The Blues are certainly no stranger to injuries. They dropped like flies last season, and the season before that. This year the players also seem to be getting hurt a bit more often than usual, but they just seem to be coming back quickly. Any time a guy goes down, regardless of recovery time, there's still a gap in the line-up, and Kris Russell's loss was felt immediately. Injured it a hit with Detroit's Johan Franzen, Russell played just over two and a half minutes in Tuesday night's tough loss against the Wings, and this could be pointed to as a huge reason for the reason that the Blues fell apart in the 3rd period: gassed defensemen.
↵Luckily, Russell can be replaced by Ian Cole, so the team won't be running on five defensemen for long. Unluckily, Russell will be out for three weeks. Cole's a perfectly fine replacement for Russell, and has been needing to play for quite some time. It was either going to be up here or down in Peoria, and it's better for him if it's up here.
↵Unfortunately for the Blues, it looks like T.J. Oshie is questionable for Friday, as is Vladimir Sobotka. Both will be evaluated in the morning, and hopefully both will be back soon. Having six defensemen for a full game, plus Oshie, Sobotka, and Jamie Langenbrunner in will make the world of difference in Saturday night's game against the Red Wings. Heck, maybe the Blues might be able to keep a lead through three periods.
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