Whirlwind continues for Blues’ Jimmy Snuggerud in playoffs

WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Contemplating how a lot Jimmy Snuggerud’s life has modified previously month, being moved from the second line to the primary line for the Blues forward of Sport 2 of their playoff collection towards the Winnipeg Jets is nothing.

On March 27, Snuggerud performed his final collegiate recreation, a 5-4 time beyond regulation loss by Minnesota to Massachusetts in Fargo, North Dakota, and there he was on April 19, simply three weeks later, suiting up for a recreation within the Stanley Cup playoffs.

“Honestly, it’s kind of flying by,” he mentioned Monday morning, “and I’m just trying to enjoy every single moment. It’s buzzing by pretty quick, and I’m just trying to stay in the moment and have fun with it.”

For a hockey man who grew up in a hockey household, how can this not be enjoyable?

“This is what you want as a hockey player,” he mentioned. “This is what you dream of. These are situations you want to be in, and you have to make the most of them as a player for sure. Being able to possibly clinch a playoff spot and going through that, and now playing in one of the loudest rinks in the Stanley Cup playoffs, it’s kind of a moment that you have to step back to take in. But these are important games for the franchise itself and the guys in this locker room. So it’s a fun moment.”

Snuggerud performed in seven regular-season video games with the Blues after his school season ended, with a purpose and three assists. In Sport 1, he performed 15:49 with one shot on purpose and one other shot that was blocked.

Plus, he obtained an eye-opening take a look at the NHL playoffs.

“It’s different from even the regular season,” he mentioned. “Watching the first shift and the physicality — (Brayden) Schenn had, what, seven hits in the first period? When your captain’s doing that, you want to follow that as a younger guy. It was cool to jump over the boards, hear the crowd, but at the end of the day it’s just another hockey game that you want to win. … I mean maybe the (NCAA) national championship is the closest to it, but I wouldn’t say it’s close. It’s something I’ve never seen before.”

Blues coach Jim Montgomery made one change to his lineup for Sport 2 of the best-of-seven collection on Monday, transferring Snuggerud as much as the highest line alongside Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich whereas transferring Jake Neighbours right down to a line with Schenn and Jordan Kyrou.

“Hopefully (it will) create a little more offense,” Montgomery mentioned. “That’s what we’re looking at, and give us better defensive positioning with our top two lines.”

Montgomery has but to discover a spot he can’t put Snuggerud in.

“Snuggerud as a player,” Montgomery mentioned, “ever since he got here, since his first practice, his first game and as he gets more accustomed, he just gets better and better, and he’s looked like he belongs in the league from his first practice, and he’s never done anything to show that he doesn’t belong in the league. That’s why he plays a lot.”

“You always try to envision good things in your mind,” Snuggerud mentioned. “It’s something you dream about, and something that I’ve dreamed about for a while is being here and doing this. I’d say, the players I’ve been able to play with, it’s been really fortunate enough for me. It’s obviously surprising, like just being in this atmosphere, but I feel like you dream of these moments, and now you’re in them. So it’s fun to be in this moment.”

So the road change was no huge deal for him.

“I think it’s just kind of knowing who I’m playing with going into the game,” he mentioned. “Play hard, play physical, try and make plays during the game and try and get shots off. I’m playing with really good hockey players, so I need to know my role and move on with it.”

Defenseman Tyler Tucker obtained in his first NHL playoff recreation Monday as Montgomery selected to go along with seven defensemen and 11 forwards. It is the primary time this season Montgomery has gone with that configuration.

Mathieu Joseph, who was on the third line in warmups, got here out of the lineup. He had the least time of any ahead in Sport 1, 11:50. 

Tucker performed 35 video games within the common season, with three targets, 4 assists and 55 penalty minutes. Aside from a short stretch in February and March, Tucker was within the lineup nearly each recreation since his call-up in mid-December, however with everybody wholesome, he got here out of the lineup.

With two off days earlier than the subsequent recreation, there’s much less of a threat of overworking forwards in Sport 2. 

Brayden Schenn performed 14:43 in Sport 1 and his brother Luke performed 16:21, however they each have been on the ice on the identical time for simply 3:01.

“A lot harder (on their parents) than what it was on me and Luke, put it that way,” Brayden mentioned. “One team scores and they don’t know whether to cheer or not to cheer. Like I said, it’s not about me and Luke, it’s about Blues vs. Jets and that’s the way we’re going to keep it.”

The brothers aren’t speaking at some stage in the collection.

“Yeah, we’re not,” Brayden mentioned. “Like I said, I don’t really want to talk about me and Luke anymore. I want to talk about the series. We’re competitors, and we’re going to leave it at that.”