St. Louis Blues’ Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich to miss Thursday’s game vs. Blackhawks with upper-body injuries

The St. Louis Blues will be without a couple star players when they roll into Chicago on Thursday night.

The team announced that center Robert Thomas and winger Pavel Buchnevich will miss Thursday’s game against the Blackhawks with upper-body injuries.

It’s unclear when the injuries occurred, as both players played the entirety of Tuesday’s game against the Vancouver Canucks. It’s likely just a precaution for both players, especially with the Blues out of the playoff race and the team down to their final games of the season.

Thomas finished the game with a goal, while Buchnevich had a goal and an assist on the night. The Blues would go on to beat the Canucks 6-5 in overtime after blowing a second period 5-2 lead.

Thomas has taken a slight step back from his breakout season in 2021-22, but was still quite productive with 17 goals, 46 assists, and 63 points in 70 games. His goal totals are still relatively normal, but his assist rates have gone down a bit due to the drop-off in offense from the Blues as a team and the lack of passing options for Thomas.

Buchnevich has actually taken a slight step forward this season, with 25 goals, 41 assists, and 66 points in 59 games. While his raw totals aren’t as high as his 30 goals and 76 points from 2021-22, that’s mostly due to injuries, as a full season would have given Buchnevich 34 goals and 91 points this year.

Unless the Blues make any callups, Josh Leivo and Logan Brown are likely to draw in to the lineup, as they were the healthy scratches for Tuesday’s game. Leivo has 4 goals, 11 assists, and 15 points in 47 games, while Brown has a goal, four assists, and five points in 25 games.

The Blues currently sit in sixth in the Central Division with a 34-34-6 record, and are 11 points behind the final wild card spot in the Western Conference. They’ve gone 5-1-1 in their last seven games, which has also helped put them 21 points ahead of last place and the best odds for the first overall pick.