MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. — Vladimir Tarasenko could return to the St. Louis Blues lineup as soon as Tuesday.
The forward will miss his 10th straight game when St. Louis hosts the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday (8 pm ET; BSMW, NBCSCH, ESPN+, SN NOW) because of a right hand injury, but playing against the Buffalo Sabers on Tuesday is an option.
“No, I’m not going to play tomorrow. I feel better, close to coming back,” Tarasenko said Friday. “It’s an important time. If I can play, I’ll go play. The day I feel like I can go, I will let them know and I will play.”
Tarasenko has practiced in full last week after he injured his hand blocking a shot by a Minnesota Wild defenseman Matt Dumba in the first period of a 5-2 loss on Dec. 31. The Blues originally announced Tarasenko would be reevaluated in four weeks, but he has made enough progress to return sooner.
“We work a lot on the hand and this [injury is] tough to make it faster,” Tarasenko said. “Being injured is not a very fun part. I just want to come back and play faster.
“When the pain is gone and I am able to do things with the hand and stick for 100 percent, (I’ll return). It’s an important time of the year for our team. I just want to help the team. Take some time, get healed and when I’m ready to play, I just go play.”
Blues coach Craig Berube said earlier in the week that Tarasenko was close to returning.
“He looks good to me,” Berube said. “He’s skating well, he’s shooting well, but it’s what he feels, how he feels and if he’s ready to compete and battle and battle, puck battles and things like that, that’s where he’s probably not quite ready yet. But he looks ready to me.”
St. Louis has gone 6-3-0 without Tarasenko.
“It’s up to the player,” Berube said. “He’s got to be sure that he’s ready and we’re not going to force anybody. He’s got to be ready. If he’s not ready, he’s not ready.”
Tarasenko, who has 29 points (10 goals, 19 assists) in 34 games, is planning to represent the Blues at the 2023 Honda NHL All-Star Game in Sunrise, Florida next month. The 31-year-old was chosen by the NHL hockey operations department as the Blues representative on Jan. 5.
“I was excited,” said Tarasenko, who will be making his fourth All-Star Game appearance. “… It’s an honor to represent the team. It’s not a fun part being injured, but I’m excited about coming back to play.”
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