Updates: Not a great first sign - he was on crutches in the locker room, according to Sportsnet’s John Shannon.
Michael Smith of the team’s website reports that head coach Bill Peters admits that he’s “concerned” about Staal’s condition.
Jordan Staal leaves First Niagara Center on crutches...sporting a cast on his lower leg... it's not a knee injury. Ankle,foot or tendon
— John Shannon (@JShannonhl) September 24, 2014
Of course, Staal being in a cast isn’t a great sign either way. We’ll probably find out more later this week.
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The Carolina Hurricanes must be crossing their fingers on Tuesday night as Jordan Staal suffered a lower-body injury after a collision with Buffalo Sabres defenseman Josh Gorges in a preseason contest. Various reporters on hand describe a worrisome scene:
Jordan Staal gets tangled up with Josh Gorges....goes down..had to be helped off..cant put weight on right leg.
— John Shannon (@JShannonhl) September 24, 2014
Carolina's Jordan Staal taken off ice..no weight on right leg.after taking hit in #Sabres zone from Gorges...Exactly what teams can't have
— Mike Harrington (@ByMHarrington) September 24, 2014
Suffered an injury in the third period of tonight's game. RT @MSmithCanes: Jordan Staal on crutches headed back to the #Canes locker room.
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) September 24, 2014
The Hurricanes lost to the Sabres, but obviously the bigger problem would be if Staal, 26, misses significant time because of this unfortunate fall. It’s too early to tell if this is a major issue, as the injury happened late in the contest.
Staal played every game the past two seasons for a Hurricanes team that’s faced some serious injury headaches, so this would be a tough setback for everyone involved.