It didn't take long to notice that Andy McDonald was back in a Blues' uniform Sunday.

Playing for the first time since Oct. 13, when he suffered a concussion for the second time in 10½ months, McDonald brought speed and more skill to the lineup in the club's 3-0 victory over San Jose.

In the first period, McDonald hustled to a puck in the offensive zone, prevented Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic from clearing it and then set up teammate Jamie Langenbrunner for a scoring chance. The Blues didn't convert, but Langenbrunner was hooked on the play.

The Blues went on a power play that ended without a goal but nonetheless created momentum.

"He makes you real nervous," Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said. "If you're a defending player, he's on you so fast. He creates one-man turnovers. Touch wood that he can stay healthy and keep going. That's a huge boost for us to have that type of speed.

"When you have a player that plays with that puck patience and that type of skill level, I think over time, it wears off on other people. I think more than anything, his patience with the puck and his determination with the puck will have a real positive impact on his linemates and the rest of the team."

In his first night back after missing 51 games, McDonald played 16 minutes, 13 seconds, assisting on Alex Pietrangelo's power-play goal and adding three shots on net.

"It felt great," McDonald said. "A little bit of nerves before the game, but once you get out there and start playing, the guys around me did a great job of helping me.

"It's nice to be back, it's been so long. A long road of recovery, but nice to be back, especially when you win."

McDonald, who played on a line with Patrik Berglund and Langenbrunner, only had one issue with his performance.

"Tonight, my decision-making was a little slower than it should be," he said.

But that went unnoticed by his teammates, who gave rave reviews.

"I don't even know where to start," defenseman Alex Pietrangelo said. "'Mac' is such an influence on the ice ... We can stand here all day and talk about how great 'Mac' is. Certainly (it is) important to have him back.

"He's just another threat (on the power play). You guys know how dangerous he is. He's been like that his whole career. Tonight's a prime example. He hasn't played in four months. I don't think he missed a beat."

David Perron said McDonald is "probably our best player on the team in terms of skill and speed and we're certainly used to it. I think it was great to see the ovation the crowd gave him, and he certainly deserved everything he got. For a first game, it was a very good game."

BLUE NOTES

Defenseman Ian Cole and forward Evgeny Grachev were healthy scratches Sunday.

• The Blues won their 24th game of the season at Scottrade Center, one more than they had all of last season, with 10 more still to play.