Hurricanes lose defenseman Brett Pesce to lower

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour didn’t sound optimistic about the status of Brett Pesce after the defenseman exited Monday’s playoff win in the second period due to a lower-body injury.

Pesce appeared to be curling back on the ice when he came up hobbled in a non-contact situation. He was ruled out for the night.

“That’s not looking good,” Brind’Amour said after the 5-3 comeback win against the New York Islanders.

Brind’Amour said Pesce would be further evaluated Tuesday, calling the injury “the big negative of tonight for sure.”

Pesce has played all nine of his NHL seasons with the Hurricanes, including 57 playoff games as a blue-line fixture typically in a second pairing with Brady Skjei.

Carolina’s defensive roster includes Tony DeAngelo, who was a healthy scratch Monday; and rookie Scott Morrow, a 2021 second-round draft pick by the team.

The Hurricanes lead the best-of-7 series 2-0 entering Thursday’s Game 3 after rallying from a 3-0 deficit with five unanswered goals Monday.

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AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl