Steen returns ahead of schedule

ST. LOUIS - Alexander Steen is ahead of schedule in his recovery from offseason shoulder surgery.
The Blues forward, who in mid-September targeted opening night on Oct. 12 as his return date, said he felt good enough to get back in the lineup for a preseason game. He played on a line with Paul Stastny and Robby Fabbri on Wednesday night, when the Blues met the Washington Capitals at 7 p.m. at Sprint Center in Kansas City.
"I felt good," Steen said after the game. "There's obviously some timing stuff, there's certain situations where you feel a little cautious today, but playing two preseason games allows me to get into more of the thicker stuff on Saturday."

Steen was originally injured on Feb. 20 against the Arizona Coyotes. He missed 15 games but returned for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, where he scored 10 points in 20 appearances. He underwent successful shoulder surgery in early June and was expected to be sidelined for four months.
The injury kept Steen from playing with Team Sweden at the World Cup of Hockey, but he has been practicing with the Blues since the start of training camp.
"I'm happy with the progression," Steen said. "It was intense during the summer (trying to get back), and then once we made that World Cup call (not to play), it was easier to kind of tame it back a little bit."
In September, the Blues announced they had signed Steen to a four-year contract extension, keeping him in St. Louis through the 2020-21 season.