Alex Pietrangelo News
Pietrangelo missed nine games with a knee injury but will be back in the lineup tonight in Carolina. The Blues played well without Pietrbngelo, but they come in having lost three in a row. Pietrbngelo has three goals and 20 assists (23 points) in 55 games this season and his return means Robert Bortuzzo will be a healthy scratch.
Pietrangelo suffered a knee injury in the Blues win over the Wild on Saturday. He was hurt on a knee-on-knee collision with Charlie Coyle and will miss at leas three weeks. He will be reevaluated at that time and provide an update on his status.
The Blues will rest Pietrangelo this afternoon vs. the Red WIngs. They are already battling a ton of injuries, so won't risk any more key players getting hurt.
Pietrangelo, 23, dressed in 47 games last season, leading the Blues’ defense with 24 points (five goals and 19 assists) while ranking 13th in ice time per game (25:06) among all National Hockey League (NHL) defensemen. Since his first full season in 2010, Pietrangelo is tied for sixth among all defensemen in points (118), ranks 10th in goals (28), tied for ninth in assists (90) and slots 15th in plus/minus (+34) while he became the youngest defenseman in Blues history to record back-to-back 40-plus point seasons in 2010-11 (43) and 2011-12 (51).
Pietrangelo missed the Blues last game with the flu but he is expected to return to the lineup tonight vs. the Canucks. He is one of the best young defensemen in the NHL. He has five goals and 13 assists in 27 games this season.
Late scratch for the Blues.
Hopefully this is the boost the Blues need to get back into the series.
Same old day-to-day, upper body story from the Blues coaches on the hit by Dwight King. Keep an eye on him before the game.
Pietrangelo clearly deserves to be the Blues' number one defender. Through 57 games he now has 10 goals and 34 points.
Pietrangelo continues to man the top defense in hockey, playing in all situations.
Pietrangelo draws back into the lineup following a bout with the flu. The former 4th overall pick has four goals and nine points in 23 games.
Sounds like Pietrangelo may be too sick to play tomorrow. Then again, the team may want to play it safe with their top defender. Expect another update on his status.
If you own Pietrangelo, remember to keep him on the bench for tonight's game. In 23 games he has scored four goals and nine points with a plus-9 rating.
Expect Pietrangelo to lead the team in ice time and in the locker room. The 21-year-old seems poised to make big strides this season and should be taken seriously in any keeper league.