Justin Faulk hasn’t played since sustaining a lower-body injury in a 4-3 St. Louis Blues win over the Calgary Flames on Jan. 23, and the veteran will be out for the foreseeable future after being placed on the injured reserve on Thursday.
The 31-year-old has been labelled week-to-week by the team.
“It’s disappointing,” said Blues head coach Drew Bannister, per NHL.com’s Lou Korac. “He’s a big part of our team, but while he was out in the first part, we played some good hockey, so we’ll continue to do that and lean on guys moving forward and expect more from other guys.”
Faulk was already injured once in 2023-24, missing five games due to an ailment sustained in a Dec. 29 contest against the Colorado Avalanche. Bannister confirmed that the newest injury is unrelated to the previous one.
Faulk has recorded two goals and 19 points over 40 games in 2023-24, his fifth year playing in Missouri. He is fresh off a career season in 2022-23, where the Minnesota native amassed 50 points over a full 82-game slate.
Over 13 NHL seasons, Faulk has appeared in 882 contests, scoring 126 goals and 289 assists while adding 17 points in 38 playoff games.
Blues also missing Scott Perunovich
Bannister also said that defenseman and former Hobey Baker Award winner Scott Perunovich is week-to-week after sustaining a lower-body injury against the Los Angeles Kings on Jan. 28. He hasn’t played since before the All-Star break; Calle Rosen was brought up from American Hockey League Springfield in a corresponding move on Thursday.
“We always thought there would be a chance at maybe coming off the break that we would maybe have one or both in,” Bannister asserted, “but it’s unfortunate that they come back and they’re not quite ready to get themselves back on the ice.
“Certainly we’re going to miss both of them, but like always, this is an opportunity for Calle Rosen and for [Tyler] Tucker to come in and be able to partake and give us good minutes. We’re going to need these guys and other guys to step up.”
At 26-21-2, the Blues continue to push for a playoff spot in a competitive Central Division. After an 11-day break, St. Louis is back in action against the Buffalo Sabres in Western New York on Saturday afternoon.
The team remains fourth place in the Central Division and occupiers of the second wildcard berth in the Western Conference with 33 games to go.
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