St. Louis Blues place defenseman Justin Faulk on injured reserve with a lower-body injury

News for one of the veteran defensemen on the St. Louis Blues.

On Thursday, the Blues revealed that Justin Faulk is being placed on injured reserve with a lower-body injury.

It is unknown when Faulk was injured, but head coach Drew Bannister stated earlier in the day that the 31-year-old is week-to-week with an injury. The St. Paul native has not played since Jan. 23.

Faulk missed five games with another lower-body injury in early January. It had been the first time since the 2021-22 season that the former Carolina Hurricane had missed time due to injury.

Faulk is one of two prominent defensemen on the Blues’ injured list. Scott Perunovich is also week-to-week with a lower-body injury. The former Hobey Baker Award winner has been out of the lineup since before the All-Star break.

Prior to going on the shelf, Faulk had scored two goals and 17 assists in 40 games. The fifth-year Blue was coming off a career year, where he notched 50 points in an 82-game 2022-23 campaign. In his 13-year career, Faulk has played in 882 games, scoring 126 goals and 289 assists, including registering 17 points in 38 playoff games.

While Faulk’s individual numbers have been solid since coming to St. Louis in 2019, the team has not had the same success. The Blues were eliminated in the opening round of the playoffs in 2020 and 2021, before getting knocked out in round two in 2022.

The Blues (26-21-2) still have another couple of days before their first game since the break, as they visit the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday afternoon. It will be the team’s first game in 11 days.

St. Louis is fourth in the Central Division, 11 points back of the Winnipeg Jets for third. They currently hold the second Wild Card spot in the Western Conference, though the Nasvhille Predators are right behind them.