The St. Louis Blues have been rolling along lately, but they hit a speed bump over the weekend as super sophomore forward Vladimir Tarasenko injured his hand during the team’s 4-1 victory over Nashville on Saturday night. As a result, Tarasenko will require surgery and is expected to be out of the lineup for about six weeks. Given that timeline Tarasenko will likely miss the start of the NHL Playoffs.
The 22-year-old Tarasenko, has 21 goals and 22 assists for 43 points in 64 games this season with St. Louis, good for sixth on the club in scoring. He is currently on a five game point streak and has nine points in his last eight games. He played for Russia in the 2014 Olympics in Sochi.
Vladimir Tarasenko put up 19 points in 38 games in his rookie season with St. Louis in 2012-13. Tarasenko was also injured in his rookie year when he missed 10 games due to a concussion. He was the Blues first round draft pick, 16th overall, in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.
The Blues will also be without American Olympian T.J. Oshie on Monday as he has left the team to be with his wife and newborn baby. The youngest Oshie joined the family over the weekend.
To fill the holes in the lineup, the Blues have recalled Dmitri Jaskin from their AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves. Jaskin has 29 points in 42 AHL games this year. He has played nine games for St. Louis already this season, posting one goal and one assist.
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