PHILADELPHIA • Brayden Schenn is thrilled to be playing center for the Blues. And the offseason trade that brought him to St. Louis from Philadelphia is widely viewed in NHL circles as a heist for the Blues.
That being said, he’s probably thankful there are no more reunion games with his former team this season. They have not gone well.
On Nov. 2 in St. Louis, the Flyers handed the Blues their first home loss and first shutout loss of the season, 2-0. On Saturday at Wells Fargo Center, the Flyers routed the visiting Blues 6-3.
Schenn remains the Blues’ leading scorer this season with 42 points, on 17 goals and 25 assists. But he has gone point-less in the two games against his old team.
He also has struggled to score since teammate Jaden Schwartz suffered his foot injury four weeks ago in Detroit. Schenn has a modest two goals and four assists in the 14 games since the Schwartz injury, and has gone eight games without scoring a goal, his longest dry spell of the season.
Teammate Chris Thorburn got a standing ovation and a videoboard tribute last month when the Blues played at his longtime place of NHL employment, Winnipeg. Would Schenn get the same treatment from the City of Brotherly Love?
“I guess we’ll find out,” Schenn said prior to Saturday’s game.
When Schenn’s name was announced pregame as part of the Blues’ starting lineup, there were boos among the crowd of 19,665. Hey, it is Philly, a town where they once booed Santa Claus at an Eagles game.
But during a timeout midway through the first period, Schenn got a verbal salute from the PA announcer as the videoboard showed Schenn on the Blues’ bench. This time, the crowd responded with warm applause.
It probably helped that the Flyers were up 2-0 at the time.
On Friday night, Schenn went out to dinner with seven former Flyers teammates. Saturday morning before the game, he said plenty of hellos to stadium and Flyers employees.
“You just know the faces, you know the people,” Schenn said. “When you’re here for six or seven years, you see people around the rink, and for me, I’m not afraid to say hi to someone.”
DUNN TO IR
The Blues placed rookie defenseman Vince Dunn on injured reserve due to the flu and recalled defenseman Jake Walman from the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League.
“He hasn’t been feeling well and obviously he hasn’t skated in a few days,” coach Mike Yeo said.
Walman, who was in camp with the Blues, joined the team Saturday in Philadelphia and will serve as insurance for the defensive corps until Dunn returns. In 34 games for the Wolves, Walman has 13 points on two goals and 11 assists.
“I think it’s important to get somebody up here with the afternoon games if something were to happen,” Yeo said. “It’s pretty tough to get somebody in (on short notice).”
Dunn has appeared in 39 games for the Blues this season with three goals and four assists, but had not played in the past two games prior to Saturday morning’s IR designation. It’s expected that Dunn will be sidelined into the Blues’ bye week, which begins following Tuesday’s game against Florida.
LINDBOHM OUT
Defenseman Petteri Lindbohm, Blues property who has been playing with the Wolves in the AHL, underwent shoulder surgery Friday. He will miss the rest of the season.
• Walman, Thorburn and Oskar Sundqvist were healthy scratches.