The Blues Are Bruised, Battered

The Ducks will catch the St. Louis Blues tonight while they’re hurting.

Center Pierre Turgeon, the Blues’ leading scorer with 58 points, is expected to be sidelined another six weeks because of a thumb injury. Defenseman Al MacInnis suffered back spasms in Thursday’s game against the Detroit Red Wings and is questionable for tonight’s game.

The Blues also are coming off a stinker of a game against the Red Wings, managing only 13 shots in a 2-0 defeat.

At this point, the ninth-place Ducks can use any breaks they can get against the Western Conference’s top team.

“They are an excellent team,” Coach Craig Hartsburg said of the Blues. “It’s going to be a big challenge for us. They probably have the two best defensemen in the league [MacInnis and Chris Pronger] right now.”

Hartsburg also is impressed with goalie Roman Turek.

“I think everybody thought he would be pretty good, but he had only been a backup there in Dallas,” Hartsburg said of Turek, who played behind Ed Belfour with the Stars for several seasons.

*

Amazingly enough, the Dallas Stars found a way to blame the “dirty” Ducks for Brett Hull’s broken nose, suffered in Wednesday’s game at Anaheim.

Said Hull of Duck winger Jeff Nielsen, whose accidental high stick smashed the Dallas winger’s beak, “He lost control of his stick and clothes-lined me with it.”

For the record, Nielsen lost control of his stick after Hull hooked him to the ice midway through the first period. Hull was given an obstruction hooking penalty on the play. Nielsen was not penalized.

TONIGHT

at St. Louis

5 PST, Channel 9

* Site--Kiel Center.

* Radio--XTRA (690).

* Records--Ducks 23-25-8-1, Blues 34-15-6-0.

* Record vs. Blues--1-0.

* Update--The Ducks won the first meeting, 3-1, Jan. 14 at the Arrowhead Pond, but the Blues were playing their third game in four nights and appeared sluggish. Center Steve Rucchin and defenseman Fredrik Olausson skipped the Ducks’ practice Thursday because of sore ankles. Hartsburg expects both to play tonight. Goalie Guy Hebert will start his 11th consecutive game, Hartsburg said.