Yakupov not griping about frequent scratches

Nail Yakupov isn't griping about his seat on the sidelines.

The St. Louis Blues forward will be a spectator for the third straight game Wednesday when his team takes on the Chicago Blackhawks.

After recording four points in his first six games with his new club, Yakupov was held pointless in his next five, while his ice time has dipped to 10:27.

"Obviously I couldn't be happy about it," Yakupov told Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "So, it's a coach's decision and nothing I can do about it. It's always hard watching a game from upstairs. But the team played good, guys are working hard ... but I couldn't be comfortable with that."

The Blues acquired Yakupov from the Edmonton Oilers in an October trade. As part of a condition of the deal, the Blues will owe the Oilers their second-round pick in the 2018 draft should Yakupov scored 15 goals this season. As it stands, he's found the back of the net twice.

Since making his NHL debut in 2012, Yakupov has scored 15 or more goals on just one occasion - his rookie campaign, in which he recorded 17 tallies in 48 games.

"I'm not going to complain, I'm not going to (gripe) about my teammates or my coach," Yakupov added. "I'm not that kind of person who is going to fight and be (griping) about minutes."

Blues coach Ken Hitchcock doesn't see fault in Yakupov's game, noting that, as it stands, the Russian forward is simply caught in a game of numbers.

"He does not have to change anything," Hitchcock said. "Just get ready, and when it's his turn, take advantage of it. That's just competition within the group."