Evander Kane was injured during the second period of the Buffalo Sabres‘ home opener against the Montreal Canadiens. The Sabres have not released much information on the injury, other than saying that he cracked three ribs and will be out ‘weeks’.
Evander Kane Injured, Out Indefinitely
Kane sustained the injury while rushing to the puck in the corner. Canadiens defenceman Alexei Emelin knocked Kane off balance, and he slid hard into the boards; chest first. He was given help off the ice, and taken to the local hospital. Montreal went along to win the game 4-1, Kane had no points before leaving the game.
Kane’s injury adds to a list of stars injured. Earlier in the week, Jack Eichel left practice early after an awkward fall that resulted in a high ankle sprain. He is expected to be out for at least six weeks. Kyle Okposo, Sabres new-comer, is also injured and considered day-to-day with a knee injury.
Official update on Evander Kane & other updates from the rink today.
More: https://t.co/VWqzQSIkUV pic.twitter.com/oEoKKlAQcN
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) October 14, 2016
The injuries will really effect Buffalo moving forward in the season. Eichel was expected to play on the first line, as was Okposo, and the two are arguably the best players on the team. Now that Kane is out, the team is missing even more talent. Although it won’t be terribly long before the three of them return, players like Ryan O’Reilly and Sam Reinhart are going to have to take on very big roles if the Sabres want a chance to win any of their upcoming games. Once Okposo returns, some weight will be taken off their shoulders, but it will still be a hard start to the season for Buffalo.
Last season Kane had 35 points in 65 games. This placed him fifth on the team in points, and he was expected to make the top five again this year. He still has a chance to, but missing three weeks, alongside the injury itself, could really limit him during the season.
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