ST. LOUIS – Shawn Horcoff feels he has paid his price off the ice and now he wants to pay the price on it.

Horcoff is available to the Ducks again after completing his 20-game suspension for a performance-enhancing substance violation, and the veteran center is eager to get back into the team’s forward mix.

He’s not above feeling Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau out for his thoughts on including him in the lineup Friday when they play the St. Louis Blues.

“That decision is obviously up to Bruce,” Horcoff said. “The team’s played great and actually them doing as well as they have has made it easier for me. That’s going to be Bruce’s call.

“I’ve worked hard in getting ready to come back. And whenever that may be, I’ll be ready for that opportunity.”

Up until returning to practice March 1, Horcoff, 37, wasn’t allowed to work out or take part in any official activities with the Ducks after beginning his suspension Jan. 26. The veteran center has said the time allowed his injured hand – treatment on which he said triggered the PED violation – to improve and get himself in peak condition.

“I think I’m in better shape and stronger and faster now than when I was (first) out,” Horcoff said.

Boudreau said he had no qualms with putting Horcoff back in action after a long layoff, if he decides to go that route.

“It gives us another good player, another option to go to,” Boudreau said. “We’ll cross the bridge on Friday when we get to it. He certainly gives us another player. With experience by the way and that’s important coming down the stretch.”

Moving beyond the suspension might be tougher. Playing again may allow that to happen, but Horcoff knows there is still a cloud over him.

“Obviously it’s something that when it first happened, you go through so many different emotions,” Horcoff said. “It’s frustrating, it’s difficult. I think I know, at the time, I have myself to blame for it.

“What are you going to do? You can’t live in the past and you have to move on with life. Once I accepted it, it was just a matter of paying my suspension, paying the punishment and waiting my turn. And just doing everything I could to be ready when that time comes.”

While the Ducks may get back Horcoff, they could be going without defenseman Sami Vatanen. Vatanen suffered an unspecified upper-body injury in the first period of Wednesday’s loss to Colorado and didn’t return.

It could keep the team’s top-scoring defender out of the lineup Friday – and maybe beyond if he doesn’t improve. Boudreau said Vatanen was receiving treatment while the team practiced at Scottrade Center.

“He’s sore today so we kept him off the ice,” Boudreau said. “We’ll just re-evaluate again tomorrow.”

Meanwhile, Simon Despres was fine after being on the receiving end of a cross check to the side of his head by Colorado captain Gabriel Landeskog during the third period. The NHL hit Landeskog with a three-game suspension Thursday.

Landeskog will forfeit $202,832.75 in salary to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

“I thought the league looked at it and did the appropriate action,” Boudreau said. “I looked at it last night. It was definitely a shot to the head.”

The winger is considered a repeat offender by the league’s Player Safety department after being suspended for two games in November because of an illegal check to the head of Boston’s Brad Marchand. Landeskog was not penalized on the ice for his act on Despres.

But in his video explanation on the ruling, Player Safety director Patrick Burke said Landeskog was not in a battle for position or trying to knock Despres off the puck. Burke further explained that players must be responsible for their stick and that Landeskog “delivers a high, reckless and irresponsible cross check to an opponent in an unacceptable fashion.”

Despres has twice been a victim of punishable plays by Avs players as he missed 42 games this season because of a concussion suffered after being hit in the head by Colorado’s Tyson Barrie.

There were no aftereffects from the cross check. “Just a solid bruise on the neck,” Despres said.

Asked if Avs are taking liberties with his players, Boudreau remained diplomatic.

“I don’t know,” he said. “We’ve only played them twice so you got to call it a coincidence right now. Hopefully the 3-0 loss both times to them is a coincidence as well.”

THOMPSON PUSHES ON

Nate Thompson managed to play Wednesday, but he didn’t practice Thursday after not participating in a full morning skate before taking on the Avalanche. Boudreau said he thinks the center will be able to play Friday but acknowledged that Thompson is banged up.

“He’s sore,” Boudreau said. “Any time when we’re playing a lot of games, if we can give him a day off, it’s better to rest him.”

Thompson didn’t start this season until Dec. 2 after recovering from shoulder surgery in June.

Contact the writer: estephens@ocregister.com