The St. Louis Blues suffered a loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Friday, and the injury gods, who had been kind to them in the previous four games, were at it again.
The St. Louis Blues had a difficult night on Friday, regardless of the fact that they lost to the Anaheim Ducks 4-3 in a shootout after blowing a two-goal lead in the third period. The squad, already beset by several ailments in the 2015–16 campaign, suffered injuries during Friday’s game that claimed the lives of center Paul Stastny, defenseman Jay Bouwmeester, and goalkeeper Jake Allen.
After suffering upper-body injuries, both Bouwmeester (5:15) and Stastny (4:26) left the game within a minute of one another during the first quarter. The Blues were severely worn out as a result, and they were forced to play without their best pairing defender (who logs 23:08 a game) and top line center (19:18).
If any skater had to miss time after these injuries, it would be another crushing blow. Last season, Stastny had a shoulder ailment that kept him out of the game for eight games, and this season, he missed sixteen games due to a broken foot. In contrast, Bouwmeester ended his 737-game winning streak in the previous season after missing 10 due to a lower-body ailment and subsequently an illness. If his lack of superhuman durability was once again revealed in 2015–16, it would be disheartening.
After being collided with in his own net by Ducks forward Corey Perry, Allen left the game in the middle of the second period. Allen, who had appeared to play the entire game, eventually got off the ice on his own and made room for Brian Elliott. Elliott allowed two goals on 27 shots over the final 32:57 of regulation, forcing overtime and the Blues’ sixth consecutive defeat (and third straight decided outside of regulation). In fairness, Elliott did hold his composure for the whole five minutes of 3-on-3 overtime and stop two of the four Anaheim players in the shootout.
For the Blues’ game against the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday, they won’t have to activate any players because, should Stastny and Bouwmeester both stay out, forward Scottie Upshall and defenseman Robert Bortuzzo can take Stastny’s place in the middle of the ice. Either Patrik Berglund or Dmitrij Jaskin can take up Stastny’s position in the middle.
They might want to bring someone in from Austin, Texas, where their AHL affiliate is now playing, to add some more depth, if the travel arrangements aren’t too complicated.
On the defensive end, Chris Butler and Andre Benoit make sense choices for a recall, but Jeremy Welsh and Jordan Caron—both of whom have experienced NHL stints this season—would be the more likely candidates.
If Allen is ruled out of Saturday’s game against Los Angeles, the only spot that has to be filled right away is the backup goalkeeper position behind Brian Elliott. The 23-year-old Pheonix Copley, who was acquired this summer in the T.J. Oshie trade, and the 22-year-old former third-round pick Jordan Binnington are the Blues’ two AHL goaltenders for the current campaign.
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