Backes returns to ice as Blues win in Edmonton

It appears that the St. Louis Blues' vaunted "S" line is still potent even with one of their pieces missing.

Jaden Schwartz returned to the line with teammate Chris Stewart, and the two combined for four goals, including a hat trick for Stewart, and a total of six points as the Blues punked the Edmonton Oilers 6-0.

Schwartz had been filling in on the top line with T.J. Oshie and Alexander Steen, but he was able to return to the line with Stewart due to the return of David Backes from a concussion.  Backes took one shot on goal and earned a plus-one rating in just over 18 minutes of ice time.

Backes on Hitch: "If you listen to everything that big jolly man says, you're in for a whirlwind." (2/2) #stlblues
— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) December 21, 2013

The "S" line won't be complete without center Vladimir Sobotka, who missed his fourth straight match with an upper-body injury.  Sobotka was placed on the team's injured reserved list on Friday, even though he has resumed skating.  Coach Ken Hitchcock says that Sobotka is about 50% of where he needs to be to resume playing.