Still smarting from Thursday's black eye in Philadelphia, the St. Louis Blues on Friday found solace. Defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk was on the ice with the team, along with trade deadline pickup Zbynek Michalek.
Shattenkirk, an all-star defenseman with key offensive skills, hasn't played since an abdominal injury on Feb. 1 that required surgery. Friday was his first time on the ice with teammates.
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Michalek was acquired from the Phoenix Coyotes in one of three depth deals the Blues made. He, too, is in recovery mode — officially an upper-body injury reports indicate was a concussion.
Once both are healthy, the Blues will have one of the strongest defense corps in the Western Conference.
The Blues are in Toronto to face the Maple Leafs on Saturday as they continue their pursuit of the Nashville Predators in the Central Division. They are four points behind the Preds with two games in hand but have a spate of road games this month. They also are six points behind Western Conference leader Anaheim.
"It's good to get on the ice again. I haven't skated for free weeks, so it's nice to feel like a hockey player again," Michalek told Blues writer Chris Pinkert. "It's a good day and hopefully the rest of the day goes well for me, too, and I can get back on the ice tomorrow and do more."
Coach Ken Hitchcock said neither player has a target date for returning to action.
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Shattenkirk has eight goals and 32 assists in 49 games, and he is among the Blues' top shootout players. Michalek is expected to help in his own zone, where the Blues often have trouble because of turnovers.
Thursday's 3-1 loss to the Flyers marked the second time this season the Blues lost in regulation after entering the third period with a lead.