Two Hurricanes in doubt for Game 2 vs. Penguins
That Game 1 loss in Pittsburgh by the Carolina Hurricanes was doubly painful, as Carolina right wing Tuomo Ruutu was hurt in the first period after he was fallen on by the Penguins’ net by defenseman Mark Eaton.
Then, with about 12 minutes remaining in the third period, Canes forward Erik Cole came out on the wrong end of a knee-on-knee collision with the Pens’ Matt Cooke.
Neither player returned after the injury. General manager Jim Rutherford said Tuesday that Cole and Ruutu are both questionable for Game 2 on Thursday night, in which Pittsburgh is a -200 favorite on WagerWeb.com.
“I do not think it looks good for either player” Rutherford said. “(Trainer) Pete Friesen was not overly optimistic about it, either. “But we have two days between games and extra time. Certainly if we played (Wednesday night), they would not be playing.”
Some Canes think that Cooke’s hit was intentional, but Pens coach Dan Bylsma said that Cooke “was engaged, trying to make a hit on the guy.”
Cole had an assist in Game 1, his first playoff point since Game 4 against the Bruins. He had 18 goals and 24 assists during the season. Ruutu had 26 goals and 28 assists this season but just three points in the playoffs.
The Hurricanes actually have a history with Cole being injured against the Penguins at Mellon Arena, one that dates to a March 4 game in their 2006 Stanley Cup championship season. Cole suffered a broken neck when he was checked headfirst into the boards by Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik.
If Cole or Ruutu can’t play Thursday, Carolina could go with seven defensemen. The choice might be to add Anton Babchuk back to the lineup after a two-game scratch.
Carolina has won each of the last five series in which it dropped the opener. Carolina also lost Game 1s to New Jersey and Boston in the opening two rounds, but rallied each time to win Game 7 on the road.
“Been there, done that — done it twice” defenseman Tim Gleason said. “Kind of like a routine of ours.”
But the Pens are 5-0 the last two seasons when they’ve grabbed a series lead and 7-0 since 2000.
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