Canes center Brandon Sutter, who suffered a leg injury Thursday against the Pittsburgh Penguins, has not been ruled out for Saturday's home game against the Phoenix Coyotes.
Coach Paul Maurice said Sutter would be further evaluated today and said he was "hopeful" would be able to play.
Maurice said forward Oskar Osala had been returned to Albany (AHL). If Sutter is not able to play, Maurice said another forward would be recalled from the River Rats.
Sutter was injured late in the first period of the Canes' 4-3 overtime win over the Pens. He locked legs with the Pens' Kris Letang and fell to the ice.
A Raleigh native, Chip has worked at the N&O since 1979 and is the Canes beat writer. He can be reached at 
Comments
Bummer
Fri, 03/12/2010 - 13:50 — esteban1949Dang !! Brandon forgot to watch out for the Old "Nature Boy" figure 4 leg lock trick...and i was hoping to get to see Osala play more...wonder if it will Tlusty who gets the call...well regardless I hope there isn't anything serious aside from a "slight strain" ...thanks Chip...
The Canes are Good,My Grandkids are Better, and Life is Great !!
Go Canes !!
Tlusty
Fri, 03/12/2010 - 14:36 — sittler27Tlusty hasn't been in the Albany line up for the past several games so doubt it would be him. AHL teams are not compelled to report injuries so no official word that I have seen on what ailment he has.
You could see Brandon favoring his ankle after getting tangled up along the boards. Next shift he couldn't seem to put weight on it. Usually a sign of an ankle sprain. Most pros play with their upper laces very loose and use their strong ankles extensively. Tough injury to play through.
Skates
Fri, 03/12/2010 - 16:01 — GoShelf"Most pros play with their upper laces very loose and use their strong ankles extensively". It's really the other way around.
Laces
Fri, 03/12/2010 - 22:23 — sittler27No. It is the way I stated it. Either that or I missed something during the 30 years I played amateur and pro. Almost all pros wear skates two sizes too small. Their toes are almost curled for maximum reaction time to quick starts and turns. We want to actually "feel" our blades. After lacing half way up the foot we don't care so much about the rest. That tight stuff you see around their ankles is mostly tape or for some defenseman ankle protectors. If you don't believe me check out close ups of Ovechkin's feet sometime or see if you can get into the Canes locker right before a practice.
Most adult league recreation players do it the other way around. It is just one of those areas where the pro player and his abilities are a lot more removed from the every day rec player than most well meaning fans actually realize. One of the reasons you will almost never see a retired NHLer in the local beer leagues.