ST. LOUIS – Emotions will certainly be peaking for St. Louis Blues defenseman Cam Fowler on Thursday.
Not only will he be honored in a pregame ceremony for playing in his 1,000th NHL game when he played in the 2025 Discover NHL Winter Classic against the Chicago Blackhawks, a 6-2 win, but the 33-year-old will be doing it at 7 p.m. (FDSNMW, ESPN 101.1-FM) against the team he dressed in 991 games for, the Anaheim Ducks, tonight’s Blues opponent to begin a four-game homestand and 14 of the next 19 games at Enterprise Center.
“It’s different,” Fowler said. “Those are some of my best friends over there. Obviously it’s been a transition for me. I’m making new friendships here in this locker room and we have a great group of guys here. It’s going to be a unique experience for me lining up on the other side of those guys, but I’m going to try and do it with a smile on my face and just enjoy it and then get a chance to catch up with some of them after the game.
“I think you just have to understand that there’s going to be emotions that come with playing. It’s not going to feel like a normal game and you just have to understand that. At the same time, I want to soak it all in as best as I can. I have my family (pregnant wife, son, parents, mother-in-law) here to support me and I think once I get a couple shifts under my belt, it’s just going to be another normal hockey game, but obviously there’s going to be emotions that will be a part of it as well.”
Fowler was traded to the Blues by the Ducks on Dec. 14 for a pick and prospect Jeremie Biakabutuka and has produced quite well with the Blues. In 12 games, the veteran blueliner has nine points (four goals, five assists) and has been a workhorse and a plus-3.
“One thing I’ve noticed about Cam is his emotional intelligence,” Blues coach Jim Montgomery said. “He never gets too high, never too low. I think that’s just the way he is naturally, very intelligent person and talks when he has to and to be heard. Just someone that … he notices little things and what you like about him as a coach, when you tell him something once and he assimilates it into his game right away. Like a simple thing on the power play, once we get possession, shrink the zone, don’t stand on the blue line. You saw his goal in Chicago was a great example, he’s not standing on the blue line, he’s right where he should be and he’s on his toes. It’s the sign of not only a real intelligent player but also a player that wants to be coached and is going to take that coaching and put it into action.”
We’ll have more reaction from Fowler and from Ducks teammates Radko Gudas and Ryan Strome, as well as Ducks coach Greg Cronin, who spoke glowingly about Fowler and what he will bring to St. Louis in another piece.
– – –
It’s been a long and arduous journey for Radek Faksa, but the veteran center will finally play again tonight when he returns from a skate cut near his groin.
Faksa, who has missed 12 of the past 13 games after being injured late in a 4-3 overtime win against the Vancouver Canucks on Dec. 10, missed five games before returning in a 2-1 overtime loss against the Florida Panthers.
Bad idea.
The area got infected and while Faksa was training, he went and got an MRI following a 4-2 loss against the Buffalo Sabres Dec. 29 that forced him to miss the Winter Classic.
“I was trying to come back a couple weeks ago, but I went for an MRI and they found out it cut the muscle as well, when I got cut by the skate,” Faksa said. “I had to take another break. It was tough. I never missed so many games in my 10-year career. It was something new for me and it was just hard the games.
“There’s not much you can do, just treatment. Do some stuff in the gym. I couldn’t skate, so that was the toughest part.”
Faksa will return in his role as fourth-line center representing the ‘WTF Line’ with Nathan Walker and Alexey Toropchenko.
“It feels great,” Faksa said. “I don’t have pain anymore. Happy to be back.”
– – –
The Blues (19-19-4) are coming off back-to-back road losses (each 6-4) against the Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild scoring plenty of goals (31 in the past seven games, or 4.4 per game) but need to tighten things back up defensively.
“We need to assert ourselves,” Montgomery said. “We’ve got (four) games here before we go back on the road. We need to start off on the right foot.”
Montgomery was disappointed in Tuesday’s result, a game that never should have gotten away from the Blues after leading 4-2 at the midway point, but the coach came in with a positive attitude and is ready to pound that energy into his players today.
“I was disappointed,” Montgomery said. “I didn’t think we relished and owned the big moment, especially the momentum shifts. To me, that’s an opportunity to grow. That’s where my excitement comes from today, is like, ‘OK, how are we going to take what we didn’t do and apply it tonight and continue to get … we’re looking to get 2-3 percent better every game.’ I think we’ve gotten better, but the consistency issue is something we need to knock right through the door now. It’s time to be consistent and have the urgency to be good every night.”
– – –
* Defenseman Nick Leddy, who’s missed the past 38 games with a lower-body injury, skated today and continues to be day-to-day.
* Forward Brandon Saad will play in his 900th NHL game tonight.
– – –
Blues Projected Lineup:
Brandon Saad-Robert Thomas-Pavel Buchnevich
Dylan Holloway-Brayden Schenn-Jordan Kyrou
Jake Neighbours-Oskar Sundqvist-Zack Bolduc
Alexey Toropchenko-Radek Faksa-Nathan Walker
Cam Fowler-Colton Parayko
Philip Broberg-Justin Faulk
Ryan Suter-Tyler Tucker
Joel Hofer will start in goal; Jordan Binnington will be the backup.
Healthy scratches include Scott Perunovich, Mathieu Joseph and Alexandre Texier. Nick Leddy (lower body) is out. Torey Krug (ankle) is out for the season.
– – –
Ducks Projected Lineup:
Frank Vatrano-Ryan Strome-Sam Colangelo
Isac Lundestrom-Leo Carlsson-Alex Killorn
Cutter Gauthier-Mason McTavish-Robby Fabbri
Nikita Nesterenko-Jansen Harkins-Brett Leason
Brian Dumoulin-Jacob Trouba
Jackson Lacombe-Radko Gudas
Pavel Mintyukov-Drew Helleson
Lukas Dostal will start in goal; John Gibson will be the backup.
Healthy scratches include Olen Zellweger and Ross Johnston. Trevor Zegras (knee), Brock McGinn (lower body) and Troy Terry (personal) are out.
