BUFFALO • Playing time has become scarce lately for Carl Gunnarsson. Not that he hasn’t played well this season, but the competition is that fierce for ice time among the Blues’ seven defensemen.
“We’ve got seven guys that don’t want to come out of the lineup and seven guys that are very capable,” said coach Mike Yeo. “So we’re doing our best to juggle that, but those guys have done a good job with that.”
With veteran Jay Bouwmeester healthy and rookie Vince Dunn continuing to develop, Gunnarsson had been a healthy scratch in five of the previous six games. The only time he played during that stretch, Jan. 23 at home against Ottawa, came when Yeo decided to go with a rare 11-forward, seven-defensemen lineup.
But Gunnarsson was back in action Saturday against Buffalo, and in a big way as he scored the only goal in a 1-0 victory. He was paired with the team’s top defenseman — captain Alex Pietrangelo.
“It’s been tough sitting on the side,” Gunnarsson said. “I’m just excited to be back. It’s been a while.”
All told, Gunnarsson has missed 11 of 54 Blues games this season. One was for the birth of his daughter in late October; one was for an upper-body injury just before Christmas.
Chalk up the other nine to a very competitive defensive corps.
“He came out of the lineup and it’s not like he was playing poorly,” Yeo said. “A lot of guys have been playing well and we gotta make sure we keep everybody involved here.”
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Gunnarsson, who already has matched his career high with four goals, is plus-13 for the season. That’s a total exceeded only by Jaden Schwartz (plus-23), Brayden Schenn (plus-18) and Vladimir Tarasenko (plus-18) among the Blues.
“I’m confident,” Gunnarsson said. “But it’s still a battle. I’ve been out for a bit. I just gotta keep fighting and try to prove (myself) to stay in the lineup.”
His return led to some changes in the defensive pairings, with Gunnarsson paired with Pietrangelo and Joel Edmundson paired with Dunn. But Bouwmeester stayed with Colton Parayko for the sixth consecutive game.
That made Robert Bortuzzo the odd man out Saturday, a pregame scratch for only the fourth time this season.
THORBURN, TOO
Yeo didn’t think his team was physical enough against Boston. And in Buffalo’s most recent game, Thursday against Florida, there were penalties galore and rough play late in the contest. Combine those two factors, and it was almost a no-brainer that Blues enforcer Chris Thorburn would be back in the lineup Saturday.
“Their last game was very physical,” Yeo said of the Sabres. “I think we were missing a little bit of that last game in Boston. I think that once the physical play started to pick up a little we started to drop off in our physicality. So we gotta make sure we maintain it through 60 minutes, and obviously (Thorburn) brings that element.”
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Thorburn had been a healthy scratch in 12 of the Blues’ last 18 games, including the last four in a row prior to Saturday. With his return to the lineup, Scottie Upshall was a healthy scratch.
DOUBLE-DAD
Brayden Schenn’s father, Jeff, is pulling double-duty this week when it comes to Father’s Trips. He started out on the Blues’ dad’s trip, accompanying the team to Boston for Thursday’s game.
But he peeled off after that because another son, Luke, plays defense for the Arizona Coyotes. And it just so happens that the Coyotes’ dad’s trip overlaps with the Blues’ event this weekend.
“He’s rocking out the air miles,” Brayden said. “He enjoys it. I think he just feels very fortunate and lucky to be doing this. ... Two sons in the NHL. We’re lucky as brothers to have our dad along for the trip. It’s funny how they fall on the same day, but he’s making it work.”
Jeff Schenn was in Los Angeles on Saturday night watching Luke and Coyotes play the Kings.
