WASHINGTON -- Carolina Hurricanes forward Jeff Skinner sustained an upper-body injury in a 5-2 preseason loss to the Washington Capitals on Sunday after absorbing a hit from Capitals defenseman Matt Niskanen. He will be re-evaluated Monday and his status for the Hurricanes' regular-season opener Friday against the New York Islanders is uncertain.
The 22-year-old led the Hurricanes with 33 goals last season.
"We don't want to lose anybody," Carolina coach Bill Peters said. "You don’t want to lose anybody through the preseason this time of year and then you're down to the final game of the preseason and you definitely don't want to an injury to any of your guys, let alone a young player that you're counting on.
"It's wait and see. It's out of my hands, out of his hands. It happened and now it's in the hands of the trainers and medical people and they'll make a determination."
The collision occurred early in the first period when Niskanen's forearm caught Skinner in the side of the head. Upon returning to his feet, Skinner headed to the dressing room and was ruled out for the rest of the game.
"The puck popped out to him and he had his back to the net. I was closing on him and was getting ready to defend him, and he did like a spin-around shot and he spun his face right into my elbow," Niskanen said. "I could feel it. ... I didn't even have time to hit him, he just spun right into me. I hope he's OK."
Carolina is already without forward Jordan Staal, who is expected to miss 3-4 months after having surgery to repair a broken leg.
"We won't make assumptions until we know," Hurricanes captain Eric Staal said. "We'll see where he's at in the next couple days and go from there."
NHL.com is the official web site of the National Hockey League. NHL, the NHL Shield, the word mark and image of the Stanley Cup, the Stanley Cup Playoffs logo, the Stanley Cup Final logo, Center Ice name and logo, NHL Conference logos, NHL Winter Classic name, and The Biggest Assist Happens Off The Ice are registered trademarks and Vintage Hockey word mark and logo, The Game Lives Where You Do, NHL Winter Classic logo, NHL Heritage Classic name and logo, NHL Stadium Series name and logo, NHL All-Star logo, NHL Face-Off name and logo, NHL. TV, NHL Premium, NHL After Dark, NHL GameCenter, NHL GameCenter LIVE, NHL Network name and logo, NHL Tonight name and logo, On The Fly, NHL Awards name and logo, NHL Draft name and logo, Hockey Fights Cancer, Because It's The Cup, NHL Green name and logo, NHL Vault, Hockey Is For Everyone, NHL Thanksgiving Showdown name and logo, NHL Centennial Classic name and logo, NHL Centennial Season logo, NHL100 Classic name and logo, NHL Global Series name and logo, NHL China Games name and logo, and Don't Miss A Moment are trademarks of the National Hockey League. All NHL logos and marks and NHL team logos and marks depicted herein are the property of the NHL and the respective teams and may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of NHL Enterprises, L.P. © NHL 2018. All Rights Reserved. All NHL team jerseys customized with NHL players' names and numbers are officially licensed by the NHL and the NHLPA. The Zamboni word mark and configuration of the Zamboni ice resurfacing machine are registered trademarks of Frank J. Zamboni & Co., Inc. © Frank J. Zamboni & Co., Inc. 2018. All Rights Reserved. Any other third party trademarks or copyrights are property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.