Blues' Scott Perunovich: Finally gets first career goal
Rotowire
Perunovich scored a goal in Saturday's 8-1 loss to the Capitals.
It took until his 79th career game over parts of three seasons, but Perunovich is officially an NHL goal-scorer. The tally was the 26-year-old's first point in six appearances in 2024-25, as he's struggled to stay in the lineup. He's taken over a third-pairing role and a spot on the second power-play unit since Philip Broberg (lower body) sustained an injury in early November. Perunovich has added just two shots on net, seven blocked shots, four hits, four PIM and a minus-3 rating, so if he's going to be a factor in fantasy, he'll need to develop a stronger scoring touch.
... See More... See Less
Blues' Scott Perunovich: Nets power-play goal in loss
Rotowire
Perunovich scored a power-play goal on two shots in Saturday's 6-2 preseason loss to the Blackhawks.
Perunovich's best path to playing time at the NHL level will come from how productive he can be on the power play, so Saturday was a step in the right direction. How many chances he gets in that role remains to be seen, as Justin Faulk and Philip Broberg appear set to begin the campaign on the man advantage. Perunovich had 17 points, all assists, and six coming on the power play over 54 contests last season.
... See More... See Less
Blues' Scott Perunovich: Inks one-year contract
Rotowire
Perunovich signed a one-year, $1.15 million contract with St. Louis on Tuesday.
Perunovich produced 17 assists, 36 shots on goal, 53 blocked shots and 30 hits in 54 games with the Blues during the 2023-24 campaign. The 25-year-old defender doesn't have a goal in 73 career NHL appearances. If Perunovich can remain healthy, he should be a regular on the St. Louis blue line during the 2024-25 season.
... See More... See Less
Blues' Scott Perunovich: Assists in consecutive games
Rotowire
Perunovich notched an assist and went plus-2 in Sunday's 6-5 shootout win over the Ducks.
Perunovich helped out on a Pavel Buchnevich tally in the second period. With an assist in each of the last two games, Perunovich has bounced back well from beginning April as a healthy scratch for two contests. The 25-year-old defenseman has 17 points (all assists) with 33 shots on net, 46 blocked shots and a plus-3 rating over 50 appearances this season, playing mainly on the third pairing while also seeing power-play time.
... See More... See Less
Blues' Scott Perunovich: Activated off IR
Rotowire
Perunovich (lower body) has been activated from injured reserve ahead of Thursday's game versus the Islanders, per Lou Korac of NHL.com.
Perunovich has missed the last seven games, but he'll return to the lineup versus the Isles. Perunovich will pair up on the third unit with Marco Scandella and quarterback the second power play. Perunovich has 12 assists in 31 games this season. In a corresponding move, the Blues sent Calle Rosen to the minors.
... See More... See Less
Blues' Scott Perunovich: Game-time decision for Thursday
Rotowire
Perunovich (lower body) is expected to be a game-time decision for Thursday's game against the Islanders, per Lou Korac of NHL.com on Wednesday.
Korac believes Perunovich is likely to play Thursday, which would probably result in the defenseman serving alongside Marco Scandella on the third pairing while Calle Rosen would be a healthy scratch. Perunovich, who last played Jan. 28, has 12 assists, 14 hits and 28 blocks in 31 outings in 2023-24.
... See More... See Less
Blues' Scott Perunovich: Lands on IR
Rotowire
Perunovich (lower body) was put on injured reserve Tuesday.
Perunovich, who has missed the past seven games, can be activated when he's ready to return. However, a timeline for his recovery has not be provided. Perunovich has 12 assists, 23 shots on goal and 28 blocked shots in 31 appearances this campaign.
... See More... See Less
Blues' Scott Perunovich: Considered week-to-week
Rotowire
Perunovich (lower body) has been labeled week-to-week by coach Drew Bannister on Thursday, Matthew DeFranks of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Based on his designation, Perunovich will be out of action for at least the Blues' upcoming three-game road trip, though it could certainly be longer. Prior to getting hurt, the 25-year-old blueliner was rolling offensively with five assists in his last six contests, including four with the man advantage. Having said that, helpers will be the primary source of any upside from Perunovich considering he has yet to score a goal in 50 career NHL outings.
... See More... See Less
Blues' Scott Perunovich: Exits Sunday's game
Rotowire
Perunovich (lower body) won't return to Sunday's matchup against the Kings.
Perunovich registered two assists, including one on the power play, in 16:14 of ice time prior to leaving the contest. It's unclear at this time if he will be available to play Tuesday versus Columbus. The Blues may opt to give him more time to recover during the All-Star break.
... See More... See Less
Blues' Scott Perunovich: Provides power-play assist
Rotowire
Perunovich notched a power-play assist and blocked two shots in Friday's 4-3 overtime win over the Kraken.
