I wanted to pass along a note from Post-Dispatch writer Dan O’Neill, who attended the Blues practice today.

O’Neill says that the Blues went through hardworking practice today, with an emphasis on digging the puck out of the corners. T.J. Oshie, David Perron and Patrik Berglund were used as defensemen during the drills, and as logic goes, that was done to make them be more physical and work harder for the puck.

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Defenseman Eric Brewer has been participating in every drills the past few days, and as someone noted on Blues Talk, Brewer is not wearing the orange no-contact jersey anymore.

As it turns out, that means very little. I asked Brewer about shedding the orange jersey a couple of days ago, and he said that he’s still not ready to play. He joked that teammates were tired of seeing the orange, so he was forced to take it off.

Blues coach Andy Murray said today that Brewer is moving the best he’s seen in a long time.

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Defenseman Barret Jackman went on the IR on Friday, but it is retroactive to Thursday night’s game. Therefore Jackman must miss at least one more game - Thursday night in Phoenix. He is eligible to play Saturday in Anaheim, but at this point, it’s not known if he’ll be fully healed by then.

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Defenseman Tyson Strachan was sent back to Peoria following Saturday’s game. Some of you might not have had that news in your Sunday newspaper because the move happened late. The Blues will certainly call up a seventh defenseman to go on the upcoming road trip, and Strachan is the likely candidate.

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Peoria Rivermen forward Anthony Peluso has been sent to the Alaska Aces, which is the Blues’ ECHL affiliate. The move is expected to be temporary, as the Rivermen roster is crowded. D.J. King is with the team on his two-week conditioning stint. Last week, the Rivermen made enforcer Mitch Love a healthy scratch.

Peluso is expected to return to Peoria when King joins the Blues. However, that’s not an automatic. Peluso had a so-so training camp and he hasn’t turned many heads in Peoria, albeit with limited ice time.

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Join former Blue Reed Low and myself Tuesday night on the “Low Down” on 590 The Fan KFNS. We will be at Topshooters in Columbia, Ill., which is roughly a five-minute drive across the JB Bridge in South County. Blues forward T.J. Oshie is expected to join us at Topshooters. The show will run from 7-9 p.m., but be there early.

JR