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Michal Rozsival leaves Blackhawks-Wild Game 4 with lower-body injury

It did not look good, either.

Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

UPDATE: The Blackhawks have confirmed that Rozsival will miss the remainder of the playoffs due to a fractured left ankle.

★★★

Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Michal Rozsival left Game 4 against the Minnesota Wild after suffering an apparent lower-body injury Thursday night. It's unclear exactly what happened to the veteran, but he needed teammates to help carry him off the ice as he was unable to put weight on his left leg.

Rozsival was trying to backpedal against a Minnesota rush in the second period when he stumbled to the ice and didn't get up:

Details on the injury have not been released at this point, but it looks like Rozsival injured his left ankle or knee on the play. The fact that he was completely unable to put weight on his left leg was especially worrisome, and makes one wonder how soon -- if at all -- he'll be able to return this postseason.

Rozsival is presumably receiving further evaulation so we'll know more about his status soon, but for now, he's out of Game 4 and doesn't seem likely to return. While we give him a hard time for his occasional flat-footed mistakes, a thin Chicago blue line is still better off with him healthy and active. Kimmo Timonen will likely have to step up going forward, and it'll be interesting seeing whether he's up to the task. Let's hope this isn't as bad as it looked on TV, although I wouldn't bank on it.