Tkachuk and two other players wind up on injured reserve list

~ The Blues' 33-year-old left winger suffered broken knuckles in Friday night's loss to Chicago.

ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Blues placed goalie Curtis Sanford and forwards Dallas Drake and Keith Tkachuk on injured reserve Saturday.

The team called up goalie Chris Beckford-Tseu from the Alaska Aces of the ECHL, and activated defenseman Eric Brewer from injured reserve.

Tkachuk is out four to six weeks with broken knuckles after getting hit on the right hand by a puck during a 5-1 loss at Chicago on Friday night.

Tkachuk was injured during his second shift of the second period when he was hit by a shot apparently taken by Blackhawks defenseman Jim Vandermeer. Tkachuk left the game and didn't return.

This is the second big injury of the season for the 33-year-old left winger. Tkachuk sat out 15 games earlier in the year with non-displaced cracked ribs.

He returned on Nov. 25 and immediately posted eight goals and seven assists in seven games. Tkachuk had streaks of five straight games with a goal and seven consecutive with a point snapped in Friday's loss. He now becomes a question mark to be picked Monday for the U.S. Olympic hockey team.

"He's been playing great hockey for us," said Blues and U.S. teammate Doug Weight. "Since he's been back, he's been really carrying us. I don't know what to say. It's disheartening."

Sanford, who became the starting goalie when Patrick Lalime was placed on waivers Monday, pulled a hip flexor in the second period Friday in a collision with Blues defenseman Eric Weinrich.

Lalime now is playing for the Blues' AHL affiliate in Peoria, Ill.

Drake has a sore back and is day to day.

Beckford-Tseu has played 11 games with Alaska and was 9-0-2 with a league-leading 1.96 goals-against average.

Brewer missed 10 games with a shoulder injury. In 18 games, he had four goals, two assists and 35 penalty minutes.