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MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- The collective holding of the breath could be felt when St. Louis Blues center Robert Thomas was absent from practice on Wednesday.
Thomas, the Blues' top center and leading point producer for the second year in a row, did not skate on Wednesday after a day off Tuesday following two games against the Winnipeg Jets in the Western Conference First Round.
But coach Jim Montgomery declared Thomas was, "just maintenance day," and that, "he's a player tomorrow," referring to Game 3 on Thursday (8:30 p.m.; FDSNMW, ESPN2, SN, TVAS, CBC, ESPN 101.1-FM).
Thomas has been dealing with a lower-body injury suffered in the third period of the regular season finale, a 6-1 win against Utah Hockey Club that clinched the Blues' playoff berth as the second wild card from the West. He also missed a practice on Thursday prior to Game 1 last Saturday but did practice in full on Friday before the team departed and played 19:52, scoring one goal in the opener; he also played 23:13 on Monday in Game 2.
With Dylan Holloway out of the lineup and week to week, it's apparent Thomas is grinding through something that he either reaggravated or something new has popped up. But it's apparent the 25-year-old is determined to continue on during the playoffs, something that would likely have him sidelined if this was the regular season.
Needless to say, the Jets will continue to pay special attention to Thomas, 100 percent or not, as long as he's in the Blues' lineup because they know how special of a player he is.
"First of all, how intelligent he is. His hockey IQ is pretty phenomenal," Jets center Mark Scheifele told reporters in Winnipeg on Wednesday. "He sees passing lanes that not a lot of people see. And obviously his shot, I don’t know if people talk about it that much but he’s got a fantastic shot. The guy does everything. PK, he’s dangerous up and down the ice, he makes a lot of good plays out there every shift you’re against him."
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