The Carolina Hurricanes announced that Eric Staal and Patrick Dwyer will not return late to Saturday’s game against the New York Islanders. Staal is dealing with an upper-body injury while Dwyer has a lower-body issue.
Staal, 29, scored a goal in Friday’s loss to the Islanders and had an assist in tonight’s back-to-back rematch. The Hurricanes telecast indicated that a Brian Strait hit might have caused Staal’s discomfort.
Being that this issue cropped up late in the contest, it’s too early to panic, yet there’s no additional information regarding Staal’s condition. With his brother Jordan Staal hurting with a broken bone in his leg and Jeff Skinner dealing with another worrisome concussion, it’s a pretty worrisome situation for Carolina.
Staal contributed to Jiri Tlusty’s hat trick tonight, but it wasn’t enough. The Islanders ended up winning 4-3.