Can he shoulder the load?

St. Louis defenseman MacInnis' status uncertain for Game 7

VANCOUVER (SI.com) -- If the Blues are going to win Game 7 in their Western Conference quarterfinal in Vancouver, they'll most likely have to do so without captain Al MacInnis.

MacInnis, out with a shoulder injury since the first period of Game 2, skated at GM Place on Monday. Blues' head coach Joel Quenneville hasn't ruled out MacInnis' return to the lineup Tuesday night, though it is unlikely.

Even if MacInnis can make it into the game, his injury could severly hamper his patented slap shot as well as diminish his ice time.

With a healthy MacInnis in Game 1, the Blues opened the first-round series with a 6-0 victory in Vancouver. The Canucks rebounded with a 2-1 win in Game 2, the team's first home playoff win since 1996, and have since made the series a much more competitive one.

If MacInnis, the 1989 Conn Smythe Trophy winner, is able to play Tuesday night, it would be his 177th Stanley Cup playoff game and his 11th Game 7. In his playoff career, MacInnis has 160 points.

MacInnis' poise and experience might be just what the Blues need. The team has not been to the Stanley Cup finals since back-to-back appearances in 1968 and 1969, the franchise's first two seasons.

Rookie defenseman Barret Jackman said MacInnis has been "our most valuable player all year and taking him out of the mix leaves a hole back there. On a lot of our offense, he starts the breakout. He does everything."

One player who could stand to have a big game is Keith Tkachuk, who is 0-3 in Game 7s in his career with zero points. He has twice been a part of team that has lost a series after taking a 3-1 lead, which the Blues are in jeopardy of doing tonight.

 

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