The Carolina Hurricanes have been hit with a wave of injuries with only three games left in the season. According to NHL.com’s Walt Ruff, the Hurricanes were without forwards Jackson Blake, William Carrier, Taylor Hall, Mark Jankowski, and Logan Stankoven; defenseman Jalen Chatfield and K’Andre Miller; and goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov in Saturday’s game against the Utah Mammoth. No details or timelines have been revealed for any injuries. That is except for Kochetkov, who is currently on a conditioning loan with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves after missing most of the season with a lower-body injury that required surgery.
The Hurricanes were forced to overhaul their lineup with so many players out. Skyler Brind’Amour, Josiah Slavin, and Bradly Nadeau were recalled from the AHL to make up Carolina’s fourth-line, while Nicolas Deslauriers stepped onto a line with Eric Robinson and Jesperi Kotkaniemi. Defensemen Mike Reilly and Charles-Alexis Legault also stepped onto the blue-line. This is the second NHL game of the season for Brind’Amour and the younger Slavin. The duo have scored 34 and 25 points in 66 AHL games this season respectively. The NHL appearance is a bigger deal for Nadeau, a top Hurricanes prospect who notched 53 points in 51 AHL games this year. Nadeau also has two goals in nine NHL games this season. Leagult has matched Nadeau’s NHL scoring, with two points in nine games, on top of seven points in 22 AHL games.
It is not yet clear how the Hurricanes will move forward in the face of so many injuries. With only two games left after Saturday’s matchup, Carolina could afford to rest all seven injured NHL skaters for the rest of the regular season. The Hurricanes have locked up the top spot in the Metropolitan Division with a 51-22-6 record this season. They sit 10 points above the Pittsburgh Penguins in second place. Carolina is set to enter the postseason as a favorite to win the Stanley Cup out of the Eastern Conference. They will need to have all hands on deck to acheive that feat, with a first round matchup against the Boston Bruins or Ottawa Senators on the table.
The Hurricanes HUMILIATED the Blackhawks the other night with a lot of players out for Carolina, It was the worst exhibition I’ve seen by Chicago in at least five years, No fight, No passion, Nobody wanted to even play, Completely embarrassing. The game warranted an early morning skate until you puke practice for Chicago!!!!!
It happens more than you think. Especially teams gutted by trades. Little accountability it seems.
And yet the Canes win again with a depleted lineup.
They looked more hungry. Maybe those players don’t take their playing time for granted :)
Ummmm. Carolina is resting healthy guys. If you look at their scratches the last two games, the list of players sitting is dramatically different from game to game.
There is no injury bug, and it’s quite obvious to anyone who understands hockey. However, an AI might look at their list of scratches and jump to such a conclusion.
These articles are not AI. Carolina listed these players as out with undisclosed injuries, as reported in the article.
Yes, this article is so off the mark. It shows no understanding of teams preparing for the playoffs by resting key players.
This article exists for one of two reasons. Its 100% click bait or the person who wrote it has no clue what is going on and has not watched the Canes games. PK has been injured most of the season. At this time of the season practically ever player in the league has some kind of ailment that coukd be listed as injury. Like every other contact sport players get days off going in to the playoffs when they can. This article is so ridiculous it questions the credibility of ANYTHING on this site.
Absolutely. Has to be AI. No human with a brain and understanding of professional sports, would be ignorant to teams resting players. Listing the resting players as injuries is just a way to justify not playing them.