St. Louis Blues forward Vladimir Tarasenko is out of the lineup Saturday against the Anaheim Ducks due to an illness.
Tarasenko is tied with Brayden Schenn for the team lead in scoring with four goals and 13 points in 16 games.
Alexey Toropchenko is slated to slot into Tarasenko's spot on the Blues' top line alongside Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich.
"Torp is a player we really like," Blues head coach Craig Berube told NHL.com. "Size, speed, plays the right type of game. He's an effective player."
Defenceman Colton Parayko also remains out of the lineup for a third consecutive game with an upper-body injury.
"He's feeling better," Berube said. "He was 50/50 on tonight, but we'll leave it at that for now and see where he's at tomorrow. He was rolling good, and we miss him when he's not playing. He's a big part of our team but it is what it is."
St. Louis (8-8-0) is fifth in the Central Division and is riding a five-game winning streak heading into Saturday's contest.
