The Carolina Hurricanes are down to 16 skaters after losing both Jaccob Slavin and Stefan Noesen to upper-body injuries in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final, the team announced.
Slavin exited the contest after being on the receiving end of a huge hit from Panthers forward Sam Bennett.
After the game, Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour said that Slavin likely has a concussion.
Noesen left briefly in the first period, before returning for the second period. He then didn't come back on the bench for the third and before he was ruled out.
Bennett did not receive a penalty for his big hit on Slavin.
It's not the first time this post-season that Bennett has been in the spotlight for his physical play. In the Panthers' second-round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Bennett was public enemy No. 1 for many Leafs fans mostly thanks to his takedown of Matthew Knies. Knies was injured by Bennett in Game 2 and did not play another game before the Panthers eliminated the Maple Leafs in five games.
Slavin, 29, has two goals and six points for the Hurricanes in 14 playoff games.
The Hurricanes came into Wednesday's Game 4 with their season on the line as they trail the Panthers 3-0 in the series.
COMMENTS
When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.