Jackman could play Wednesday; Perron still not skating
By LOUIE KORAC
HAZELWOOD, Mo. -- It was another good day on the ice for Blues defenseman Barret Jackman on Monday.
What does that mean?
Well, it could quite possibly see the veteran return to the Blues' lineup as early as Wednesday.
Jackman, out since spraining his right knee on Nov. 4 against San Jose, took part in his first practice with the team that included contact drills.
Jackman began skating on his own last week, participated in con-contact drills Saturday but was involved in full-scale drills Monday at St. Louis Mills.
"Things are coming along," Jackman said. "You see the doctors every once in a while, they check it out along the process. They've been happy with the progress. It's nothing miraculous. We're almost at three weeks right now. They said 3-4, so the timeline's right there.
"A couple days of contact is key. You skate on your own, I've got nobody to pass the puck to, nobody to give me passes. There's game situations and (Monday), we did some neutral zone forecheck and things where you've got to use your vision and move your feet. There's some down-low battling where you change your direction quick and you've got people leaning on you. It's all things you have to do to get your body back into game shape."
When asked if Jackman could play Wednesday, Blues coach Davis Payne sounded upbeat by the notion.
"We think that there's a possibility," Payne said. "We're going to make sure that today was a good day for him with the extra bumping and battling that was going on out there, make sure everything responds correctly and positively and we'll make that assessment tomorrow.
"He looked pretty good out there. He was skating pretty hard the past couple days. It's a matter of getting him up to battle pace, speed of execution. He's cleared. Obviously, we're checking in on the progress made today and see where that gets us tomorrow."
* Steen given day off -- Blues winger Alex Steen was a noticeable absentee from Blues practice Monday that had some wondering if some sort of injury occurred Saturday against New Jersey.
Payne squashed that notion quickly.
"A couple bumps and bruises," he said. "Just a maintenance day off the ice for him."
* Perron still in limbo -- Monday marked 18 days since David Perron last saw action for the Blues.
That's nine games ago.
Perron, who was at the rink Monday and has been a regular recently, still is a non-participant on the ice and Payne said there is nothing new to report. He's been out with a concussion suffered from a hit by the Sharks' Joe Thornton.
"No update," Payne said.
So it appears Perron will certainly miss Wednesday's game in Nashville and likely the weekend home-and-home series with Dallas.
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