Los Angeles Kings' Jeff Carter not playing against San Jose Sharks due to bruised bone in ankle –NHL
Los Angeles Kings had some damage inflicted to hopes of clinching a playoff spot as they lost one of their top forwards, Jeff Carter, to a bruised bone injury in his ankle after confirmation that he will not be participating in their next matchup.
Kings have the next against state rivals, San Jose Sharks, on Thursday, April 5, 2012, at the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California and need to grab those two points.
Two more points are crucial for Los Angeles Kings in order to not only hold on to their third spot in the Western Conference and top number position in the Pacific Division with 93 points.
Carter did not look like he was injured during their matchup against Flames in Calgary, but after the player cooled down, he started to feel the pain in full force. Los Angeles has managed to get through the next two without Carter on the line-up having won two of the three, but going up against a heated team like San Jose could be tough without everyone on board.
According to head coach, Darryl Sutter, the team will definitely miss his presence on the line-up but a decrease in performance is not expected.
“It really doesn’t have any impact other than we miss him in the line-up,” Sutter said Monday after the morning skate. “What the (test) results are really doesn’t matter, right? It’s getting better. We’re not going to amputate, I don’t think. Or anything like that.”
Luckily for Carter, the injury is not career threatening after being assessed, it turned out not to be any sort of structural or ligament damage, keeping the player on a day-to-day basis with the team.
“This a painful thing,” Kings general manager, Dean Lombardi, said. “But we’re not dealing with a structural problem or ligament damage. Those are the two things you worry about the most.”
The race is still tight as Phoenix Coyotes have tied with Los Angeles at 93 points while San Jose is only down by one with 92. If Sharks manage to win their Thursday night matchup, Los Angeles could be fighting once again to remain in the playoffs.
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