In his fifth shift of the first period in last night’s 5-3 loss to the Los Angeles Kings, Senators forward Chris Neil was rocked by a Brayden McNabb check along the right side wall.
Looking at the video below, it kind of looks like Neil’s knee gets tweaked a little bit as his body absorbs the hit.
Neil immediately left the ice under his own power, but a return to the game was quickly ruled out. Neil’s night ended after only 2:49 of ice time.
Following the game, TSN 1200’s Steve Lloyd updated everyone on Neil’s status:
Chris Neil week to week with a knee injury
— Steve Lloyd (@TSNSteveLloyd) December 12, 2014
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As one of this team’s veterans whose ineffectual play has frequently been the subject of scrutiny this season, an extended absence will afford others the opportunity to play. At this point, we’re also one injury closer to Jean-Gabriel Pageau’s promotion.
No one should be happy that an injury is the reason why others can get more consistent playing time, but will be intriguing to watch how the team’s fourth line performs over the next few weeks.
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