During the St. Louis Blues latest three-game road trip, Robert Bortuzzo was sent home early with a lower-body injury. The injury has plagued him since training camp. Throughout the first eight games of the season, Bortuzzo has missed three. He will now miss the next two weeks as he waits to get re-evaluated.
The Blues held an optional practice on Thursday morning, where Bortuzzo was one of six players to not participate. Other absentees include Alex Pietrangelo, Jay Bouwmeester, and Alexander Steen.
Robert Bortuzzo Moved to IR with Lower Body Injury
Bortuzzo evolved into a consistent part of the Blues lineup last season. After a few seasons of playing 40 games at most, he was slotted in all but 10 games last year. That means he saw 72 games with the team, averaging just under 15 minutes of ice time, the lowest out of the team’s defensemen. In those games, he scored four goals and nine assists. Only Carl Gunnarsson, who played nine fewer games, registered fewer points than Bortuzzo.
The Blues also made one smaller roster move on Thursday, announcing that Oskar Sundqvist will be in the lineup for the team’s game against the Blue Jackets. Sundqvist has yet to make his season debut. Last year, he saw around 10 and a half minutes of ice time throughout 42 NHL games. He only scored five points before being benched for the rest of the year.
Sundqvist will be centering Ivan Barbashev and Jordan Kyrou Thursday night. Both wingers are fighting for a consistent spot in the lineup. Kyrou is one of two rookies with the Blues, the other being Robert Thomas. Both rookies will play against the Jackets, and both have only registered a sole assist in the points column so far.
The Blues start a seven-game homestand on Thursday. Among the opposing teams are the Chicago Blackhawks and the Minnesota Wild. They play the latter two times, separated by a game against the Carolina Hurricanes and San Jose Sharks.
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