The Blues were almost at full strength Sunday afternoon, which is why veterans Keith Tkachuk and Darryl Sydor got a rest day.

The return of forward Andy McDonald and defenseman Barret Jackman forced coach Andy Murray to make tough decisions. Defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo also sat while youngsters Alex Pietrangelo and Lars Eller played on.

What if Alex Steen and D.J. King were healthy, too?

Paul Kariya played both weekend games, but toiled on a checking line with Jay McClement and B.J. Crombeen.

David Backes found himself centering the “energy line” with ruffian Cam Janssen and Brad Winchester. Back in the summer, Backes seemed like a good bet for Team USA in the the Olympics – but his early-season scoring slump sent his stock is in free fall.

Youngsters Eller, T.J. Oshie and David Perron played on scoring lines during the weekend. Oshie scored Saturday night with a persistent effort.

Perron paved the way for McDonald’s Sunday goal with his breakaway, the scored on a power play by deflecting him an Eric Brewer shot.

Erik Johnson’s outlet pass triggered McDonald’s play, reminding fans what the Blues missed last season in his absence. Also, Pietrangelo earned the secondary assist on Perron’s goal. The Note somehow reached the playoffs with a makeshift defensive corps lacking offensive potency, but this year’s group is much more talented.

With youth and skill in their lineup, the Blues picked up two points with a pair of shootout losses on their road swing through Philadelphia and Atlanta.

Other NHL teams will follow this situation closely. Unless the Blues suffer a rash of injuries – or unless Eller and Pietrangelo suffered a sudden performance decline – Murray will have to sit good players every game. And at some point, the Blues could be forced to offload proven if these young players hold up.

Here are some thoughts on the weekend:

• Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger is as fearless as ever, as he demonstrated by going after Eller Saturday night in Philadelphia.
• Flyers forward Daniel Carcillo is a genuinely tough player, which makes it all the more embarrassing when he flops around like a soccer player. Tsk, tsk.
• Ty Conklin’s strong play in Sunday’s game at Atlanta will remind Red Wing fans why that franchise should have hung on to him. The Red Wings have a 2.96 goals-against average this season and an .896 save percentage.
• Why did the Blues cave in with a 2-0 lead? Conklin did well to get the team into overtime, then into the shootout. There is still plenty of work to do here.
• Many teams, Blues included, missed out on Thrashers forward Rich Peverley. Anybody could have signed him when he was toiling in the East Coast Hockey League, having spent four years at St. Lawrence University without attracting NHL history. Peverley finally signed with Nashville before moving to Atlanta when the Predators tried (and failed) to slide him through waivers. He has become a point-per-game scorer.

CAM JANSSEN DOING HIS JOB

In Philadelphia, he had to ready for some rough stuff. And he was.

AROUND THE RINKS: Down at Peoria, Rivermen  defenseman Tyson Strachan (upper body injury) and Derek Armstrong (facial injuries) have been on the shelf . . . Count the Capitals, Canucks, Rangers and Flyers among the teams interesting in Peter Forsberg’s 117th comeback bid. This time, Foppa insists, his oft-injured feet are holding up nicely. On the other hand, he suffered a disappointing end to his most recent international foray for Sweden . . . The Caps, BTW, have run Michael Nylander onto waivers again. Perhaps the injury riddled Red Wings should consider attempting to revive this playmaking pivotman. The last Red Wing to go down is Jason Williams, with a broken leg . . . With netminder Dwayne Roloson playing well for the Islanders and Rick DiPietro getting close to returning, several teams are looking at New York goaltender Martin Biron. With old friend Patrick Lalime laboring in Buffalo, it’s easy to imagine the Sabres wanting him back. Also, Carolina lost Cam Ward for upwards of a month with leg laceration, so GM Jim Rutherford is shopping . . . With Marian Hossa about to come off the disabled list and into Chicago’s salary cap equation, the team is looking to move a salary. Might that be forward Patrick Sharp? HockeyBuzz.com keeps pumping Sharp trade rumors . . . The Lightning should have traded Vincent Lecavalier before his contract extension kicked in. He has been moribund for Tampa Bay while Steven Stamkos has really come into his own . . . Look for the Devils to make a move now that forward Patrik Elias is returning to active duty . . . The Flames are into a rough stretch of schedule, with 13 of 17 games on the road . . . Look out for the Ducks not that Jonas Hiller as settled into the No. 1 goaltending job and Teemu Selanne and Bobby Ryan are scoring goals . . . Injuries have finally caught up to the Penguins, who are no longer invincible on the road . . . As Brett Hull goes into the Hall of Fame, NHL insiders will chuckle at how lightly regarded the Golden Brett was as a draft-eligible prospect . . . The Canucks are about to get Roberto Luongo back from his cracked ribs, but how about the job Andrew Raycroft did in his absence?