Marco Scandella will play its first game of the season as the St. Louis Blues take on the Carolina Hurricanes (7 p.m. ET; BSSO, BSMW, ESPN+, SN NOW) on Tuesday.
The defender was taken off the injured list on Monday, recovering from hip surgery.
“I’m finally ready to play hockey,” Scandella said. I’m going to jump on the ice and I’m going to be competitive. I will try to find the openings and be creative. But what’s most important to me tonight is to be effective defensively and tough to face in one-on-one battles. You don’t want to try to do too much in your first game, your first period. Jump on the ice, work hard, and things will fall into place. »
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Scandella had 14 points in 70 games with the Blues last season.
“He brings us experience, weight and he’s a good skater,” said head coach Craig Berube. He was a good player for us and we missed him this year. He’s been out for a long time, so he’ll just have to play with the puck, be effective defensively like he usually is and play shorthanded. »
The defender Scott Perunovich was also removed from the injured list, and was traded to the Springfield Thunderbirds of the American Hockey League. He has yet to play this year following undergoing shoulder surgery during the offseason. He had six assists in 19 games with the Blues last year.
The Blues also announced that the striker Jake Neighbours will miss five weeks of action with an upper body injury. He was injured in a 7-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Sunday. He had eight points in 30 games this season.
