St. Louis all-star David Backes (upper body) practiced for the second consecutive day Friday and the word is that he could be back in the lineup with the hot Blues when they face the Blue Jackets at home today. Coach Ken Hitchcock said a decision will be made this afternoon on the Blues' captain. Backes has missed three games because of his injury.

David Backes (upper body) skated on Thursday, but he didn't participate in line rushes. "It's better everyday," Backes said. "I feel pretty good without contact. The next thing is making sure that when I get hit, I can be a force out there rather than just be a hockey player not touching anyone." He hopes to be back in the lineup soon, so don't expect him to play Thursday.

David Backes (upper body) will miss Tuesday's game. It will be Backes' second straight contest on the sidelines. The good news is he has started to practice with the Blues.

David Backes (upper body) took part in a light practice Monday. However, it's still unclear if he'll be available for Tuesday night's game against Minnesota. "Don't know yet," coach Ken Hitchcock said Monday. "We still have another 28 hours or so to see how he feels." Backes' injury is not a concussion-related issue, so that's some good news even if he's deemed unavailable to play Tuesday night.

It is not clear if David Backes will join his Blues' teammates for practice on Monday. The Blues don't skate until 1:30 central time so it will be another hour at least before we know. Backes did not play against Dallas Sunday night due to an upper-body injury sustained in Saturday's game against Chicago. Check back with us later on Backes' status.

To little surprise, David Backes is unable to play on Sunday with an upper-body injury. It's unclear if his upper-body issue is actually a concussion that caused him some issues earlier this month, but he's day-to-day as the St. Louis Blues face the Dallas Stars without their versatile captain.

It is not clear if David Backes will be able to play Sunday against the Stars. He left Saturday night's game against Chicago in the third period and did not play in the overtime due to an upper-body injury. Check back with us closer to game time on Backes' status.

David Backes left Saturday's game against the Blackhawks with an upper-body injury. The Blues still managed to eke out a shootout win despite also being without forwards Derek Roy (flu) and Alexander Steen (concussion). Backes left the game late, as he tallied 20:42 before departing. He will be re-evaluated Sunday.

St. Louis Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock confirmed that David Backes will play against the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday. It was expected that he'd sit out at least another game thanks to his concussion, but it turns out the Blues captain will play tonight after skating on Friday. Backes has been playing out of his mind this season, with 30 points (plus 62 PIM) in 32 games this season. He was only sidelined since Dec. 16.

David Backes (concussion) took part in Friday's optional skate. Backes on the ice Thursday before his teammates. "There's been a little improvement every day and that's a positive sign," Backes said. "We'll see how things transpires here in the next little while. Hopefully I'll be an ice hockey player again in the near future." He's only been out for two games, so it's encouraging that he's already practicing.