Tarasenko leaving bubble for shoulder evaluation, out for rest of 1st round

St. Louis Blues forward Vladimir Tarasenko is leaving the Edmonton bubble to consult with the team's medical staff in St. Louis regarding his surgically repaired shoulder, the club announced Tuesday.

The team will provide an update on the star winger's condition on Aug. 24.

Tarasenko is now likely to miss the remainder of the Blues' first-round playoff series against the Vancouver Canucks. Game 7, if necessary, is scheduled for Sunday.

The 28-year-old sniper will also have to quarantine upon re-entering the bubble if he is cleared to return.

"I'm not going to jump to conclusions on anything," St. Louis head coach Craig Berube said Tuesday. "He's not feeling right, so that's why he's going to get it looked at. It is concerning, but we've got to wait and see."

Tarasenko played in Games 1 and 2 of his team's opening-round matchup but sat out the next two contests. He suited up for the Blues' first and third round-robin games, though he missed their second contest of that stage against the Vegas Golden Knights on Aug. 6.

He hurt his shoulder during a game in late October and underwent surgery shortly thereafter, missing the rest of the regular season after playing only 10 games.

"When you get something done like that and you're out nine months, you're going to have some issues when you come back, no matter what. ... We'll see what shows up here and we can go from there," Berube added Tuesday.

Tarasenko led the Blues in goal-scoring for five straight campaigns from 2014-19.

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