Let’s face it, the begin to the season wasn’t excellent for the St. Louis Blues American Hockey League affiliate in Springfield, Mass.
But the Thunderbirds have gained steam of late, and their goalies are on the forefront of why.
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Vadim Zherenko, a seventh-round choose within the 2019 NHL Draft who many really feel has type of been misplaced within the group’s goalie shuffle, picked up two extra highway wins this week and has received three straight begins permitting only a single objective in every sport and 4 of his previous 5 begins.
Zherenko, who had allowed three or extra objectives in his 4 earlier begins ands 5 of six video games, backstopped a pair of 3-1 wins, together with making 23 saves at Lehigh Valley final Wednesday, then stopping 29 photographs on Saturday at Charlotte.
Zherenko, who has lowered his now 6-5-3-0 on the season with a 2.82 goals-against common and .911 save proportion, has stopped 97 of the previous 100 photographs in three video games, good for a 1.00 GAA and .970 save proportion. When he began this streak, it was on Dec. 7 when he stopped 45 of 46 photographs in a 3-1 win at Providence and earned the the AHL’s Second Star of the day:
And for Georgi Romanov, who was acquired by from the San Jose Sharks group when the Blues misplaced Colten Ellis on Waivers to the Buffalo Sabres, he misplaced 4-3 in time beyond regulation at Charlotte on Sunday however he has not misplaced in regulation his previous six begins (3-0-3) after beginning the season shedding his first 5 begins.
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Dating again to Nov. 15, Springfield has earned at the least some extent in 11 of its previous 12 video games (7-1-4-0) after beginning the season successful simply two of its first 14 video games (2-10-0-2) and climb out of the Atlantic Division basement. Their goalies are a giant purpose why.
* Dylan Peterson — A 3rd-round choose in 2020, the facility ahead had himself a weekend in opposition to Charlotte, scoring twice in a 3-1 win on Saturday, then scoring once more on a 4-3 time beyond regulation loss on Sunday.
His nifty little snap shot into the highest proper nook late within the second interval tied the sport 1-1 on Saturday earlier than including the insurance coverage with the empty-netter:
His objective on Sunday, his fifth of the season, tied the sport 2-2 within the second interval on a backdoor redirection:
Peterson got here into the weekend video games with two objectives and eight factors in 16 video games however now’s as much as 11 factors, together with 5 objectives, in 18 video games.
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* Aleksanteri Kaskimaki — After getting back from his stint with the Blues, the third-round choose in 2022 has performed two video games with the Thunderbirds and had this objective and an help within the win at Lehigh Valley final Wednesday, his second two-point sport in his previous 4 with Springfield:
* Jakub Stancl — After scoring on Sunday with 1:36 to play to tie the sport 3-3 within the 4-3 loss to Charlotte, Stancl now has at the least some extent in 4 of Springfield’s previous six video games (4 objectives, two assists) to provide the fourth-round choose in 2023 seven factors (5 objectives, two assists) in 15 video games this season:
* Justin Carbonneau — The first-round choose (No. 19) in 2025 prolonged his level streak to 5 video games (4 objectives, 4 assists) with an help for Blainville-Boisbriand of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League in a 5-3 loss to Gatineau final Wednesday, then adopted it up with this objective and help in a 5-1 win over Rouyn-Noranda on Thursday:
The ahead, who has at the least some extent in 10 of Armada’s previous 11 video games (eight objectives, 9 assists), is as much as 38 factors (25 objectives, 13 assists) in 27 video games for the Armada, in first place by some extent within the Western Conference at 19-8-4-0.
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* Lukas Fischer — The defenseman, a 2024 second-round choose who was traded to Soo by Sarnia of the Ontario Hockey League earlier in December, has 5 assists in a four-game level streak, choosing up two helpers within the Greyhounds’ 8-4 win at Saginaw final Wednesday, and including one other help in a 6-2 loss to Windsor the next night time, giving Fischer 23 factors (three objectives, 20 assists) in 31 video games, together with 5 assists in 5 video games with Soo.
* Love Harenstam — The 2025 sixth-round choose, who’s in camp with Sweden for the upcoming World Junior Championship in St. Paul, Minn., has an actual shot at being Sweden’s beginning goalie.
Harenstam stopped 23 of 25 photographs in opposition to Canada in a 4-2 win on Saturday, a sport during which Blues 2023 first-round choose (No. 25) Otto Stenberg’s youthful brother Ivar scored:
Unfortunately, the Blues will likely be down to simply Harenstam and Adam Jiricek (Czechia) within the match after Adam Jecho, additionally of Czechia, needed to bow out of the match and will likely be sidelined indefinitely with a hand harm:
* Ivan Vorobyov — After placing up practically some extent per sport (15 factors; seven objectives, eight assists) in 16 video games for Voskresensk Khimik of Russia’s VHL, the seventh-round choose in 2021 obtained referred to as as much as Moscow Spartak of the KHL and paid rapid dividends with this stunning objective in a 2-1 win over SKA St. Petersburg, which continues to be with out Blues prospect Matvei Korotky, on Saturday (spotlight across the 9:45 mark):
* Arseny Koromyslov — The 22-year-old defenseman, a fourth-round choose in 2022, has 13 factors (12 assists) in 34 video games for Chelyabinsk Traktor of the KHL, together with 4 assists in a three-game level streak and performed a season-high 23:32 in a 7-4 loss to Magnitogorsk Metallurg on Friday; he is averaging 17:57 per sport this season.
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* Mikhail Fyodorov — Fyodorov obtained the most effective of Koromyslov on Friday taking part in for Metallurg and did not register any factors, however the fifth-round choose in 2025 did have a objective and an help in a 6-1 win over HC Sochi final Wednesday, together with this one-timer on the power-play (1:40 mark) and his help (on the 4:30 mark) was additionally a magnificence:
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