Rachel Barkley
In Tuesday’s game against the Boston Bruins, the Carolina Hurricanes’ top-pairing defenseman, Jalen Chatfield, left the game due to a lower-body injury.
With just under five minutes played in the third period, Chatfield departed after a short, 22-second shift – a shift that ended early due to a power play drawn by Nikolaj Ehlers. Soon after, he was officially ruled out.
Throughout the game, Chatfield did not block any shots and only received one registered hit, which was dealt by Alex Steeves and occurred in the early second period. There didn’t appear to be any notable stumbles from the Hurricanes blueliner in the nearly 14 minutes he played.
After the game, Rod Brind’Amour was asked if he had an update on the status of Chatfield.
“I don’t really have anything,” he said. “That’s the problem, not the problem – everyone’s got to deal with it. But, you know, you worry this time of year going into these games, it’s tough. So, I don’t know. I won’t have an update, though.”
The absence of any player due to injury is not something any team would want, especially so close to the postseason. However, it is an even bigger blow considering the role Chatfield has played for the Hurricanes this season, becoming half of the top-pairing alongside Jaccob Slavin after Brent Burns’ departure over the summer.
Only time will tell whether he’ll be back in the lineup for any of the games down the stretch.
