Before the Carolina Hurricanes began their six-game road trip, I spoke of the injury concerns surrounding the team as they traveled west. At that time, only Jaccob Slavin and Pyotr Kochetkov were on the shelf. In the two weeks since, the Canes have been collecting injuries like Infinity Stones, leaving their roster in a tough spot as they head to Dallas.
Shayne Gostisbehere caught the injury bug first, leaving last Saturday's win in Los Angeles with a lower-body injury. While he was initially expected to stay with the team for the trip, the Hurricanes sent him back to Raleigh to recover, bringing Charles Alexis Legault into the lineup and Joel Nystrom to the team from Chicago.
Last night’s battle in Denver featured three more injuries, none of which received a glowing outlook from Rod Brind’Amour. K'Andre Miller was declared "out" for the game before it started with a lower-body injury, allowing Nystrom to debut. Then, William Carrier suffered the same fate in the first period, and Eric Robinson missed the third period onward with an upper-body concern.
The head coach expects both Carrier and Robinson to miss an extended period of time, while Miller could have a similar time frame. The Canes gutted it out, playing with three rookie defensemen and finishing the game with only 10 forwards in a 5-4 shootout victory over the Colorado Avalanche. It's not a recipe we want to keep repeating, but it might be unavoidable in the short term.
What could this mean for the game in Dallas?
If the Canes don't have Carrier, Robinson, or Miller available, there are certain to be moves made on Friday to ensure a complete lineup on Saturday when the team finishes their road trip against the Stars. While they have Mark Jankowski as the healthy forward, both Carrier and Robinson are wingers, meaning at least one winger from Chicago should be expected.
In a perfect world, that winger would be Bradly Nadeau, who took the hockey world by storm with his lacrosse goal last weekend and has started the AHL season well. Seeing as both forwards occupy spots in the Bottom 6, it might be more likely that someone like Justin Robidas gets the call, coming off his excellent two-game stint with the Canes last season. It's also possible that we see both.
LW | C | RW |
|---|---|---|
Nikolaj Ehlers | Sebastian Aho | Seth Jarvis |
Taylor Hall | Logan Stankoven | Jackson Blake |
Jordan Martinook | Jordan Staal | Andrei Svechnikov |
Bradly Nadeau | Jesperi Kotkaniemi | Justin Robidas |
Mark Jankowski |
For the defense, the answer is a little simpler. The team made it through the night with their full complement of available defensemen, but we might want to knock on wood before we jinx it. Nystrom stepped into the lineup and played well, and Legault has held his own in limited minutes through his first two games. It'll be an inexperienced group, but it's what the Canes have to roll with for now.
LD | RD |
|---|---|
Mike Reilly | Sean Walker |
Alexander Nikishin | Jalen Chatfield |
Joel Nystrom (RHD) | Charles Alexis Legault |
Hopefully, there is better news awaiting the Hurricanes by the time they get home after Saturday's game. With Slavin, Gostisbehere, and Kochetkov all in Raleigh recovering, it would be great to see them in the lineup when the Canes face the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday, or against the New York Islanders on Thursday.
With all of the injuries the Hurricanes have suffered, it's a minor miracle they've come out of their first five stops with eight of 10 possible points. While they've ensured a winning trip ahead of its finale in Dallas, the Canes would love to continue their winning ways. More importantly, they'd probably like to get out of it without losing another player to injury.