Blues get positive injury news on Stewart, Paajarvi

Tuesday, 10.29.2013 / 2:22 PM

By Louie Korac - NHL.com Correspondent / 2013-2014 At the Rink Blog

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ST. LOUIS -- When St. Louis Blues coach Ken Hitchcock spoke in regards to two injuries that occurred during the team's 6-1 win Saturday against the Nashville Predators, he was concerned about them being long-term.

Two days later, the injury news wasn't as bad as initially thought and one of the players, Chris Stewart, will be in the lineup when the Blues (6-1-2) host the Winnipeg Jets (5-6-2) on Tuesday night at Scottrade Center.

Stewart did not play the third period Saturday night after taking a nasty shove into the corner boards from Nashville's Patric Hornqvist, but was at practice Monday after a day off Sunday. The news was also good in regards to Magnus Paajarvi, who also suffered an upper-body injury in the first period. He missed the final two periods Saturday and is listed as day-to-day.

"I was in a bit of pain, that's for sure," Stewart said. "I came back and tried it for a shift and it didn't feel good. It was a smart decision to shut her down and get some rest. These last couple days, I took the steps in the right direction."

Stewart returned long enough to engage with Hornqvist, accumulating 14 minutes in penalties.

"Me personally, the way I grew up, I'm not going to let anyone take liberties on me," Stewart said. "I fight my own battles. I thought I did a good job letting him know and what's done is done."

Adam Cracknell, who has played in one game this season, will take Paajarvi's spot in the lineup Tuesday night.

The Jets, who finish up a four-game trip here, recalled defenseman Ben Chiarot from St. John's of the American Hockey League to take the place of Paul Postma, who was placed on injured reserve with a blood clot.

"Ben Chiarot was playing well in St. John's," Jets coach Claude Noel said. "What we did was we rewarded him for fine play. That's usually what we do. We talked to the coaching staff down there and determined he was going good, so that's why he got the call."

The Blues and Jets have met once this season, on Oct. 18 in Winnipeg, with the Jets rallying from a 3-1 third-period deficit to take a 4-3 shootout victory.

"The game lasts 2 1/2 hours, not two hours. We stopped playing," Hitchcock said. "We stopped playing and it wasn't because we were playing back-to-back. It wasn't a lack of energy. We got a little bit sloppy with the puck and paid for it. It's a good lesson for us. Winnipeg's a team that's got a lot of transition in their game. They transitioned it and got those two tying goals."

Which is why the Jets, who are 1-1-1 on the current trip, expect the Blues to come out with a purpose.

"For us, we know it's going to be a heavy game," Noel said. "The last time we played these guys, they were on a back-to-back. The third period, we caught them a little bit fortunate and we ended up scoring a couple goals and took it to a shootout. They're fresher tonight and will be ready to go.

"It'll be a heavy game, it'll be a tough game to win, but that's the beauty of playing these games and winning them. We'll be tested. They don't give you very much. You have to earn every inch of ice against them. It'll be a good test for us."

Here are the probable lineups for the Blues and Jets on Tuesday:

BLUES

Alexander Steen - David Backes - T.J. Oshie

Vladimir Sobotka - Derek Roy - Chris Stewart

Jaden Schwartz - Patrik Berglund - Vladimir Tarasenko

Brenden Morrow - Adam Cracknell - Ryan Reaves

Jay Bouwmeester - Alex Pietrangelo

Barret Jackman - Kevin Shattenkirk

Jordan Leopold - Roman Polak

Jaroslav Halak

Brian Elliott

Scratched: Ian Cole