Holloway returns to Blues' lineup against Utah after taking puck to the neck

ST. LOUIS (AP) — St. Louis Blues forward Dylan Holloway returned to the lineup Thursday night against Utah in the team’s first game since he was taken to the hospital after getting hit in the neck with a puck.

Holloway participated in the Blues’ morning skate at Enterprise Center and declared he felt good to return, and coach Drew Bannister put him in the starting lineup.

“Talking to the doctor at the hospital, he said just no activity for 24 hours. But other than that, I’m fine,” Holloway said at morning skate. “All my tests came back good. There’s no further damage — nothing. It was kind of the best news I could get, and I feel like I’m ready to go.”

Holloway played 17:51 — a few minutes higher than his season average — in the 4-2 loss to Utah, with one shot and two blocked shots.

“He was out this morning on the ice and pushed himself, and he seemed to feel good going into the game, and he was cleared by the doctors,” Bannister said after the game. “He wanted to play, and we wanted to have him out on the ice for us.”

Holloway was hurt late in the first period of St. Louis’ 3-2 victory on Tuesday night when he was struck by a puck off the stick of Tampa Bay’s Nicholas Paul. Play was stopped with 1:11 left in the period, and referees sent the teams to the locker rooms early after Holloway was taken from the bench area on a stretcher.

“It was definitely kind of crazy. I felt pretty fortunate. I had a Iot of people reach out to see if I was OK,” said Holloway, who signed with the Blues after appearing in the Stanley Cup final last season with Edmonton.

“I appreciate all the love and the support that I was getting. The team has been great, all the boys have been great, the coach has been great. I’m just thankful to have such a supportive group around me.”

Holloway said he felt dizzy and nauseous at the hospital but has had no other ill effects other than a bruise at the base of his neck.

“I just want to go out there and kind of forget about it, put it in the past,” Holloway said. “I feel good and I’m just excited to get out there.”

Bannister said Holloway rode an exercise bike Wednesday and then “pushed himself hard” during the morning skate.

“He’s a worker. He has a high motor. The way we want to play, he dictates a lot of the play,” Bannister said. “He dictates a lot of the energy that happens on the bench and on the ice. He just works to get pucks back and he uses his speed. He does a lot of things really well and he’s fit in nicely.”

“Whether we’ve put him at center or put him at wing, he’s found a way to contribute to the team game and contribute on the scoreboard but also defensively.”

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