Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Sharp will be sidelined “a bit” due to the injury he suffered in the team’s 5-0 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night. Sharp will head back to Chicago with the team and likely receive further evaluation before an official diagnosis is made.
Sharp suffered the injury in the third period Tuesday on a solid hit near the boards from Canadiens defenseman Alexei Emelin. He couldn’t put weight on his right leg after the play and needed help off the ice before heading immediately to the locker room.
Following the game, coach Joel Quenneville wouldn’t specify the injury or a timetable for Sharp’s return, only saying he’d be out for “a bit.” He indicated that would likely mean weeks instead of days, so the ‘Hawks may be without one of their best players for a spell right after breaking out of a recent slump.
It’s unfortunate news coming out of an otherwise fantastic win over the Habs, but we can at least take pleasure out of knowing it’s not a major injury. The team should be able to withstand a few weeks with Sharp out of the lineup, even if the full group is always better. For now, get ready for a whole lot of Teuvo Teravainen rumblings, even though he missed tonight’s IceHogs game due to illness.