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Hurricanes say Jordan Staal broke a bone in his right leg

Carolina Hurricanes v Florida Panthers

SUNRISE, FL - MARCH 27: Jordan Staal #11 of the Carolina Hurricanes prepares for a face-off against the Florida Panthers at the BB&T Center on March 27, 2014 in Sunrise, Florida. The Hurricanes defeated the Panthers 3-0. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)

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Early reports regarding an injury to Carolina Hurricanes center Jordan Staal were ominous for a reason: the team announced that he suffered a broken bone in his right leg in Tuesday’s 2-0 preseason loss to the Buffalo Sabres.

The Hurricanes didn’t provide a timetable for the 26-year-old’s recovery just yet. He’s set to return to Raleigh, N.C. with the team on Wednesday and is expected to be evaluated by team doctors on Thursday, so we might get a better idea regarding how much time he’ll miss then.

Staal suffered the injury when he was tangled up with Sabres defenseman Josh Gorges. The two-way forward was on the ice for several minutes and was unable to put weight on his right leg while being helped to the locker room.

He managed to play in every Hurricanes game the past two seasons since being traded to Carolina, but that streak is likely to end. An already-shaky team can only wince in wondering how long he’ll be out.

Follow James O’Brien @cyclelikesedins