St. Louis Blues leading scorer Robert Thomas is sidelined with a lower-body injury and will be re-evaluated in two weeks, the team announced Thursday. The veteran center, who leads the team with 33 points, missed Tuesday's game and did not practice. Coach Jim Montgomery had already ruled him out for Friday's matchup against the red-hot Tampa Bay Lightning.

The timing is brutal for a struggling Blues squad. Sitting 13th in the Western Conference with an 18-21-8 record, St. Louis is five points out of the final wild-card spot. Thomas's absence removes their primary offensive engine, compounding the pressure on a team that has lost three straight and faces a daunting schedule ahead.

With their top offensive weapon sidelined, the Blues must find scoring from secondary sources to stay in the playoff hunt. The next two weeks will test the team's depth and resilience. Thomas's progress will be closely monitored, as his return is critical for any late-season push in the tightly contested Western Conference.