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NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Colton Parayko is just hoping he doesn’t mess anything up.

The Blues defenseman joined the team for its current road trip through Nashville and Colorado, the first time Parayko has been back on the road since undergoing surgery on his left knee on March 10 and the latest sign of progress in his return to the St. Louis lineup. Parayko participated in Blues morning skate on Thursday, the second time this week he has skated with the entire team.

“Sometimes it’s hard to watch the guys play because you want to be out there,� Parayko said. “They’ve been all really good with helping me out that way, too. The knee itself feels great. Everything is pointing in the right direction. Just continue to build confidence with it. Just try to get back to normal as quick as possible.�

Parayko has missed the past 10 games since the Blues announced March 6 that he would undergo a scope procedure on his knee and be reevaluated in six weeks. In that time, St. Louis has gone 8-1-1 and entered Thursday’s game in Nashville on a seven-game win streak.

“The guys have been playing great hockey and makes you want to come back and not mess up the mojo almost,� Parayko said. “They’re playing so good. It’s fun to watch. They’re working extremely hard.�

While the initial prognosis was that Parayko could miss the remainder of the regular season, his progress has pointed to an earlier-than-expected return. Last week, Blues coach Jim Montgomery said he expected Parayko back before the six-week mark, and Parayko said he’s been on the ice for about a week.

Without Parayko, the Blues have shifted around their defensive corps. Nick Leddy joined Cam Fowler on a pairing. Philip Broberg and Justin Faulk became the de facto top pair. Tyler Tucker became a constant on the third pairing with Ryan Suter, and Matthew Kessel has even played a couple of games.

“It’s funny, I told some of the guys when I got hurt, you step back and you almost watch the schedule unfold from afar,� Parayko said. “When you’re in the schedule, you just go through it. You be where you need to be. You get on the plane, you get on the bus, you get to where you need to be. You play all the games. When I step back, I was sitting at home and the guys were playing in one city, then they travel to the next city and play the next night. It really is a grind. For them to be playing this well, they’re doing really well.�

Parayko was injured in overtime of the Blues’ 3-2 shootout win in Los Angeles on March 5 when he feel awkwardly at the offensive blue line. He said he didn’t feel anything when he first fell but knew something was off when he tried “to take a stride and my knee just didn’t feel normal,� he said.

“Sometimes you fall down and it hurts, and then it goes away,� Parayko said. “It’s like blocking a shot. It stings for a little bit, you’re like, ‘Oh, I hope I didn’t break something,’ but it just goes away. This one was sticking around. I wasn’t really sure exactly what was wrong. I just had to wait for the MRI the next day, which was the hard part of waiting the whole night and sleeping.�

Parayko said he was able to walk on the day of surgery, even if he “didn’t do much walking,� and iced his knee for three or four days after the procedure to quell the swelling. Since then, it’s been a lot of physical therapy.

Parayko’s inclusion on the road trip bodes well for a return soon. This season, taking a road trip has been one of the last steps for an impending insertion in the lineup.

When Robert Thomas returned from his four-week absence on Nov. 19 vs. Minnesota, it only came after he traveled to Buffalo, Boston and Carolina. Philip Broberg returned Nov. 30 vs. Philadelphia but only after joining the Blues for practice in New York. While Leddy had false starts earlier in the season, his trip with the Blues to Colorado and Utah immediately preceded his inclusion in the lineup on Feb. 4 vs. Edmonton.

“I feel like I’m progressing in the right direction and everything is going really well,� Parayko said. “Great job by everybody in the organization to help me out. It’s been really good to work with them all.�

Buchnevich to join Blues

Blues forward Pavel Buchnevich was not on the ice for morning skate Thursday in Nashville, but Montgomery said he would be flying to join the Blues before they departed for Colorado on Friday.

Thursday will be the fourth straight game Buchnevich has missed with what the Blues have labeled an illness. Buchnevich has only played one game (last week vs. Vancouver) since absorbing a heavy hit in Nashville on March 18 by Michael McCarron.