The Carolina Hurricanes announced two injuries today. The first is to backup netminder Brian Boucher (lower body), which landed the veteran on injured reserve. The second is to sophomore sensation Jeff Skinner (undisclosed).
The ‘Canes didn’t offer additional details on what’s ailing the reigning NHL rookie of the year. Skinner leads the Hurricanes with 12 goals and 24 points.
So let’s investigate, shall we?
On Wednesday night, Skinner was demolished by Edmonton’s Andy Sutton in a 5-3 Carolina victory:
The hit occurred late in the third period and Skinner didn’t return to the contest. Two nights later, Skinner was scratched from the ‘Canes lineup against Winnipeg with “flu-like symptoms” (the move caught Carolina off-guard, as it was forced to dress only 19 skaters for the game.)
Today, the club announced he’s out with an undisclosed injury.
To fill Skinner’s void, the Hurricanes have called up forward Drayson Bowman from its AHL affiliate in Charlotte. He’ll join the team prior to Tuesday’s game in Toronto, a game which we’ll be keeping a close eye on to see if Skinner makes his return to the lineup. It should be mentioned that Friday’s game against the Jets was the first Skinner has missed in his NHL career -- he played all 82 last season and dressed for Carolina’s first 30 games this year.