in NHL Articles

It’s only December, but we already have the vaunted, playoff-like atmosphere in the NHL.

The Carolina Hurricanes announced that captain Rod Brind’Amour suffered a “lower-body injury” during the second period of Wednesday’s 3-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers. That’s the kind of cryptic response usually reserved for the postseason, when teams are deliberately vague about injuries in order to protect their players from further harm. Brind’Amour was reportedly spied walking around the visitor’s dressing room at Edmonton’s Rexall Place. His status for Friday’s matchup against the Vancouver Canucks is uncertain, but it’s likely he will play – and the Canucks will be aiming low when they check the Carolina captain.

The Hurricanes know they cannot afford to lose Brind’Amour for any length of time. The defending Stanley Cup champions are sitting at 15-12-3 straight up and 14-16 against the spread. In an incredibly tight Eastern Conference race, that’s good enough for fifth place in the standings, but only three points separate Carolina from the ninth-place Washington Capitals. Brind’Amour is Carolina’s top scorer with 36 points after 30 games; the veteran center also spends over 23 minutes per game on the ice, more than any of the Hurricanes defensemen.

The Ottawa Senators are also dealing with their captain’s “lower-body injury,” but the stakes appear to be much higher in this case. Daniel Alfredsson was slated for an MRI after he was checked into the boards Tuesday night by New York Islanders blueliner Tom Poti. Results might not be known until Friday, but the Sens suspect Alfredsson has suffered another in a series of hip injuries that have dotted his career. Reports suggested the Swedish native will miss 7-to-10 days.

The Senators skated into the second week of December on a sizzling 8-2 streak, improving to 15-13-1 SU (15-14 ATS) on the season, two points behind Carolina in the East. Alfredsson, like Brind’Amour, logs big ice time for his club (over 21 minutes per game, to lead all Sens forwards), but he is third in team scoring with 24 points in 20 games. Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza lead the way with a mighty 36 points apiece, so Ottawa can, in theory, deal better with the loss of their captain for a short period of time.

Rounding out our trio of hobbled East Coast captains, struggling Philadelphia Flyers center Peter Forsberg is officially listed as probable for Friday night’s road game against the New Jersey Devils. Forsberg has just 16 points after 22 games and is stuck with a minus-6 rating. That’s unfamiliar territory for the man commonly referred to as the best hockey player in the world; in his 10 previous seasons, Forsberg’s worst plus-minus rating was plus-6.

This has already been a season to forget for the Flyers. They’re dead last in the East at 8-15-4 SU (13-14 ATS), they’ve already changed coaches and general managers, and attendance figures are starting to drop at usually sold-out Wachovia Center. No wonder; before this year’s collapse, the Flyers enjoyed six consecutive seasons of at least 40 wins, and hadn’t finished under .500 since 1993-94. Forsberg unwittingly played a big role in that success – he was dealt to the Quebec Nordiques (now the Colorado Avalanche) as the centerpiece in the package that landed Eric Lindros in 1992.

Philly’s current problems can’t be blamed on Forsberg, who has continued to play at a very high level since rejoining the Flyers after the 2004-05 lockout. But it doesn’t help matters that Forsberg has missed five games this season after playing just 60 games last year. The man known as “Foppa” underwent surgery in May to correct an ankle problem known as ligament laxity. He’s currently looking for a pair of skates that fit well enough to restore his balance. But unless those skates also come with a free pair of defensemen, it probably won’t help the Flyers enough to save their season. Top blueliners Derian Hatcher and Mike Rathje have two assists between them and are a combined minus-18.

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