In the Carolina Hurricanes’ latest bout with the Buffalo Sabres, Eric Robinson suffered an upper-body injury which put him out for the rest of the game.
The injury occurred on a play after he drove to the net. As the puck was not yet covered by goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Robinson, while hunched over, poked at it in an attempt to get it past the goalie’s pads.
Rasmus Dahlin soon slid in with speed and delivered a hip-check to Robinson, which sent the Hurricanes left wing to the ice. After a moment on the ice in distress, Robinson returned to his feet as he gripped his left shoulder.
Mark Jankowski, who rushed into the play after Dahlin, was not a fan of the hit the Sabres Captain put on his teammate. A small scrum ensued behind the net as Jankowski engaged with Dahlin, while other Sabres mixed into the fray in defense of Dahlin.
After the game concluded, Head Coach Rod Brind’Amour addressed the question of Robinson’s status.
“I don’t know the extent,” he admitted. “he’s going to be out, for sure, for a little while. I think he’s got to get checked out again tomorrow, but obviously he couldn’t return, so you know that’s not good.”
Though the actual injury was unspecified, it appeared to have been to his shoulder due to the hip-check. The recovery time for shoulder injuries varies by severity and location, but a known recent example in the NHL is the one Connor Bedard sustained on December 12th. Injured on the faceoff, he left the ice clutching his shoulder and did not return until January 9th. Of course, speed and impact could lead to a different result.
Be sure to check back here for updates as more details become available.
