Thursday, February 28, 2013
Hurting Blues
By Victoria Matiash
After losing rookie Vladimir Tarasenko for an indefinite period of time, the St. Louis Blues took another hit when Andy McDonald and Alexander Steen suffered injuries during Tuesday's practice. Fortunately, McDonald shouldn't be out too long, and Steen may not miss any game action at all.
According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Steen (suspected shoulder injury) is listed as day-to-day and could suit up for Thursday's tilt with the Chicago Blackhawks. McDonald (suspected knee injury) will be out a little while, but hopefully no longer than a week or two.
In the interim, forward Chris Porter is expected to make his season debut for the Blues. The 28-year-old nearly made the NHL squad out of training camp.
"I’m curious to see how he plays," Blue coach Ken Hitchcock added. "He’s a cut above most guys in the AHL; he’s a dominant player down there. He looks like he’s gained a lot of confidence with us. We’re a little bit of a different team, but I don’t think we’re going to be easy to play against with this group now."
Fellow call-ups Andrew Murray and Adam Cracknell have a shot at playing time if Steen isn't able to dress.
As for how the lineup shuffles out, Matt D'Agostini is expected to skate on a second line with Vladimir Sobotka and Patrik Berglund; while Porter is pegged to play with Chris Stewart and Jaden Schwartz on the third line. The fourth could include Scott Nichol, Murray and Ryan Reaves. The top line of David Backes, T.J. Oshie, and David Perron is expected to remain intact.
