St. Louis Blues winger Mathieu Joseph was held out of the lineup on Tuesday against the Calgary Flames [http://thn.com/calgary] with a lower-body injury, but was an active participant in Wednesday's practice, Lou Korac of The Hockey News reports [https://x.com/lkorac10/status/1988659129821663296?s=20]. The 28-year-old skated on the third line, alongside Brayden Schenn and Pius Suter, a spot that is becoming familiar to Joseph. The speedy winger has played in 15 of the Blues' 17 games this season, notching two goals and six points. Nick Bjugstad stepped into the lineup to replace Joseph yesterday, and today, he was skating as an extra. The 33-year-old center has played in all 17 games this season, scoring four goals and five points. He's also won 49.1 percent of his faceoffs, thrown 31 hits, blocked 13 shots and taken 29 shots on goal. The Blues are back in action on Friday when they host the Philadelphia Flyers [http://thn.com/philadelphia]. As it stands, Joseph is expected to be in the lineup against the 8-5-2 Flyers. Bjugstad is also likely to be a healthy scratch for the first time in his Blues career. Coach Jim Montgomery expects a lot from his players, and he isn't going to let anyone not perform at that expected level. Image [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/5c932db0-4d24-4843-8eb1-2dd067143181.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?_gl=1*iaaxzp*_ga*NDAxOTY4NTMuMTc1NTg5NTA0Mg..*_ga_ZET34ZFCGX*czE3NjI5Njk0MDgkbzMyMSRnMSR0MTc2Mjk3MDU0MiRqNTkkbDAkaDA.]. 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.
