The slumping Carolina Hurricanes put 30-year-old forward Chad LaRose on injured reserve with a concussion Wednesday.
LaRose hasn’t played since March 2 as a result of the injury. The Hurricanes also called up defenseman Brett Bellemore from the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL.
The call-up of Bellemore coincides with an injury to defenseman Justin Faulk, who suffered a second-degree sprain of his MCL Tuesday and is expected to be out of the lineup for two-to-four weeks.
The Hurricanes are still trying to digest a 4-1 loss to the Florida Panthers, who, with 22 points, sit at the bottom of the National Hockey League standings.
As a result, the Hurricanes now sit second in the Southeast Division, behind the surging Winnipeg Jets.
At the heart of the Hurricanes’ struggles is an uninspired power play, which, at 13.1 per cent, is ranked 29th in the league. Only the Buffalo Sabres, at 12 per cent, are worse on the man-advantage.
And their lack of success in that department has hindered a team now in a fight for the division.
“Things like that can frustrate guys, especially guys on the power play,” Jordan Staal told the Raleigh News & Observer.
“The biggest thing is when it’s not gaining momentum for your team, it’s hurting you. If our power play is not moving and getting momentum for our team, it makes it tough for everyone to keep going.”