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Greg WyshynskiESPN
BOSTON — The St. Louis Blues will sit winger Robert Thomas for Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final due to an injury they said is unrelated to the massive hit he took from Boston Bruins defenseman Torey Krug in Monday’s series opener.
Forward Robby Fabbri, who has one goal in eight playoff games this postseason, is expected to draw in for the Blues.
Thomas has frequently missed morning skates with the Blues in the past few weeks, but has played in every playoff game. His line with Tyler Bozak and Pat Maroon was effective against the Dallas Stars in Round 2, when Thomas had a goal and three assists in seven games. But he had just one assist in his past seven games and was a minus-2 in the Blues’ 4-2 loss to Boston in Game 1.
“Obviously it’s a change for sure, but these guys are veteran players and have been around for a long time,” said coach Craig Berube. “They’ll be fine. It’ll just be a different look for them.”
Forward Jaden Schwartz said that the Blues have the depth to handle injury losses, and was excited to see what Fabbri can do coming off multiple knee surgeries that limited him to 32 games.
“We’ve had guys all year (be hurt). We’ve got guys sitting out who have played a lot of big games. This time of year, there’s always injuries and we’ve been pretty healthy for the most part. But Fabs is a guy who’s ready to go, and he’s played in big games before. So we’ll miss Thomas, but other guys are ready to go,” he said. “Guys who sit out are hungry to get in and you’re excited. They want to take advantage of it. Any time you get fresh legs in they’re obviously pumped up. We can use guys like that.”
Game 2 between the Blues and Bruins is set for 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday night. Defenseman Vince Dunn is also out against for St. Louis, still recovering from a puck to the face in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals against San Jose.