{"id":27447,"date":"2018-04-19T13:54:02","date_gmt":"2018-04-19T17:54:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=27447"},"modified":"2018-04-19T13:54:02","modified_gmt":"2018-04-19T17:54:02","slug":"new-jersey-devils-sami-vatanen-questionable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2018\/04\/19\/new-jersey-devils-sami-vatanen-questionable\/","title":{"rendered":"New Jersey Devils Sami Vatanen Questionable for Game 5"},"content":{"rendered":"

If the New Jersey Devils<\/a>\u00a0are going defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning<\/a> in Game 5 of their first-round series, and avoid elimination, they may have to do so without one of their best defensemen. Sami Vatanen<\/a><\/strong> suffered an upper-body injury in last night’s Game 4 loss to the Lightning, and may not travel with the team for Saturday afternoon’s game in Tampa.<\/p>\n

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#NJDevils<\/a> – Sami Vatanen has an upper body injury. Unclear yet on whether he will travel with the team to Tampa for Game 5.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) April 19, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

New Jersey Devils Defenseman Sami Vatanen Suffers Upper-Body Injury<\/h1>\n

Vatanen was injured on a hit by Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>late in the first period of last night’s game. While some analysts have claimed that the hit is a headshot, there was no penalty on the play and Kucherov will not be disciplined by the NHL Department of Player Safety for the play.<\/p>\n

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Sami Vatanen headed to the locker room after this hit from Nikita Kucherov. pic.twitter.com\/tw3Bap5zHK<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 NHL on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) April 19, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Vatanen has one goal in four games in the series. This season, Vatanen scored four goals and 28 assists for 32 points in 72. He also added 40 minutes in penalties. His possession numbers were 48.7 percent Corsi\u00a0and a relative Corsi of -1.0. Vatanen started the season with the Anaheim Ducks<\/a>\u00a0and played 15 games for the team before being traded<\/a> to the Devils in a move that saw Adam Henrique<\/a><\/strong> go to Anaheim.<\/p>\n

Over his six-year NHL career,\u00a0Vatanen\u00a0has played for the Devils\u00a0and\u00a0Ducks. He has put up 36\u00a0goals and 118 assists for 154\u00a0career points in 337\u00a0career games. He was originally drafted in the fourth-round, 106th\u00a0overall of the 2009\u00a0NHL draft by the Ducks.<\/p>\n

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#NJDevils<\/a>: Hynes on potential loss of Vatanen: \u201cIf he isn\u2019t able to go, it\u2019s next man up. It\u2019s about whoever is in the lineup.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) April 19, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Game 5 is a 3:00 pm EDT start in Tampa Bay.<\/p>\n

Main Photo:
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>