The St. Louis Blues, off to a 4-3 start, must now deal with the extensive absence of Robert Thomas, the all-purpose source of energy and offense. He'll be out for at least six weeks with a fractured ankle, paying a severe price for blocking a shot in Tuesday's loss to Winnipeg.

The Blues already were scrounging for goals with Thomas in the lineup. And now they must find a way to generate sufficient offense without Thomas. He's an essential part of everything the Blues do: top-line center, a top power-play guy, an effective penalty killer, and one of the very best faceoff men in the NHL.

And Thomas provides even more value simply because of his capacity to handle a high volume of ice time. The Blues will now shift into the survival mode, and their ability to limit opponent goals is more important than ever.