The St. Louis Blues announced that forward Tyler Bozak will miss Thursday’s rematch against the Vegas Golden Knights and is considered day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
Craig Berube says Tyler Bozak (upper-body injury) won’t play Thursday against Vegas. #stlblues
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) January 27, 2021
Tyler Bozak Injured on Mark Stone Hit
Big cheap shot by Mark Stone behind the play on Bozak, whistled two for interference. Blues bench not happy, Bozak appears to hit head on ice going down pic.twitter.com/qgl4QkAUYs
— NHL Review (@nhl_review) January 27, 2021
Tyler Bozak was injured when Mark Stone hit him in the second period of Tuesday’s game against the Golden Knights. Mark Stone threw his shoulder into Bozak’s head, causing Bozak to fall to the ice. It looked like he hit his head on the ice and had a hard time getting up. Stone got a two minute penalty for interference. Bozak didn’t return to the game.
Wednesday, the NHL’s Department of Player Safety told Blues General Manager Doug Armstrong that Stone will not receive any supplemental discipline.
So far this season, Bozak has two assists and two penalty minutes in seven games. His possession numbers are 44.7 percent Corsi and a relative Corsi of -3.0.
Over his 12-year NHL career, Bozak has played for the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Blues. He has 162 goals and 272 assists for 434 points in 740 career games.
In the postseason, he has 10 goals and 15 assists for 25 points in 52 career playoff games. He was a part of the Blues’ 2019 Stanley Cup winning team.
What This Means For The Future
Before his injury, Bozak was playing on the third line with Mike Hoffman and Robert Thomas. With Sammy Blais being a healthy scratch in the last game, it is likely he will take over for Bozak on the third line while he’s out.
Blais has only played in two games this season, in part because he was suspended for two games for an illegal check to the head of Colorado Avalanche defenceman Devon Toews. He has yet to register a point.
Last season, Blais had six goals and seven assists for 13 points in 40 regular-season games for the Blues and added one goal and three assists for four points in eight games in the playoffs.
While it will be good to get Blais back in the lineup, the Blues will certainly miss the experience Bozak brought to the line in Thursday’s rematch against the Golden Knights.
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