Blues forward Alex Steen said he's feeling like himself again.
What's that feel like?
"Educated, funny ... Swedish," Steen quipped.
Steen, who has missed the last six games because he wasn't feeling like himself, suffering from the effects from a concussion, has passed his baseline test and skated today for the first time since being shutdown. He plans to go on the ice again tomorrow morning, and depending on how that goes, there's a chance he could play against Vancouver.
"We'll see," Steen said immediately after today's skating session. "It all depends on how I feel, right? We'll talk to the docs and coaches obviously. For me, I just got to feel right."
Steen believes the hit that led to the concussion happened Dec. 26 against Dallas. But he finished that game, and since the symptoms had yet to set in, he played Dec. 27 in Detroit. It wasn't until two days later, on Dec. 29 in practice, when he felt the symptoms.
"It's a weird injury," Steen said. "I've come a long way in the last little while. (But) this is my first time going through this. Even from the start, I didn't know what to expect or how it felt. I just got off the ice, so I'll talk to the docs. Obviously it's up to the coaches after that."
Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said that Steen's status would be determined Thursday.
"He'll skate with the group tomorrow, and if he does OK, then we'll see," Hitchcock said. "It's a possibility (Steen will play). But we'll see how he feels after getting worked hard."
The Blues will send Evgeny Grachev to Peoria.
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JACKMAN UPDATE
Blues defenseman Barret Jackman was "stiff and sore" on Wednesday, a day after being knocked into the boards awkwardly by Montreal's PK Subban.
The incident came about four minutes into the second period, sending Jackman to the locker room. He returned to the bench for the start of the third period, but didn't play another shift.
Hitchcock said after last night's game that he kept Jackman out as a precaution. Today, he labeled the defenseman's status for tomorrow's game as questionable.
"He went for rehab today," Hitchcock said. "Hopefully nothing too bad."
Asked about Subban's hit, Hitchcock said, "I'm almost afraid to look at it. It was a hard hit, I know. Whether it was legal or not, it was a hard hit. It was two big guys in a collision. I think as 'Jacks' was going in there, he had an 'Oh no' moment. He was in a vulnerable position, speed coming at him on the right angle ... he was in a tough spot."
The Blues will recall defenseman Cade Fairchild from Peoria and he will be in the lineup if Jackman can't play.
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PING-PONG BRAGGIN RIGHTS
Every day after practice, the Blues engage in some fairly serious battles of ping-pong in the players' lounge.
Today, Patrik Berglund pointed out to the media who was on top of the rankings. Literally, on the team's dry-erase board in the hallway of the practice facility, next to legitimate hockey information, there are ping-pong rankings.
And sure enough, Berglund is No. 1.
"You should tweet that," Berglund told reporters.
A few minutes later, Hitchcock walked by and noticed the rankings on the board.
"What is this? What are these rankings?" Hitchcock asked anyone around him who was listening.
When somebody answered, Hitchcock wobbled down the hallway belting out: "PING-PONG? ... Geesh ... PING-PONG?"
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ALL-STAR SELECTIONS
On Thursday, the NHL will announce the remaining 36 veterans and 12 rookies who will participate in the 2012 all-star game later this month in Ottawa. David Backes represented the Blues in last year's event in Carolina.
