Tarasenko Sidelined with Upper-Body Injury

The St. Louis Blues announced forward @Vladimir Tarasenko will miss at least the next two games with an upper-body injury. Tarasenko will not travel with the team for their upcoming two-game road trip. He will be re-evaluated on Monday, making October 30 against the Wild his earliest possible return. Tarasenko suffered the injury in the first period of Thursday’s game against the Kings and did not return.

https://twitter.com/HockeyFeedSTL/status/1187533838257401856

Lineup Implications

Tarasenko’s absence leaves an obvious void atop the Blues lineup, even if he is only out for a few games. The Russian superstar was rounding into form, recording points in five straight games prior to the injury. He scored three times and added seven assists through the team’s first nine games.

Tarasenko skated on the Blues’ top line with @Brayden Schenn and @Jaden Schwartz in each of those nine games. The Blues went into scramble mode after the injury on Thursday, with as many as four different wingers rotating in Tarasenko’s spot. @Oskar Sundqvist was the most common replacement, playing just over four minutes with Schenn and Schwartz. He’s the leading candidate to replace Tarasenko in the interim, but we should know more after the team takes the ice for their morning skate on Saturday. The Blues play in Boston on Saturday night before heading to Detroit for a late-afternoon game on Sunday.