HAZELWOOD, Mo -- The Blues took to the ice with a full group of skaters ahead of a three-game Canadian trip that begins Wednesday in Montreal.
And by full group, that means everyone, including Jaden Schwartz, Robert Bortuzzo, Robby Fabbri, Nikita Soshnikov and Oskar Sundqvist.
Schwartz's availability was especially encouraging after the left winger missed the past two games with a right foot/ankle injury sustained last Thursday early in the first period of a 5-3 win against the Calgary Flames.
"Better," Schwartz said when asked how he was feeling. "It's doing better than it did a few days ago. Still kind of taking it day by day but it feels a lot better than it did Friday."
Schwartz took part in a full practice, skated in his usual spot on a line with Brayden Schenn and David Perron and was part of one of the power-play units.
"We're not sure yet," Schwartz said regarding his availability against the Canadiens. "We're going to see how it feels in the morning. Probably skate again in the morning and see how it feels.
"A little bit different pace out here than games. I felt OK today. I was moving around a little bit better than I thought. That's always a good sign."
Blues coach Mike Yeo agreed.
"We'll talk about practice today and have a skate tomorrow and make a decision after that," Yeo said. "We know the impact that 'Schwartzy' has on our team and how important that he is to our group. One step close to coming back in. I haven't talked to him yet after practice, but hopefully we can have him available for us tomorrow."
Schwartz was hit by a Vladimir Tarasenko shot and was in some pain from the outset. He was wincing immediately but stayed on the bench and returned for his next shift.
"I noticed it right away," Schwartz said. "You don't really know the extent of the injury. I obviously felt it and I wasn't really sure exactly what it was or how bad it was until we looked at it the next day.
"It's a little different when you have a boot on. You see how it feels that night and then the next day and you have a better idea."
Schwartz has had a history of bad luck when it comes to getting hit with pucks on the lower extremities. He missed 20 games last season when he was hit by a Mike Green dump-in shot in Detroit on Dec. 9, and missed seven games during the 2014-15 season when he broke a bone against the Los Angeles Kings blocking a shot.
"It's frustrating," Schwartz said. "A lot of it is bad luck. Pucks seem to hit different areas of you. It's frustrating, it's unlucky but hopefully but there's better luck moving forward.
"I don't like to think too much when I'm playing. I don't like to be safe. I like being aggressive, going into the dirty areas and working. If you're thinking about things like that, you're not going to be effective, so that doesn't bother me during the game."
