The St. Louis Blues are set to begin their 2026 schedule against the Vegas Golden Knights on January 2 at Enterprise Center. Head coach Jim Montgomery shared the expected lineup ahead of the 2 p.m. puck drop, with no morning skate due to the early start time. Key changes include Mathieu Joseph's return to the fourth line and adjustments to the top two forward lines.
The St. Louis Blues face the Vegas Golden Knights in their first game of 2026, hosted at Enterprise Center with coverage on FanDuel Sports Network, First Alert 4, Matrix Midwest, and 101 ESPN. Scheduled for 2 p.m. on Friday, January 2, the matchup skips a traditional morning skate to accommodate the afternoon timing. Instead, head coach Jim Montgomery outlined the projected lineup during pregame media sessions.
Forward lines see Mathieu Joseph rejoining the fourth line in place of Robby Fabbri, alongside Alexey Toropchenko and Oskar Sundqvist. The top two lines feature reshuffling: Jake Neighbours centers with Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou on the first, while Pavel Buchnevich joins Brayden Schenn and Jimmy Snuggerud on the second. The third line remains Otto Stenberg, Dalibor Dvorsky, and Jonatan Berggren.
Defensively, the pairings stay consistent with Philip Broberg and Colton Parayko, Cam Fowler and Justin Faulk, plus Tyler Tucker and Matthew Kessel. In net, Joel Hofer earns the starting nod.
Montgomery emphasized team intensity, stating, "I want to see us fight for each other. I want to see us have more determination in not being denied getting to hard areas and denying people into hard areas."
This setup aims to build momentum early in the new year, focusing on competitive edge without major defensive alterations.
