BUFFALO, N.Y. - The good news: Jordan Staal and Andrei Svechnikov are back in the lineup for the Carolina Hurricanes as they take on the Buffalo Sabres this evening.
The less-fun news: Jesperi Kotkaniemi is set to miss the next handful of games, recovering from an injury sustained in Saturday's loss to the Boston Bruins. The Finnish forward skated 7:42 before "tweaking something" and did not appear in the third period of that contest.
"He's out, probably, for at least a week," said Canes Head Coach Rod Brind'Amour, before adding that Kotkaniemi's knock is "nothing too serious."
Kotkaniemi's absence creates a hole in the middle of the lineup. The 24-year-old has been Carolina's top faceoff performer since March 2, winning 58.3% of his draws, and his season-long 51.9% win rate is on pace to set a new single-season career high.
In addition to Sebastian Aho, whose 57.5% win rate slots in just behind Kotkaniemi since March 2, Staal will be expected help shoulder the load in the dot in his return from a four-game absence. Leading the Canes with 577 draws taken in the defensive zone this season - nearly 300 more than the next-highest skater - the Canes' Captain has been his coach's go-to guy in high-leverage faceoff situations and paces the team with 681 total wins in the circle.
Jack Roslovic, who has spent time on both the wing and down the middle this season, has temporarily moved back to center, and last month's trade deadline acquisition, Mark Jankowski, rounds out the cast in the dot.
