by Sports Xchange

--LW Daniel Sedin's impending return from a broken foot either Thursday in Detroit or Saturday in Colorado means that Steve Bernier's short stint on the top line won't last much longer. But Bernier's return on Tuesday night in St. Louis after missing the previous two games with the flu was still welcome news for defenseman Kevin Bieksa, who had been playing out of position to take his place on the left side of the top forward unit and played three straight up front.

"I won't be crashing down low or cycling," Bieksa joked of moving back to his usual spot on the blueline. "They'll be wristers from the point."

As much as Bieksa's somewhat successful move was the result of mounting forward injuries now starting to heal, coach Alain Vigneault also hopes it sparks Bieksa, who had been underperforming as a top-four defenseman -- eight points and a minus-1 rating in 18 games for his $3.75 million annual salary.

"We're hoping that's going to help him with his game," said Vigneault. "We think and he thinks he can play better than he has so far."

As for Bernier's flu, his quick return seems to confirm the team's insistence it was just the usual seasonal bug and never an H1N1 concern, which is good news considering star goaltender Roberto Luongo also suffered through it for 48 hours over the weekend. The Canucks have been careful to avoid the public backlash that came from the Calgary Flames jumping the queue to get their H1N1 shots ahead of higher-risk public patients, deciding against attempts to try to get the vaccine in the privatized health care system of the United States because there were similar shortages to the ones back in Canada.

Still, the team was criticized for keeping Bernier off its late night charter to Dallas, instead exposing him to the public with a first-class flight the next morning. Bernier, who was isolated at the hotel, insisted it was about getting a good night's sleep rather than flying right after the team played in Minnesota Thursday.

"It was just the flu everybody gets every year," he said. "For 48 hours, it was awful. After that, I felt better but just didn't have any energy."

QUOTE TO NOTE: "It's quite simple: If Roberto (Luongo) had two practices in, he would have been starting tonight. He's ready to go, but the smart thing to do is give him at least another regular practice. But if we need him tonight, he'll be ready." -- Canucks coach Alain Vigneault on why his star goalie was a backup Tuesday in St. Louis after missing two weeks with a hairline rib fracture. Turns out Luongo had to play anyway, going in for Raycroft after he gave up four goals on 13 shots in 20 minutes of a 6-1 loss to the Blues.