Paul Statsny injury update: Blues center on injured reserve
The St. Louis Blues have put forward Paul Stastny on the injured reserve list.
Under new head coach Mike Yeo, the St. Louis Blues are fighting for a playoff spot in the relentless Western Conference. Their job just got a lot tougher, as star center Paul Stastny has been placed on the injured reserve list with a lower body injury.
“He’s usually the first guy over the boards for a power-play face-off or the first guy over the boards for a penalty kill faceoff and those are key. He’s a very important player for us,” Yeo said, via NHL.com. “You don’t take out a top-line center from too many lineups where they don’t feel that. It’s got to be a next-man-up mentality here.”
Losing Stastny is devastating for the Blues. He has 35 points this season, tied for fourth on the team. Despite playing primarily a defensive role, Stastny has been productive. His 15 goals rank third on the team, trailing only Vladimir Tarasenko and Patrik Berglund. Stastny’s 20 assists are tied for seventh on the Blues.
Expect Jori Lehtera to replace him in the lineup as the third line center. Alex Steen and Berglund will likely both see an increase in their responsibilities as they try to recover from Stastny’s injury. On top of that, Robby Fabbri is expected to miss the rest of the season.
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The Blues have no timetable for his return, making the next few weeks crucial for them. If they don’t want to be sellers at the trade deadline, they’ll have to win despite not having Fabbri or Stastny. Luckily, St. Louis faces four consecutive non-playoff teams in the next week, taking on the Detroit Red Wings, Vancouver Canucks, Buffalo Sabres, and Florida Panthers. They’ll finish off February against the Chicago Blackhawks and the Edmonton Oilers.