Blues receive good news on Sundqvist; Steen begins skating

ST. LOUIS -- Prior to Saturday night's matchup with the Pittsburgh Penguins, the St. Louis Blues received encouraging news on two members of the fourth line that was so crucial in their 2019 Stanley Cup victory.

Though Oskar Sundqvist was placed on injured reserve on Thursday after suffering a lower-body injury in Wednesday night's win over the Tampa Bay Lightning, head coach Craig Berube announced Saturday that Sundqvist's prognosis is significantly better than initially thought. At minimum, the 25-year-old forward will miss Saturday's game as well as road matchups with the Blackhawks and Penguins this coming week, as he's required to sit out at least a week while on IR. But Berube said Sundqvist could still accompany the team on the road trip and begin working his way back into game shape, categorizing his status as week-to-week.

After a breakout 2018-19 campaign in which he collected 14 goals and 17 assists in 74 games, Sundqvist has again been impressive this season, scoring eight goals with four assists while serving in a variety of roles throughout the lineup.

Meanwhile, veteran forward Alexander Steen took a major step in his recovery on Saturday, skating for the first time since suffering an ankle sprain on November 6. At the time of his injury, the team said Steen would be re-evaluated in four weeks, so his return to the ice is certainly good news as he progresses toward a return.

Steen, who had 10 goals and 17 assists in 65 games last season, has five assists through 17 contests in 2019-20.