It was the moment when Pittsburgh Penguins fans watching Game One of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals against the Montreal Canadiens held their breath.
At the start of a penalty kill halfway through the second period, Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban picked up his skate to swivel his body at the Pens' blue line and landed on the top of penalty killer Jordan Staal's foot.
The result was a laceration of the extensor halluci longus tendon (yes, I looked it up) that required immediate surgery.
Head Coach Dan Bylsma cleared up multiple rumors when he stated that Staal is considered day-to-day and has not been ruled out for a return.
Either way, the Pens must move on without their third-line center and top penalty killer.
The question on everyone's mind is: Can the Pens do it?
It's truly an interesting situation. There has never been a time in Staal's career where he's been sidelined due to injury.
He's been the ironman of the Pens, playing every single game in his NHL career save one when he was a healthy scratch his rookie year.
That said, the Pens are obviously going to make a few adjustm ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Laura Falcon
Ironman Down: Can Pittsburgh Penguins Get It Done Without Jordan Staal?
May 1st, 2010 by Laura Falcon Leave a reply »
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