Advertisement

Blackhawks’ Kopecky to be reevaluated Thursday

Share
Tribune reporter

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- There were a mind- and body-numbing 47 hits delivered by the Vancouver Canucks during Game 1 on Wednesday. Only one of them may resonate all the way into Game 2.

Chicago Blackhawks forward Tomas Kopecky skated all of four shifts before suffering an upper-body injury that knocked him out for the remainder of a 2-0 loss to the Canucks at Rogers Arena. And, somewhat ominously, there was no immediate word on his availability moving forward.

“We’ll see how he is (Thursday),” Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said after the defeat.

It would be a fairly measurable blow for a club with an already banged-up forward crew, especially given Kopecky’s potential to set up camp near the crease and harass Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo, who made 32 saves on Wednesday night.

Advertisement

Hawks center Ryan Johnson also took what appeared to be a knee-to-knee hit from the Canucks’ Tanner Glass but will be “fine,” according to Quenneville.

bchamilton@tribune.com

Twitter @ChiTribHamilton

Advertisement