Alex Pietrangelo uncertain for Game 2, St. Louis Blues hopeful -NHL Playoffs Update
St. Louis Blues lost defenseman, Alex Pietrangelo, in Game 1 of the 2012 National Hockey League (NHL) Stanley Cup Western Conference Playoff Semi-Final series against Los Angeles Kings as Dwight King smashed him into the boards during round-two.
Pietrangelo did not return to finish the matchup after that incident and also, according to latest reports, the young defender was not with the team during their Sunday practice in St. Louis.
"He's day to day, upper body," Blues coach, Ken Hitchcock, said. "We'll see tomorrow.
With nearly a day left till the crucial Game 2 matchup of the series in which Los Angeles Kings will be looking to take a commanding 2-0 lead, Blues will need all the manpower they can get in order to limit their opposition.
Rumours are that Pietrangelo has suffered a serious upper-body injury but as nothing has been officially disclosed by St. Louis as of yet, the defenseman could be back for Game 2.
"I haven't seen him today. I talked to him last night. He seemed to be in quite a bit of pain," defensive partner, Carlo Colaiacovo, said. "Hopefully, he woke up this morning and felt a lot better. I haven't seen him today, I haven't talked to him today.
Hopefully he's good enough to go tomorrow. We'll wait for tomorrow.”
"He's still got 24 hours to get himself ready. If it happens, great. We obviously need him in our lineup. He's a big part of our team. If he's not, hopefully he'll be back soon,” Colaiacovo added.
The 22-year-old defender from King City, Ontario, Canada, has played four seasons with the Blues up until now, with this hockey year being his best as he ended it off with a career high, 51 point record (12 goals, 39 assists) in 81 games played.
Pietrangelo was in his first postseason competition and has played in six games and has a total of four assists to his name so far.
Stakes are high for both Los Angeles and St. Louis at the moment and having a player like Pietrangelo back in front of goalie Brian Elliott is crucial to their defensive survival.
Confirmation of the players availability can be expected on game day, Monday.
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