Holloway was tripped towards the end practice, labeled with lower-body injury; status unknown moving forward
MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- The St. Louis Blues looked like they were starting to feel good about the return of some good fortune – and health – among their injured crop.
Alexey Toropchenko was back on the ice Sunday nearly two weeks after announcing the forward had suffered “scalding burns to his legs from a home accident,” the Blues were on the verge of bringing one of their injured forwards back.
Until another went down.
Forward Dylan Holloway was tripped up during a drill and needed help off the ice towards the end of practice at Centene Community Ice Center:
The Blues (12-14-7), who are coming off a 3-2 win against the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday, host the Nashville Predators (12-15-4) on Monday in a rematch of Nashville’s 7-2 drubbing of the Blues last Thursday in Nashville, and judging by Holloway, who is tied for the Blues’ lead in goals with eight (17 points) in 33 games, could be the next to miss time.
“Lower-body. We have no idea if it’s day to day, if he can play tomorrow, we have no idea right now,” Blues coach Jim Montgomery said after practice Sunday. “We’re just evaluating him right now.”
Toropchenko will return to play Monday against the Predators after missing seven games, but if Holloway is to miss time, he will join Jimmy Snuggerud (wrist), Jordan Kyrou (lower body), Nathan Walker (upper body) and Nick Bjugstad (upper body) shelved by injuries.
“Before we even see, I haven’t seen him yet. Hopefully he’s OK,” Blues captain Brayden Schenn said of Holloway. “One of those things it’s a next-man-up mentality where you buy in together, elevate individual play and guys get more opportunity and try and find different ways to step up throughout parts of the game in different roles. That’s kind of the mentality you have to go into game by game.”
The Blues are in the midst of playing 11 games in 19 days leading into the Christmas break since Dec. 4.
“You know what, that’s the season,” Montgomery said. “Everybody in the league has injuries. I think Tampa has had several and there’s another team that’s been decimated with injuries and they find ways to win. We’ve just got to buckle up and play like we did last game for each other and it covers up a lot of what you’re missing, whether it’s skill, will, because we’re missing all of those elements in some of our players that are missing right now.”
Holloway’s next game will be his 200th in the NHL.
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