Perunovich set up a Robert Thomas tally in the second period. This was Perunovich's third helper in his last five games, though he was also scratched twice in that span. The 25-year-old should be able to hold down a third-pairing role with a spot on the first power-play unit as long as Justin Faulk (undisclosed) is out. Perunovich has 10 points, all assists, through 30 games this season while adding 23 shots on net, 28 blocked shots and a minus-5 rating.
... See More... See Less
Blues' Scott Perunovich: Assists on both goals in win
Rotowire
Perunovich dished out two assists in Wednesday's 2-1 win over the Stars.
Perunovich logged just 12:17 of ice time but managed to make a big impact with assists on both of the Blues' goals to help the team win its third straight game. The 25-year-old is skating on the third pairing and the second power-play unit when he's in the lineup, but he was a healthy scratch in four of the last six games. Until he cements himself in the lineup and picks up some more ice time, he won't be worth much fantasy consideration.
... See More... See Less
Blues' Scott Perunovich: Posts plus-3 in victory
Rotowire
Perunovich ended up with an assist in Wednesday's 6-5 road win against the Coyotes.
Perunovich also had a plus-3 rating, two shots on goal and a minor penalty in his 14:06 of ice time across 17 shifts. After getting blanked across his first seven games, the 25-year-old rearguard has managed assists in back-to-back games. He'll look to push his points streak to three games when the Predators come calling Friday.
... See More... See Less
Blues' Scott Perunovich: Grabs power-play helper
Rotowire
Perunovich notched a power-play assist in Sunday's 3-1 win over the Ducks.
It was the first point of the season for Perunovich despite having logged just 13:09 of ice time in Sunday's contest. The blueliner continues to see big minutes with the man advantage, assuming he holds his place in the lineup ahead of veteran Robert Bortuzzo.
... See More... See Less
Blues' Scott Perunovich: Skates on top pairing in preseason
Rotowire
Perunovich recorded two blocked shots and a minus-1 rating in the 2-1 preseason loss to the Blackhawks on Thursday. He logged a team-high 26:28 of ice time.
With Justin Faulk (lower body) out, Perunovich skated with Colton Parayko on the top pairing and led the team in ice time. A dynamic playmaker in college, Perunovich has struggled with injuries through his professional career. He has impressed when healthy in the AHL, though. Through two seasons, he posted five goals and 42 points through 39 AHL games. It remains to be seen whether he sticks with the big club this year, however, as Parayko, Faulk, Nick Leddy and Torey Krug (foot) are locked into roster spots. Still, Perunovich's upside alone makes him worth a flier in the late rounds of fantasy drafts.
... See More... See Less
Blues' Scott Perunovich: Inks one-year contract
Rotowire
Perunovich signed a one-year, $775,000 contract with the Blues on Saturday.
Perunovich's new deal is a one-way contract, which strongly suggests he's ready to make the jump full-time to the NHL. A shoulder injury limited him to 22 AHL games during the regular season, but he racked up 20 points in those contests and added eight points in 10 games for Team USA at the IIHF World Championship.
... See More... See Less
Blues' Scott Perunovich: Heading for conditioning stint
Rotowire
Perunovich, who is recovering from a shoulder injury, was sent to AHL Springfield for a conditioning stint Sunday.
Perunovich hasn't played yet in 2022-23 because of his injury, so this is a chance for him to shake off some of the rust. He had six assists in 19 games while averaging 15:27 of ice time with St. Louis last season.
... See More... See Less
Blues' Scott Perunovich: Cleared for contact
Rotowire
Perunovich (shoulder) is cleared for contact, Blues coach Craig Berube told Lou Korac of NHL.com.
Perunovich hasn't played yet in 2022-23. It did look like he would probably miss the entire regular season, but perhaps his return will end up being significantly sooner than anticipated. The 24-year-old had six assists in 19 games while averaging 15:27 of ice time in 2021-22.
... See More... See Less
Blues' Scott Perunovich: Making progress in recovery
Rotowire
Perunovich (shoulder) has been cleared for light contact, Jim Thomas of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Perunovich will probably still miss the entirety of the regular season, but it's nonetheless encouraging to see him ramping up his participation in practice after undergoing shoulder surgery in early October. The oft-injured blueliner picked up six helpers through 19 top-level appearances last season.
... See More... See Less
Blues' Scott Perunovich: Begins skating
Rotowire
Perunovich (shoulder) has resumed skating, Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic reports.
Perunovich underwent shoulder surgery in October, so he's just beginning to ramp up activity. He'll still likely miss nearly all of the rest of the regular season, so fantasy managers in redraft formats don't need to track his recovery closely.
... See More... See Less
Blues' Scott Perunovich: Officially on IR
Rotowire
Perunovich (shoulder) was placed on injured reserve Wednesday, per CapFriendly.
Perunovich underwent shoulder surgery last week, so this is merely a procedural move. He's at risk of missing nearly all of the 2022-23 campaign while recovering, with his earliest return likely in April.
