MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- The news was not as bleak as originally thought for Pavel Buchnevich.
The St. Louis Blues forward did not practice for the second straight day -- the Blues were off Monday -- with an upper-body injury and is doubtful for Thursday against the Arizona Coyotes.
But coach Craig Berube had a best-case scenario for the Blues' top-line winger.
"Right now it's day to day, we're waiting," Berube said. "... Right now he's sore. He's still not ready to get on the ice. It's all about how he feels, soreness and stuff like that. When that subsides, he's going to go on the ice and we'll advance from there."
The only caveat is they don't know if that will be tomorrow, next week, two weeks ...
"Really I don't," Berube said. "That's the truth. Right now it's kind of a day to day thing until he feels like he's not sore, less sore to get on the ice, go out and do some work on the ice.
"I think it's good news that we got."
Buchnevich was shoved from behind by Seattle Kraken defenseman Jamie Oleksiak late in the first period of a power play, fell to the ice and skated to the bench, where he remained but did not return for the final two periods of a 2-1 shootout win.
"His stick did break," Berube said. "It's kind of like a bad fall more than anything."
Buchnevich, at best-case scenario, could get on the ice Wednesday and Thursday morning prior to the game against Arizona, but Berube all but declared him doubtful when asked.
"Yeah. Unless he comes in tomorrow feeling really good, but right now, he's doubtful for Thursday," Berube said.
It shuffled up the Blues' lines for the time being, with Alexey Toropchenko promoted off the top line and onto a line with Brayden Schenn and Kasperi Kapanen.
"Skating and on pucks," Berube said of Toropchenko. "I thought he had an excellent game using his skating and being physical and forechecking. He's earned that in my opinion. That's a hard line in my opinion with the skating on the wings with what they have and got a little bit of finish there as well. That should be a difficult line to play against, I'm hoping."
Brandon Saad, who had been playing with Schenn and Kapanen and who was promoted to Buchnevich's spot with Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou, remains up there.
"He's played with them before," Berube said. "Last couple years, he's been used there with those guys again. He's a pretty straight forward player, he's got real good speed, getting in on pucks, strong on pucks to heel pucks in the offensive zone, gets to the net, does all those little things.
"He's very strong. He does have good speed too, but he can beat people wide all the time and he does. He's a powerful guy, he's a strong guy. He's good in tight around the net. When he gets in tight around the net, he puts them in."
Forward Nikita Alexandrov then is expected to make his season debut on the fourth line with Oskar Sundqvist and Jake Neighbours with Toropchenko moving up.
