Andy McDonald hurt in loss to Carolina Hurricanes

St. Louis Blues forward Andy McDonald left Thursday night's 2-0 road loss to the Carolina Panthers with a shoulder injury. - Photo courtesy of AP Canadian Press

When St. Louis Blues forward Andy McDonald returned to the ice after missing 51 games with a concussion, the Blues offense immediately picked up.  McDonald has been providing the exact offensive punch the Blues need if they hope to contend for the franchise first ever Stanley Cup.

In 18 games since returning, McDonald has recorded nine goals and eight assists, or just one point short of averaging a point per game played.

Having McDonald healthy is certainly a best case scenario for the Blues.  Unfortunately, it is unclear whether McDonald is still healthy after Thursday night's 2-0 loss to the Carolina Panthers.

McDonald took a spill after being pushed in the back by Hurricanes forward Tuomo Ruutu late in the second period.  After crashing into the boards, McDonald was helped off the ice with what appeared to be a right shoulder injury and did not return.  There was no penalty called on the play.

With McDonald absent from the Blues were unable to find the back of the net despite outshooting Carolina 40 shots to 30.

The Blues power play also was ineffective, going 0 for 5 in the loss.

Brian Elliott got the start for the Blues between the pipes and was solid, stopping 28 of the 30 shots he faced.  But that was not good enough on a night where the Blues lost their second in a row and may have lost one of their leading offensive players for a few games.