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Bench Vladimir Tarasenko For Rest Of Regular Season

ByKate Cimini|

Vladimir Tarasenko was injured Monday night when he had a skate-on-skate collision with Vancouver Canucks forward Kevin Bieksa.

Bieksa was sent to the box for tripping while Tarasenko left the ice with what is likely a knee injury, judging from the inward motion of his knee when he fell. He did not return to the game that night, and reporters tweeted that he left the locker room limping with his leg wrapped.

Losing Vladimir Tarasenko for the rest of the regular season is not as big a problem as some might think. The St. Louis Blues simply need to win their next game to guarantee themselves a playoff spot. While Tarasenko leads the team in both goals and points with 71 points in 76 games, 36 of them goals, he is followed by both Steen and Schwartz, who are tied at 24 goals for the season. They might not be as prolific scorers as Tarasenko, but when both are on the ice, a couple of goals are sure to follow.

Steen himself is recovering from a knee-on-knee collision which Hitchcock has told the media was not as serious as originally feared. He is not in the lineup for tomorrow’s game, and Ty Rattie has been recalled from the AHL to lend some weight to the offense. The Blues have one call-up from the Wolves left in the season after today.

Mar 30, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; Vancouver Canucks defenseman Kevin Bieksa (3) trips St. Louis Blues right wing Vladimir Tarasenko (91) during the third period at Scottrade Center. The Vancouver Canucks defeat the St. Louis Blues 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Blues beat reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Jeremy Rutherford, reports that Tarasenko’s injury not terribly serious and is considered day-to-day, though at this point in the season all injured players are referred to as day-to-day.

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Even though it might be tempting to call for Tarasenko’s return as soon as he’s deemed fit to step on the ice, it makes more sense to bench him until the beginning of the postseason. There are only ten days left until the Blues’ final game of the regular season and if the Blues are able to clinch their playoff spot before Tarasenko is fully healed there is no reason to bring him back before April 15th.

In fact, there are a number of good reasons to sideline him until the post.

Doing so ensures that Tarasenko is fully healed before he gets back out on the ice, that he’s hungry for some playing time and well-rested to boot.

Other teams have had success with this strategy in the past.

The Chicago Blackhawks did something similar with both Kane and Toews last year, giving them a chance to rest and recuperate from the regular season before entering the post. It certainly helped them going into the first round of the playoffs, taking them past the Blues and the Wild, even if it didn’t carry them over the line in the Western Conference Finals.

St. Louis should not pass the opportunity up to rest their star forward, bringing him in to the post fresh and ready to fight.

Next: Blues Playoff Run Keyed To Backes

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