Carolina Hurricanes center Eric Staal is expected to miss a few games with an 'upper body injury' suffered in the Canes 5-1 loss to the Sharks on Saturday, reports the Raleigh News and Observer.
Staal, who has only missed one game in his career and was riding 349 consecutive-games played streak, is off to a slow start this year, tallying only five points in 13 games, well off his near point-a-game pace of the past few seasons.
The loss of Staal is the latest of a several of injuries to key Hurricanes players (Erik Cole missed 10 games with a fractured bone in his leg, Tim Gleason missed time with a lower body injury) that has undoubtedly contributed to the Canes' dismal 2-8-3 start this season. Said Hurricanes' GM Jim Rutherford of the injuries:
When things go wrong, they go wrong. All teams have to deal with injuries. We have enough players to step up but we'll have to do it with confidence at an all-time low