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Blues insert Tarasenko into Game 4 lineup

Vladimir Tarasenko

St. Louis Blues’ Vladimir Tarasenko, of Russia, skates during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Vancouver Canucks Tuesday, April 16, 2013, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

AP

Something the St. Louis Blues have been lacking in the playoffs are goals. For Game 4 they’re going to be adding a player who can bring them just that.

Coach Ken Hitchcock is replacing Adam Cracknell with Russian phenom Vladimir Tarasenko. As Hitchcock tells Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, he thinks he deserves the shot to show he’s past the concussion that slowed down his season.

“Until the (concussion), he was a good player. He came back a little tentative from the injury,” Hitchcock said. “I think when you have a player who contributes like he does and is strong on the puck, determined as he is, and as big as he is, he is an asset that we can use.”

With four goals in three games and a 2-1 series lead, things could get dicey for the Blues if they can’t pot more goals. Tarasenko can do just that. He had eight goals in 38 games this season but only two of those after missing 10 games from his concussion. On the upside, both goals came against the Kings.