ST. LOUIS — In Utah last weekend, St. Louis Blues coach Jim Montgomery benched linemates Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich. He followed that up by separating the two for the next game against the Vegas Golden Knights and the start of the teams’ rematch Thursday night.

During the first period, Montgomery benched Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich for the final 9: ... In the second period, Montgomery juggled every line except for Dylan Holloway, Brayden Schenn and Jordan Kyrou. He moved Buchnevich down with Oskar ...

To finally break the gravitational pull of .500, the Blues will need more from Thomas and Buchnevich. Thomas has a goal, two assists and a minus-3 rating in his last six games. Buchnevich has no goals, two assists and a minus-4 rating over the same span.

During Blues practice on Sunday morning in Las Vegas, coach Jim Montgomery shuffled his lines, which notably featured splitting up Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich.

Schenn logged a power-play assist and six hits in Saturday's 4-2 loss to Utah.

The Blues completed a two-game sweep of the Flames with a 4-1 win on Thursday, taking all four points from a Calgary team in a series key to playoff hopes.

Blues defenseman Philip Broberg, front, reacts to his shot bouncing off the goal post in the third period of his team's 2-0 loss to Dallas on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025, at Enterprise Center. Blues coach Jim Montgomery keeps seeking ways to spur stronger starts from his sputtering team.