Blues' Vladimir Tarasenko: Surprise scratch Thursday

Tarasenko (lower body) won't be in the lineup for Thursday's game against Minnesota.

It's unclear when the Russian suffered the injury, but it's serious enough to keep him out of the lineup in the thick of the playoff hunt. Tarasenko had been riding a two-game point streak, as he's racked up 14 points in just 23 games this season. Kyle Clifford will look to enter the lineup at forward, with Robert Thomas expected to shuffle up to the power-play unit with Tarasenko sidelined Thursday.