The St. Louis Blues suffered another critical blow Friday when GM Doug Armstrong confirmed Andy McDonald injured his right shoulder against Carolina. The Blues alternate captain is listed as week-to-week and will have the shoulder reevaluated in 14 days.
McDonald’s injury occurred after he was shoved into the boards by ‘Canes forward Tuomo Ruutu:
Ruutu went unpenalized on the play while McDonald left immediately and didn’t return. The incident drew the ire of Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock, who let his feelings be known:
“I didn’t like the hit. I thought the hit was certainly a penalty, whether it’s a suspension or not, who knows? But that’s what’s wrong with our game? The player was in a vulnerable position. He knocked his stick to knock him off balance and then pushed him hard into the boards. It’s a real tough play in hockey.”
McDonald already missed a large portion of this season with a concussion, but had returned to the Blues lineup in style, scoring 19 points in 21 games. Last night’s shutout loss snapped his six-game point streak (4G, 5A) -- he also had points in nine of 10 contests prior to getting hurt.
According to Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Hitch confirmed McDonald’s listed as week-to-week, but added the 34-year-old should be back in time for the playoffs.
(And, for what it’s worth, the club is officially calling the injury a “shoulder contusion.”)