The St. Louis Blues will welcome back their spark plug forward, Nathan Walker, after he missed the previous 16 games with an upper-body injury. Walker last played on Dec. 1 against the Anaheim Ducks [http://thn.com/anaheim] and was said to be re-evaluated in eight weeks, but the 31-year-old is returning almost three weeks ahead of schedule. "He's going to be a player tonight. He's ready to go," said Blues coach Jim Montgomery. "It's great, he has great energy, he does all the details and habits the way we want to. His second and third effort is awesome." Prior to sustaining the injury, Walker had played 25 games, scoring three goals and nine points. The 5-foot-9 winger ranks second on the team with 95 hits, one back of captain Brayden Schenn despite all the action he's missed. Walker will skate alongside the newly re-signed Alexey Toropchenko [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/st-louis-blues/latest-news/alexey-toropchenko-signs-two-year-5-million-extension-to-remain-with-blues] and Oskar Sundqvist on the fourth line in his return, as he enters the lineup for Mathieu Joseph. Montgomery has not been afraid to shuffle his lines and hasn't been afraid to take players out of the lineup, especially in his bottom six. "The training staff here did a great job with me and helped me get back as soon as I can," Walker said after Wednesday's morning skate. "You hate sitting out and watching the games, but I'm hoping I can come in (tonight) and do my job and help the guys get two points." The Blues take on the Chicago Blackhawks [http://thn.com/chicago] tonight as they begin a three-game road trip. Image [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/25e5d1fc-e235-45d6-9d0b-d4b9cd710ec1.jpeg] For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free [https://thehockeynews.store/products/print-subscription]. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum. (1-7-26) Blues-Blackhawks Gameday Lineup [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/49562457-f4e0-4193-b320-18ab283b0342.jpeg] (1-7-26) Blues-Blackhawks Gameday Lineup Walker returns after missing 16 games with upper-body injury; Blues go for fourth attempt to winning three straight to begin three-game road trip [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/st-louis-blues/game-day/1-7-26-blues-blackhawks-gameday-lineup]
