51ºÚÁÏ

LOS ANGELES – In the Blues’ first game without defensive stalwart Colton Parayko, they had to shift around duties on their blue line in a 4-3 win over the Ducks on Friday night, and it resulted in the usage of a new top pair.

While Nick Leddy joined Cam Fowler on a pairing, the Blues functionally used Philip Broberg and Justin Faulk as their top unit on Friday in Anaheim.

The Broberg-Faulk pairing had the most 5 on 5 ice time of any defensive pairing, clocking in at 17:46. Fowler-Leddy was at 16:13, while Ryan Suter and Tyler Tucker played 11:04 together at 5 on 5. Broberg and Faulk also had the most defensive zone starts on the team, and played the majority of their minutes against one of the top two Ducks lines (centered by either Leo Carlsson or Ryan Strome).

“With the loss of Parayko, I really liked the way our six d-men played tonight,� Blues coach Jim Montgomery said. “I thought they played hard and they played intelligent, moved pucks.�

There were no goals scored at 5 on 5 with Broberg and Faulk on the ice, and Anaheim owned a slight 7-6 edge in shots on goal. The Ducks had the same 7-6 advantage in shots with Fowler-Leddy on the ice, but the Blues outscored Anaheim 3-0 during those same minutes.

The Blues will likely be without Parayko for the rest of the regular season, as the team announced Thursday that he would be re-evaluated in six weeks after undergoing a scope on his left knee. Parayko led the team’s defensemen with 15 goals, 35 points and 23:51 of time on ice.

Parayko also led the Blues in shorthanded time on ice with 2:11 per game, leaving a void on the already beleaguered 51ºÚÁÏ penalty kill. On Friday night, that role was filled by Tucker, who started each kill on the ice with Suter and finished with a career-high 3:59 of shorthanded time on ice. That was more than a minute more than his previous high, set in April last year.

“I think he’s aggressive there, I think he makes great reads,� Montgomery said. “I think I said before the break, Tucker’s been someone that has been playing really good hockey for us. We have a lot of trust in him, and so do his teammates.�

Leddy picked up his first point of the season with an assist on Alexey Toropchenko’s first-period goal, and Fowler had two assists in his first game back in Anaheim since being traded to the Blues. Fowler spent the first 14 years of his career with the Ducks, and was honored with a tribute during the second television timeout of the first period.

“I’m just grateful,� Fowler said. “I put my heart and soul into my career here and just the support from the fans and the team along the way means a lot to me. I’m thankful to everyone in the organization for making it a nice welcome home for me.�

The Blues did recall defenseman Matthew Kessel from AHL affiliate Springfield on Friday, and he was a healthy scratch as 51ºÚÁÏ will now carry seven defensemen.

“I just thought that they managed the game well,� Montgomery said. “They protected good ice and they moved pucks north really well, which allowed us to play in the offensive zone after the first.�

Monkey off his back

Toropchenko ended a 50-game goal drought with his goal on Friday night, a skid that tied Sammy Blais for the longest goalless streak by a Blues forward in the last decade. Toropchenko’s shot slipped through Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal for his second goal of the season and first since Nov. 5 against the Lightning.

“Feels great,� Toropchenko said. “Been waiting too long for that, but I was keep trying to do things right and play hard every game. Just excited.�

Toropchenko also had an assist on Zack Bolduc’s third-period goal, marking Toropchenko’s first multi-point game since Nov. 16 in Boston. Toropchenko had two shots on goal vs. the Ducks, running his total in the last three games to 14 shots, as many as he had in the previous 17 games combined.

“He’s a selfless player that plays the right way,� Montgomery said. “He’s a Blue, blocks shots, finishes checks, will do anything for his team.