Neighbours will be re-evaluated in five weeks with right leg injury
ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Blues will have to deal without their leading goal scorer for the foreseeable future.
The team announced on Tuesday afternoon that forward Jake Neighbours has been placed on injured reserve with a right leg injury and will be reevaluated in five weeks.
"You lose a player that is one of your heart-and-soul guys," Blues coach Jim Montgomery said. "A guy that you know as a coach is just going to bring effort and a competitive spirit every night to your group, pulls guys into the fight. It's obviously a big loss, and we're just going to (have to have) a next man up mentality and be able to pull through while he gets on the mend."
The 23-year-old suffered the injury during the Blues’ 6-4 loss against the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday in the second period blocking a shot by Red Wings defenseman Axel Sandin-Pellikka.
It's a tough blow for the Blues (3-5-1), who have lost four in a row (0-3-1) and Neighbours, who is leading the team with six goals. Neighbours missed Monday's 6-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
"He's our leading scorer right now, but the intangibles he brings to the dressing room and on the bench and on the ice, the little things he does to help build the team game, to help players have success, the dirty work," Montgomery said. "Other guys have go to absorb that role."
And who might that be?
"I think it's a combination of a bunch of people," Montgomery said. "'Mojo' is going to have to do it, Snuggerud to a certain degree, even though they're different type of players, Toropchenko, Walker, Sundqvist."
The Blues host the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday (7:15 p.m.; FDSNMW, ESPN 101.1-FM).
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