted two goals. Veteran James Neal snapped a 3-3 tie with his second goal in the second period.
St. Louis expects to get captain Ryan O'Reilly back from a four-game absence due to COVID-19 protocol. His return comes right as the team put defensemen Torey Krug and Niko Mikkola on the protocol list, joining backup goalie Ville Husso and forward Kyle Clifford.
"I'm excited to get back with the boys," O'Reilly said. "The boys are playing well, they had some good wins there."
Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said the team will have to play future games with less than 18 skaters and two goalies if more players are added to the COVID-19 list because they are out of salary-cap space.
