VANCOUVER, BC - DECEMBER 12: Carolina Hurricanes Left Wing Andrei Svechnikov (37) skates up ice during their NHL game against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena on December 12, 2019 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Brind'Amour 'highly doubts' Svechnikov returns in playoffs

6 years ago
Icon Sportswire / Getty

Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour "highly doubts" forward Andrei Svechnikov will return this postseason after suffering an apparent leg injury in Game 3 versus the Boston Bruins, according to The Athletic's Sara Civian.

Brind'Amour added that he doesn't have an official injury update yet, and that Svechnikov was undergoing an MRI.

The 20-year-old was helped off the ice late in Saturday's clash after a battle with Zdeno Chara in front of the Bruins' net resulted in an awkward fall.

Brind'Amour said the ice quality in Toronto likely played a role in the incident.

"The ice conditions at the time of the game had a lot to do with it," he said, according to TSN's Mark Masters. "It's really slushy and your skates dig in a little more at that point and it's just unfortunate. Toes digging in and two guys battling in front, that's part of the game."

Svechnikov is a key member of the Hurricanes' offense, notching seven points this postseason before the injury. He also produced a breakout regular season with 61 points in 68 contests before the pause.

The Bruins lead the first-round series 2-1, with Game 4 scheduled for Monday at 8:00 p.m. ET.

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