BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Blues forward Jordan Kyrou was a healthy scratch for Thursday night's game at Buffalo as St. Louis coach Jim Montgomery tries to spark improvement from his struggling team.

The Blues are 1-6-2 in their past nine games and entered Thursday in 15th place in the Western Conference with a 4-9-2 record. St. Louis followed a 3-2 win at home against Edmonton with a 6-1 road loss at Washington on Wednesday night.

Montgomery held a mandatory morning skate before playing in the second game of a back-to-back Thursday in Buffalo.

"If you have competitive fire in your belly, struggles like this provide opportunities to grow stronger together when you face these again," Montgomery said after the practice.

Kyrou is tied for second on the Blues with eight points in 14 games and

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