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No Doughty Suspension?
Stewart returned from his three game suspension last night after the NHL concluded last Wednesday that his hit on Kronwall was "illegal". I agree that "Stewie" deserved a suspension, but a similar play occurred in Tuesday's game and the no suspension ruling by the league has me scratching my head. Kings Defenseman Drew Doughty cross checked Oshie from behind causing him to collide with the boards rather awkwardly with only a few seconds left in Tuesday's game. Only a minor penalty was called, and yesterday the league announced Doughty's punishment (not really a punishment) a $2,500 fine. I strongly disagree with the decision, and feel that if the league wants to put an end to the hits, they must be more consistent.
Injury Updates
- David Perron- The forward has shredded the red "no contact" jersey and is competing in practices like every other player. This is great news, because it means that Perron is extremely close. Perron must take a certain amount of contact before he is allowed to return. There is no timetable for his return, and Hitchcock has said that it is up to Perron, and whenever he says has ready to go, he will be put into the lineup. If I had to guess, I would say Perron is probably about 1-2 weeks away, but it all depends on how he feels and when he deems himself ready.
- Carlo Colaiacovo- Colaiacovo was placed on the IR on Tuesday, with a hamstring injury. He is expected to miss at least the game against Calgary on Friday (not confirmed) but injury isn’t expected to keep him out a long period of time.
- Kent Huskins- Huskins took a shot off his left Ankle on October 28th against Calgary, and at first it was announced as just a bruise. Upon further examination a fracture was found. Huskins underwent a successful surgery on 11/16/11 and is expected to be sidelined for at least 7 more weeks. This was a big blow for the Blues as Huskins had been the most consistent defenseman, but this injury gives Cole an opportunity, at least until Colaiacovo comes back.
- B.J. Crombeen- Crombeen has yet to play in a regular season game this year due to a fractured shoulder. He is now skating, but isn’t expected back until at least January.
- Andy McDonald- Not much news on the forward. As all Blues fans know, there is never a timetable with concussions, but Andy Strickland says McDonald is feeling better, but he's still a ways off from returning.
My Thoughts on the Blues' recent play
The Blues are coming off of an overtime winner against arguably the best team in the league in which I thought they played a pretty good game. The Blues need to improve their power play, because they are not executing, and it is going to end up costing them points if they don’t get it going. The Blues also need to play a full 60 minute hockey game. It seems like the Blues are struggling in the latter half of the game and it is forcing them to have to battle back late. I think the Blues are playing great hockey overall though. They’ve faced some tough teams and still find themselves in a playoff spot. Hitchcock has done a great job of implementing his game plan, and the players are executing (minus the power play). If the Blues continue to play this way, they will continue to win games, and fans should be excited, because it will only get better once Perron and Colaiacovo return.
3 Stars
- 1st star- T.J. Oshie
- 2nd star- David Backes
- 3rd star- Vladimir Sobotka