Rough news out of St. Louis this morning where coach Ken Hitchcock has confirmed that both David Backes and T.J. Oshie are out indefinitely with concussions.
“Backes is concussed, out…Oshie is concussed, out” Hitchcock told Media members at Thursday mornings skate. “Oshie has something else going, plus the concussion.”
Both players were injured during last night’s exciting overtime victory against the Dallas Stars. Backes hit his head on the ice after being checked by Trevor Daley, while Oshie hit his head on a goal post after being shoved.
Below you can see the video which left David Backes with a concussion.
[youtube id=”mmTD3a456N4″ width=”620″ height=”360″]
Backes, the Blues captain, has been off to a solid start this season. He has contributed 2 goals and 3 assists through 8 games, and of course provided leadership to his team. Oshie, on the other hand, has had a start he would like to forget. Through 7 games played, the 27-year-old star has only managed a single assist, while playing at a minus 1. His presence has not been felt as much as it was last year when he netted 21 goals and 39 assists, both of which were career highs.
The Blues have already been without Paul Stastny for a few games due to a shoulder injury. Stastny was placed on short term IR on October 24th, but he did manage to return to practice on the 27th to skate with the team. However, there is still no timetable for his return either.
In the absence of Backes and Oshie, Hitchcock and the Blues will rely on Chris Porter and Magnus Paajarvi to step in. They will immediately be in action, facing off against the Ducks tonight.
