Devils Vs Blues: Lineup Shockwaves for St. Louis as Binnington Returns and Parayko Sits Out

The lineup shifts ahead of the devils vs blues matchup land most heavily on St. Louis' blue line and the coaching staff that must rebalance minutes on short notice. Jordan Binnington returns to the crease, but Colton Parayko is out with back spasms and listed day-to-day, pushing Justin Faulk into the top pairing and bringing Matthew Kessel into the lineup as the sixth defenseman. Forwards largely stay intact while one veteran forward remains out.

Devils Vs Blues impact: who feels the change first and how it could alter match flow

St. Louis’ primary ripple effect is defensive: moving Justin Faulk up to skate with Philip Broberg reshapes matchups, defensive-zone starts and power-play/penalty-kill allocation. The coaching staff will need to redistribute heavy minutes that Parayko typically shoulders, which increases the workload on the remaining top pairing and changes which forwards are likely to face New Jersey’s top units. The return of Jordan Binnington stabilizes starting goaltending plans, but the missing top-defense minutes are the clearest immediate liability.

Here’s the part that matters for lineup-watchers and fantasy managers: the forward groups remain the same after a five-goal showing in the team's last outing, so St. Louis is counting on its offensive lines to continue driving play while the defense sorts out matchups.

Event details and lineups for the Feb. 28 meeting

The game brings back two recent Olympians to club duty: Jordan Binnington will start in net for St. Louis and Jack Hughes will lead New Jersey. The two players are meeting for the first time since the Canada–USA gold-medal game in Milan, where Hughes scored the overtime winner. Both players have returned to their teams; Binnington’s club is 1-0 since his comeback and Hughes’ club is 0-2 after the break. Published start times differ across listings, so the confirmed puck drop time may vary.

• Forwards (St. Louis):
  • Jake Neighbours – Pavel Buchnevich – Jordan Kyrou
  • Brayden Schenn – Dalibor Dvorsky – Jimmy Snuggerud
  • Dylan Holloway – Pius Suter – Jonatan Berggren
  • Alexey Toropchenko – Jack Finley – Nathan Walker
• Defense pairings:
  • Philip Broberg – Justin Faulk
  • Cam Fowler – Logan Mailloux
  • Tyler Tucker – Matthew Kessel
• Goaltender: Jordan Binnington will start for St. Louis.
• Unavailable: Robert Thomas remains out after a leave of absence; Colton Parayko is out with back spasms and doubtful for the following game, listed day-to-day.

It’s easy to overlook, but the timing of those defensive changes matters as much as the personnel: when a top-pair defenseman misses time, matchup strategies and short-shift patterns often shift game-to-game.

• New Jersey record and St. Louis record are listed for the matchup; both sides enter with differing post-break form: one team is 1-0 since its recent roster return, the other is 0-2 since the break.

Key takeaways:

• St. Louis' defensive alignment is the primary variable for this matchup; Justin Faulk moves to the top pairing and Matthew Kessel draws in as the sixth defenseman.
• Jordan Binnington starting reduces uncertainty in net for St. Louis even as defensive minutes are shuffled.
• Forwards remain intact after a high-scoring win in the most recent game, so offensive continuity is a strength.
• Robert Thomas remains absent, which keeps one forward spot out of rotation and could affect faceoff and special-teams deployment.

If you’re wondering why this keeps coming up: the combination of an Olympic return and a day-to-day injury compresses adjustment time and forces tactical choices that show up immediately in line matchups and minutes distribution. The real question now is whether the reshuffled defense can handle the workload without creating holes that New Jersey’s top forwards will exploit.

Micro timeline (verifiable points):

• Players met most recently in the Olympic gold-medal game in Milan, where an overtime goal decided the outcome.
• Both Olympians rejoined their clubs; the Blues have one win since that return, the Devils have two losses since the break.
• St. Louis won its last game 5–1, and the team is keeping forward lines unchanged for this matchup.

Recent updates indicate published start times vary across listings; game-time confirmation may evolve. Expect coaches to lean on the forward depth while they test the new defensive pairings in-game.