Marian Hossa's absent affects Chicago Blackhawks in Game 3 - NHL Stanley Cup Finals
Chicago Blackhawks did not have Marian Hossa in their line-up for Game 3 against the Boston Bruins of the 2013 National Hockey League (NHL) Stanley Cup Finals, and they certainly did feel his absence.
The veteran right winger was reportedly injured during a pregame practice prior to Game 3, but there has been no official confirmation from any side about this as of yet. The only thing Chicago Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville confirmed is that he is “day-to-day” with an upper-body injury.
In the first two games, Chicago and Boston remained pretty close as both teams won in an overtime extension. The situation was a lot different talking about Game 3 as Boston’s Tuukka Rask did not let a single goal through him throughout the 60 minutes of regulation game play.
"He's a big loss for our team," Chicago defenseman Duncan Keith said. "I don't know what his status is, so it's tough to comment. But I think we had guys step in and playing different roles. I thought the lines got some chances, even though we were missing Hossa."
Hossa, a 34-year-old right wing for Chicago, was drafted as the 12th overall back in 1997 by the Ottawa Senators. He has a total of 1,018 games played to his name up until now along with 434 goals and 501 assists for a total of 935 points and 544 minutes in penalty time.
"They tell us all along, be ready," Ben Smith said. "For all the Black Aces, it's been seven weeks now. Be ready -- you never know when you're going to get your opportunity. So you work hard every day and stay in shape and stay in game form and I was fortunate enough to get one. When you get it, you just go with it and play your game and play the best of your availability."
For now, it is unclear whether Marian Hossa will be rejoining the Chicago Blackhawks when they go up against Boston Bruins at the TD Garden for Game 4 on Wednesday, before returning home for a Game 5 competition. Updates should be expected before game day.
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