St Louis Blues News

Drouin will be a healthy scratch for the second time in six games. The 19-year-old has nine points (1G / 8A) in 16 games this season. Vladimir Namestnikov will be back in the lineup.

Drouin hasn't gotten off to as hot a start as planned with 1 goal and 7 assists in 12 games.

Fowler missed Sunday’s game against the Canucks but will be back in the lineup tonight vs. the Kings. Fowler has one goal and eight assists in 15 games this season.

Fowler is taking part in line rushes at the Ducks’ game day skate this afternoon. He missed Sunday’s game vs. the Canucks but it appears as if he will be back in tonight vs. the Kings.

Krug was listed as a game time decision but is on the ice for warmups, taking line rushes with Zach Trotman, so it looks like he will be back in the lineup after a four-game absence.

Krug missed the last four games with a broken finger, but it looks like he could be back in the lineup tonight vs. the Devils. The Bruins recently lost David Warsofsky for 2-4 weeks, so he would simply slide into that spot. He has two goals and four assists in 11 games this season. Krug has averaged 20:28 TOI this season, but with Zdeno Chara still sidelined, expect him to play closer to 25 minutes.

Fowler, who suffered a lower-body injury on Friday, will be held out of tonight’s game, which means that Josh Manson will get back into the lineup. Fowler is listed as day-to-day.

Fowler left Friday’s game with a lower-body injury, but head coach Bruce Bourdreau said that Fowler could play on Sunday. He is listed as day-to-day, which sounds worse than it is if he is a possibility for tomorrow. Monitor his status during tomorrow’s morning skate.

Krug missed his four fourth game in a row with a broken finger he suffered on October 28th. Krug is one week into a 2-3 week timeline and has reportedly been limited in what he can do with his hand. Look for Krug to continue to practice and progress and could return by next weekend.

Krug will miss his fourth straight game tonight but is progressing well. "I'm told it'll be up to [Krug] how quickly he gets that feeling that he can hold a stick properly and that it's not going to be an issue,” said Claude Julien. “"He's doing well . . . the finger is much, much better."

Krug was diagnosed with a broken finger and is expected to miss 2-3 weeks. Returning to the ice is promising, but it remains to be seen how much he will be able to do with the stick in his hand. He could be back by next week, but that is best case scenario.

Krug broke his finger when he was slashed against the Wild on Tuesday night. He remained in the game and played a season-high 24:07 and recorded one assist. However, the bigger news is he will be out 2-3 weeks which leaves an already thin blueline even more shorthanded. With Krug out, expect Joe Morrow to get into the lineup on Thursday vs. Buffalo.

Drouin owners got a preview of him on the first line with Steven Stamkos last week, but according to head coach Jon Cooper the plan all along was to ease him into the NHL, which is why he is currently on the third line. He played in the top-6 last week because of injuries up-and-down the lineup, but with healthy forwards returning, he will have to work his way back up.

This situation has been a roller-coaster all day long. Originally he was ruled out, then was a maybe when Alex Killorn went down in practice. After the skate, head coach Jon Cooper said Killorn was fine and Drouin would not play. Now, with warmups underway Killorn is not on the ice and Drouin is, so he will make his much anticipated debut.

This was supposed to be the case from the beginning, but when Alex Killorn left practice early, there was some speculation that Drouin may play for him. However, it turns out that Killorn is fine and will play, which means Drouin will have to wait to make his NHL debut. "Playing back to back Friday and Saturday plus traveling Sunday, [Drouin is] not going to play tonight," said head coach Jon Cooper.

Drouin did not take part in line rushes in the early part of the morning skate, but teammate Alex Killorn took a spill in practice and left the ice. Drouin took his spot on a line with Valtteri Filppula and Tyler Johnson, so if Killorn can't play expect Drouin to make his debut.

The third overall pick in the 2013 draft, Drouin, 19, had a goal, two assists and a plus-4 rating in his brief conditioning stint with Syracuse. He was assigned to Syracuse on Thursday to receive more live action to complete his recovery from a slight fracture in his right thumb sustained in September. The Lightning are in action on Monday night and it will likely be Drouin's NHL debut.

Drouin scored the game-winning goal in his AHL debut and has recorded one goal and two assists in his first two AHL games. He can only stay in the AHL for a maximum of two weeks, but he could be recalled sooner than expected if he continues to play at a high level.

Drouin said that his fractured thumb has healed and that he expects to play in Syracuse on Friday. Going to Syracuse is about Drouin getting his timing back and getting some game experience before he makes his NHL debut. He can stay in Syracuse for a maximum of two weeks and at this time there is no timetable for when he is expected to return to the Lightning.

Drouin suffered a fractured thumb in the preseason and has been working his way back from the injury and is believed to be close to returning. However, it looks like the Lightning will take a slow approach with Drouin and ease him back into playing with Syracuse before he makes his NHL debut.