Alex Pietrangelo admitted that the lower body injury he suffered in the second round of the playoffs was a sprained knee. Pietrangelo sustained the injury in Game 1 when he was hit into the boards by Los Angeles' Dwight King. "Yeah, it happened on the hit," Pietrangelo said. "I could feel something wrong. I went off (the ice) and they re-evaluated it and realized there was more of an issue than I originally thought. But we did a pretty good job working on it the next couple of days and I got back to pretty good health." Pietrangelo was smashed into the boards head first, which caused some initial speculation that he might have a concussion. Pietrangelo said that was his first worry, but fortunately he was fine in that regard.

Coach Ken Hitchcock said that the loss of Alex Pietrangelo early in the series really hurt the St. Louis Blues. His injury in Game 1 may have been the turning point in the series as the Kings have dominated since. "We were thinking about this yesterday ... (Game 1) is 1-1 and we're probably playing better than they are," Hitchcock said. "(Pietrangelo) goes out and this whole thing changes. It's hard to believe that one player makes that big a difference. But this series changed dramatically with that one play. For whatever reason, we haven't been able to get back up to speed back there." Pietrangelo did return to action on Thursday for Game 3 and led the Blues in ice time at 26:34 minutes, picking up an assist and a minus-one rating in the 4-2 loss. He now has five assists and a plus-two rating in the 2012 playoffs.

Alex Pietrangelo will dress in Game 3 on Thursday night versus the Los Angeles Kings. The team's top defender missed Game 2's 5-2 pounding at the hands of the Kings due to a knee injury that he sustained in the series opening. "We're hoping that the whole stability part gets back to our team, where we've got the right players playing in the right situations," said coach Ken Hitchcock. "There's going to be no tie-down on allowing him to play the minutes. He's going to have to play big minutes and he knows that. We waited until the last possible minute to where could play without any reservation. He's there now." Pietrangelo is the team leader in average ice time during the postseason at 24:42 per contest and he leads the Blues' defense corps with four points, all of them assists, and a plus-3 rating.

Alex Pietrangelo (lower body) is considered questionable to play in Game 3 on Thursday at Los Angeles. He skated with teammates on Wednesday, but wasn't made available to the media because of St. Louis' team policy regarding injured players. "He feels OK," coach Ken Hitchcock said after the session. "If he feels OK tomorrow, and wants to give it a go, we'll let him go. But it's nice to see him out there." Pietrangelo didn't play in Game 2 despite taking part in the morning skate, but he looked better on Wednesday so there's a better possibility that he'll get the green light to return.

Alex Pietrangelo's (lower body) status for Game 3 on Thursday is still unknown. Pietrangelo missed Game 2 due to the ailment. "He's day to day," Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said. "He tried it (Monday) and he's still sore. It's a big hole. Not a lot different if (LA) lost (Drew) Doughty ... same thing. But I think with a full two days off, hopefully he's good to go (Thursday). Unfortunately he couldn't play (Monday). But we need him back in the lineup ." The good news is Pietrangelo skated with the Blues on Tuesday.

Defenseman Alex Pietrangelo is out of Game 2 with a lower body injury. Pietrangelo skated Monday morning with his teammates, which would rule out a concussion. Coach Ken Hitchcock has indicated it is not a concussion. Whatever the case, the young blue-liner is not playing in Game 2 against the Kings.

Alex Pietrangelo (undisclosed) might play in Monday's game. If Pietrangelo is healthy enough to take part in the pre-game skate, then he'll be part of the lineup. Although Blues coach Ken Hitchcock originally said that Pietrangelo had an upper body injury, it's been reclassified as an injury between his lower and mid-body. Hitchcock originally jokingly blamed the reporters for the error. When it was pointed out that he said it was an upper body injury, he replied with, "Oh did I? Damn coaches ... they lie all the time!"

Ken Hitchcock told reporters that Alex Pietrangelo is day-to-day with an "upper-body injury." There was at least a hint of positivity, however, as Hitchcock told Jeremy Rutherford "But just don't be writing him off yet ..." If there is any time of year when a player might fight through an injury, it's the playoffs.

Alex Pietrangelo suffered a possible concussion after being run into the boards in the second period during Game 1 Saturday. He was hit by the Kings' Dwight King and was on the ice for a bit but then managed to leave under his own power. King received a minor but should have picked up at least a double minor as Pietrangelo left bleeding. Pietrangelo came back for one more shift but then returned to the dressing room and did not return. "Hopefully, he's back Monday, but if he's not, we've dealt with injuries all year and someone's going to have to fill that void," captain David Backes said. "It's a big void and the responsibility will probably have to be shared. But that's part of the game, injuries happen and we'll have to fight through." He is questionable at best for Game 2 Monday. If he can't go, look for Kent Huskins to draw into the lineup.

Alex Pietrangelo left Saturday's game after being pushed into the boards in the second period. Pietrangelo didn't return. The full extent of his injury is not yet known, but he should be considered day-to-day for now.