St. Louis Blues defenseman Colton Parayko (55) will miss a minimum of six weeks after injuring his left knee in a 3-2 shootout win against the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday. (Alex Gallardo-Imagn Images) [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/c8032168-2e87-4cb3-bc97-5f28560f42eb.jpeg] St. Louis Blues defenseman Colton Parayko (55) will miss a minimum of six weeks after injuring his left knee in a 3-2 shootout win against the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday. (Alex Gallardo-Imagn Images) The St. Louis Blues are in the middle of their best stretch of play this season and got the biggest kick in the pants they couldn't have foreseen. The team announced on Thursday afternoon that defenseman Colton Parayko will be out at least six weeks after injuring his left knee in a 3-2 shootout win against the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/st-louis-blues/latest-news/three-takeaways-from-blues-3-2-shootout-win-against-kings] The team said in a press release that the 31-year-old will undergo a scope and Parayko will be reevaluated in six weeks. It's quite the blow for the Blues (30-27-6), who entered Thursday one point out of the second wild card in the Western Conference behind the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks. Parayko was injured late in overtime when he stumbled and fell off an offensive zone face-off win by Robert Thomas back to the right point. Parayko could be seen landing hard on the ice with his left leg underneath him as Trevor Moore of the Kings went in on a breakaway as a result and was stopped by Jordan Binnington. Coach Jim Montgomery had called a time out to A) give his guys a breather and B) to set something up. "Worst timeout of my career," Montgomery said Friday. "He got hurt and we gave up a breakaway. "We're not going to replace him. That being said, the feeling in our room right now, it just continues to build. Being able to win a game on the road in LA with the home record they have, how we did it ... all of those things, they're just continuing to build the trust, respect, care and love that is building within our group. So if you would've asked me this a month ago, I'd say I don't know how we can recover. But we're going to push through and it's going to be the 'next man up' mentality that you have to have. We have a lot of confidence in our 'D' corps can handle to share the minutes that Parayko gave us." Parayko was seen congratulating teammates after the win on the ice. "It's devastating," defenseman and partner Cam Fowler said. "You feel for the player. He's having an amazing year, amazing guy, big part of our team, so that's a big blow for us. Just as a friend and as a partner, I feel bad for him. I know he'll bounce back and hopefully sooner than later. "As a 'D' core in general, everyone is going to have to step up. He does everything for us. Offensively, he's had an amazing season. He plays against every team's top players, he penalty kills, blocks shots ... you pretty much name what you want out of a defenseman, he brings those things. Myself included, I'll have to pick up some of that slack. But all of us will have to collectively do it because one person is not going to be able to fill what he brings to our team." Parayko, who played for Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off, is in the midst of arguably his best season in the NHL. He has a career-high 15 goals this season and has tied an career high with 35 points while leading the Blues in ice time at 23:51, including 23:13 on Wednesday. The Blues are 6-1-1 in their past eight games; they next play at the Anaheim Ducks on Friday and barring a sudden change from Armstrong, will move forward with Fowler, Philip Broberg, Justin Faulk, Ryan Suter, Nick Leddy and Tyler Tucker as their top six defenseman. Could the Blues all of the sudden be in the market for a defenseman, particularly a right-handed shot with Parayko all but certain to miss the remainder of the regular season having just one righty (Faulk) among their top six? It appears, at least for the time being, Leddy will fill the void with Fowler after playing on his off side with Suter since he returned from his injury. "They're basically two high-end skaters, both can play the off side," Montgomery said. "They don't need to worry about getting back on their sides. That's the benefit, their skill level being able to move the puck and defend especially on their off side, I think, is going to make them a really good pairing for us." The trade deadline is 2 p.m. (CT) on Friday. Stay tuned.
