St. Louis can’t catch a break.
After looking like they might finally get to full health after an injury-plagued campaign, Jay Bouwmeester is now sidelined indefinitely for what the club is calling a “upper-body injury.”
More, from the Post-Dispatch:
The veteran defenseman is dealing with concussion-related symptoms, but the diagnosis has not yet been confirmed. If indeed that conclusion is eventually drawn, it would be his second concussion this season.
The Blues are referring to Bouwmeester’s injury as an “upper-body” injury and listing him as “day to day,” but he’s already been ruled out of tonight’s game against Colorado and there is no timetable for his return.
Bouwmeester hasn’t played since the club returned home from a five-game road trip, which ended with a 1-0 win at San Jose last Tuesday.
Bouwmeester suffered a concussion back in January on a hit from Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf, and missed four games a result. It doesn’t take much to connect the dots between the January incident and the fact that now, two months later, Bouwmeester’s being treated for concussion-related symptoms.
That said, Ken Hitchcock said the latest Bouwmeester injury is due to a “one-time incident,” not a lingering ailment.
Regardless, the setback comes at a terrible time as the Blues have just six games left in the regular season, and are also currently without another d-man in Carl Gunnarsson, who’s out with a lower-body injury.
With those two out of the lineup, St. Louis will ice a blueline comprised of Kevin Shattenkirk, Alex Pietrangelo, Colton Parayko, Joel Edmundson, Petteri Lindbohm and Robert Bortuzzo.
But considering that group shut out Washington on Saturday (and the fact the Blues haven’t allowed a goal in four games), maybe things aren’t as grim.
