The Blues have called up former first round pick Ian Cole who is already in Boston waiting for the team to arrive.  No decision has been made if Cole will play on Saturday.

Barret Jackman suffered a right knee injury during the Blues 2-0 victory over San Jose. The veteran D-man left the game momentarily but in typical Jackman form returned shortly thereafter. Blues GM Doug Armstrong tells me Jackman will miss at least three weeks of action. This is a tough blow for both Jackman and the Blues as the former Calder winner has played some of his best hockey in quite some time.

The Blues have now placed an official timetable on Roman Polak's wrist after he severed multiple tendons back on October 23rd. Armstrong tells me Polak will miss at minimum another eight weeks.

It goes without saying these are two huge losses for the Blues as these guys guys eat up a ton of minutes.

Head Coach Davis Payne told me Friday morning there’s a good chance we’ll see Russian D-man Nikita Nikitin come off IR and make his NHL debut Saturday. Here’s a kid who looks to have some real potential. He’s hired an English tutor who comes to his house multiple times per week for lessons. His understanding of the language has shown remarkable progress.

There is also a strong possibility of Cam Janssen returning to the lineup for the first time since opening night. He’s been out with a concussion.

Blues fans can expect to see Goaltender Ty Conklin play this weekend as well. No word on if he’ll play Saturday or Sunday.

D-man Carlo Colaiacovo is feeling better and could begin skating in the next few days. He will need to pass a baseline test before he can begin skating.

The Blues need to get their PP issues resolved quickly. Right now they look unorganized and a step slow. The play of Jarosalv Halak has helped make this a non-issue for now but at some point they will need to rely on their PP. This is especially the case on the road where the Blues have yet to be really tested. It’s amazing how good a team can be when you get saves.

In a recent conversation I had with John Davidson he described Alex Pietrangelo as a “surgeon” on the ice. He reminds me of Nicklas Lidstrom with his ability to defend his own Blueline and knock pucks down out of the air. His stick is incredibly quick and with his hand eye coordination he makes the puck look like a beach ball. These are supposed to be safe easy plays opposing players are trying to make in an effort to get pucks deep.

I thought Pietrangleo’s game was just ok early but he turned it on after his tussle with Sharks forward Logan Couture.

  There were several scouts who attended the game on Thursday representing a number of teams including Phoenix, Detroit, Ottawa, Islanders, and Los Angeles.

Newly hired Red Wings scout Kirk Maltby made his first of many trips to St. Louis this season. Blues fans may be surprised to hear he’s a really good guy.

Following the game Halak was upset one of the on-ice officials left the ice with the game puck. The Blues asked a Scottrade worker to go and retrieve it.

Sharks D-man Douglas Murray is one massive human being. As one Blues player puts it, if he and Dustin Byfuglien collided, a new world would be created.

As I tweeted earlier NHL Exec Mike Murphy handled the hearing with Sharks forward Joe Thornton as Colin Campbell was flying and unavailable.

Good scrap between Brad Winchester and former Blues player Jamal Mayers. Winchester accepted the challenge as Mayers needed to get his team going after the Blues scored a goal.

More to come,
Andy Strickland
strickland.andy@gmail.com