The St. Louis Blues announced that forward Vladimir Tarasenko will return to the lineup. Tarasenko hasn’t played in a game since October 24 against the Los Angeles Kings. He left the game in the first period after a shoulder injury that required surgery.
The @StLouisBlues are getting a major boost to the lineup after activating Vladimir Tarasenko from the injured reserve. https://t.co/m1IKpFGrZ6
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) July 13, 2020
The Blues said the injury happened when Tarasenko got tangled up with the Kings’ Sean Walker.
“By looking at the replay, Tarasenko extended his arm and it looked like Walker’s shoulder got right under his armpit and thrusted up, dislocating his shoulder,” Blues General Manager Doug Armstrong said in October.
With Vladimir Tarasenko
In 10 games this season, Tarasenko had three goals and seven assists for 10 points. He had points in five straight games before the game he was injured in. The Blues went 5-2-3 in the 10 games with Tarasenko in the lineup, including the one that he left. They had one four game losing streak during that time. The Blues scored two or more goals in every single game they played with Tarasenko in the lineup.
Without Tarasenko
The Blues have managed to go 31-15-7 without Tarasenko. While they’re still in first place in the Western Conference, they have not been without their struggles. In February, they were on a five game losing streak. They’ve had four three game losing streaks without Tarasenko. They’ve been shutout twice and have been held to one goal five times. They were having a very streaky season even with Tarasenko in the lineup, but it has intensified without his offensive contributions. While that’s been enough to keep the Blues at the top of the standings, it might not be stable enough for the Blues to repeat as Stanley Cup champions. They’ll need Tarasenko for that.
Now that he’s back, the Blues hopes to repeat are higher than ever, even higher than at the beginning of the season before Tarasenko’s injury. With Jay Bouwmeester‘s injury, the Blues were able to pick up Marco Scandella, who is no Bouwmeester, but he has had a good short stretch as a Blue. Justin Faulk is finally starting to look like he belongs here. Blues fans are excited to see what both of them can do come playoff time. Not to mention, Jordan Kyrou has gotten to see some time and has been impressive. While either he or Mackenzie MacEachern will be the odd man out in the lineup with Tarasenko back, it is exciting to think about both Kyrou and Tarasenko exploding at the same time. Who doesn’t want to see the future star of the Blues and (one of) the present stars of the Blues colliding?
