Needing a kick start, the St. Louis Blues on Saturday activated forward Jaden Schwartz ahead of their game against the San Jose Sharks.
For a team that is 1-5-1 in a recent slide, Schwartz will be a welcome addition. The Blues get their third-leading scorer and second-leading goal man for a game they need to turn their fortunes.
Schwartz, incidently, missed the Blues' past seven games with a bum foot. To make room Saturday, they assigned Colin Fraser to their AHL Chicago affiliate.
Also Saturday, the Sharks said center Joe Thornton would not play because of a shoulder injury. Thornton's 319 consecutive-game streak came to an end.
Schwartz has 11 goals and 16 assists in 31 games.
Friday, the Blues lost 4-3 to the Anaheim Ducks to start a three-game West Coast swing.
The team's biggest problem is failure to execute on defense. Schwartz won't help that, and neither will goalie Brian Elliott on Saturday against the Sharks. Goaltending has been good, although neither aged Martin Brodeur nor Jake Allen has been able to staunch the bleeding.
Elliott makes his second start since coming off an injury. Allen, carried for now as the Blues' third goalie, is getting time to work on his game.
Brodeur said after Friday's loss the Blues "made a few mistakes that they capitalized on." It has become a recurring problem for a team expected to be among top playoff contenders in the Western Conference.