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The Blues just took five out of six points possible during a California road trip, but they lost more than that one game in OT. Vladimir Tarasenko, part of one of hockey’s best (and recently reunited) top lines with Ryan O’Reilly and Brayden Schenn, was injured on Thursday night against the Los Angeles Kings. He missed Saturday’s game against the San Jose Sharks, but it’s looking like he’s going to miss more than that.
Tarasenko’s out at least ten days with an upper body injury; after that point he’ll be re-evaluated. Currently Tarasenko is two goals off his fifth consecutive season with 30 or more goals and two points off of his fifth consecutive season with 60 or more points.
This will result in some line-shuffling, much like Schenn’s injury did. It remains to be seen if it will also result in the Blues looking a little more lost than usual. When the top line is together and healthy, there goes the team. When they’re broken up? The Blues are still capable of winning, but it’s often a messy affair.