ST. LOUIS -- Blues forward T.J Oshie will return to the lineup Thursday night for a critical early-season game against Nashville at the Scottrade Center.
Oshie said Thursday morning he'd gone two or three days without experiencing any symptoms from a concussion suffered when he slid into the goalpost during the second period of a 4-3 overtime win at Dallas on Oct. 28. He skated each of the last five days and coach Ken Hitchcock says the 27-year-old forward should be able to immediately resume his normal role on the top line with center David Backes and winger Patrik Berglund.
"I felt good," Oshie said. "I asked my buddy (Chris Porter) to hit me a little bit to see how I'd feel and I felt good out there, so we'll see how the symptoms are the rest of the day."
Evidently, doctors cleared Oshie to play and the team activated him from the injured reserve Thursday afternoon, according to an official release from the team. He'll look to provide more offense for the Blues, who sit a point behind Nashville at the top of the Central Division standings.
Hitchcock stressed the team was taking every precaution to not rush Oshie back to the ice after he missed seven games, including a 2-1 loss to Nashville last Saturday and the final five games of a seven-game win streak. Oshie actually remained in the game against Dallas, finishing with nearly 22 minutes of ice time.
"It was when we got on the flight after the game to come back home is when it got real bad," Oshie said. "Then it just got worse and worse as the next couple days went."
He's well-versed on the dangers of concussions, considering he missed a game with a similar injury last March. Oshie said he may have come back a day or two too early in that case, but he feels 100 percent this time around.
Ryan Reaves will also return from an ankle injury that kept him out of Tuesday's 6-1 win over Buffalo, meaning the Blues will have a fully healthy roster for the first time all season. St. Louis also sent Dmitrij Jaskin back to its American Hockey League affiliate in Chicago after the Russian forward scored one goal in six games.
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