Blues No. 1 goalie Jake Allen did not practice on Monday, but Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said Allen will test his leg before practice on Tuesday and could play on Wednesday.
"He's going to skate tomorrow with the trainers and if he feels fine he's going to join us for the practice," Hitchcock said. "Good news and we'll hopefully see him out with us right away.
"He'll first do a maneuver skate and then hopefully join us at 10:30 if everything goes well there. ... If everything just goes well, he's going to play Wednesday. That's kinda what we're assuming. So it doesn't have to go really well, it just has to go well. He's doing fine."
Allen was hurt late in the period of Saturday's preseason finale against Chicago when defenseman Carl Gunnarsson was knocked to the ice and fell on Allen's leg, near the ankle. Allen winced on contact, stayed down on the ice, and then was checked by trainer Ray Barile.
Allen finished the period and came out for the start of the second period, but after testing his leg, returned to the dressing room. Carter Hutton finished the game.
The two goalies on the ice at practice were Hutton and Jordan Binnington, who was recalled from Chicago on Sunday.
And Ty Rattie is still here. He said he hadn't been told yet whether or not he had made the team. The Blues had 23 players on the ice this morning; at times last season they carried 22. Hitchcock said that would be Doug Armstrong's decision on how many players they would carry.
On the ice for the session is new acquisition Nail Yakupov.
"It was a little bit difficult for me," Yakupov said. "It was something different that I had in my life. It's good to be back on the ice with the boys, you know. I met the players a few days ago and yesterday we see each other. So it seems like it's a pretty good group and I'm excited to be on the ice with this team."
"He's really quick," Hitchcock said. "He's got great speed, he glides, covers a lot of space and a lot of ground very quickly. It's an element, the way we're built right now, that looks like it fits us pretty well right now."
Yakupov skated with Patrik Berglund and Dmitrij Jaskin. "That's where we're going," Hitchcock said. "The lines you saw today are the things we're going to work towards for Wednesday."
The Blues and Yakupov hope the change of scenery will help the one-time top pick in the NHL draft.
"It should be good," he said. "I'm really happy for it. This is a great opportunity to have a good chance to play on one of the best teams in the league and play as a team, stick with a system."
Hitchcock said Yakupov would be in the lineup Wednesday.
"It is what it is," Yakupov said. "I've been working hard to and have done pretty much the same thing, training, and I've played a few games and now I'm just going to be with a different group. Now this group is going to be my team. This is where I am now and it doesn't matter when and where you're going to play. We've just got to be ready for the game and I'm into it too."
