Canes center Eric Staal will miss some games because of an upper-body injury suffered Sunday against the San Jose Sharks, general manager Jim Rutherford said today.
Staal has played in 349 consecutive regular-season games, but that streak will end, Rutherford said. He has missed just one game in his career, late in his rookie season.
Staal left after the second period of the 5-1 loss to San Jose as the Canes dropped their ninth straight game to fall to 2-8-3.
Staal's injury comes just as forward Erik Cole returns from a leg fracture after missing 10 games. Rutherford said defenseman Tim Gleason, who has been sidelined with a lower-body injury, should return Wednesday for the Florida Panthers game.
"When things go wrong, they go wrong," Rutherford said. "All teams have to deal with injuries. We have enough players to step up but we'll have to do it with confidence at an all-time low."
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Ryan O'Reilly scored on a slap shot with 1.2 seconds remaining in overtime and Jean-Sebastien Giguere stopped a season-high 39 shots in the Colorado Avalanche's 4-3 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday night. 
Ryan O'Reilly scored on a slap shot with 1.2 seconds remaining in overtime and Jean-Sebastien Giguere stopped a season-high 39 shots in the Colorado Avalanche's 4-3 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday night. The Hurricanes got goals from Tim Brent, Jiri Tlusty and Eric Staal. 
Carolina Hurricanes general manager Jim Rutherford said Thursday he has met with forward Tuomo Ruutu to discuss Ruutu's future with the team, and said a decision should be reached next week. 
Anthony Stewart is still a member of the Carolina Hurricanes. 
Jeff Skinner of the Carolina Hurricanes won the Calder Trophy last year as the NHL's best rookie. 
The Carolina Hurricanes signed forward Anthony Stewart to a two-year free-agent contract after last season, hoping he could help make up for the loss of Erik Cole. 
Jeff Skinner's hard-working goal barely three minutes into the third period pushed the Carolina Hurricanes ahead, and they held on for the 2-1 victory in front of a sellout crowd of 18,680. 
Jeff Skinner's goal early in the third period was the difference as the Carolina Hurricanes rallied Saturday to top the L.A. Kings 2-1 at the RBC Center. 
The Carolina Hurricanes realize the importance of time. In a 3-0 victory Thursday over the Boston Bruins, the Canes shortened their playing shifts on the ice and were the fresher team over the full 60 minutes. 
Sweeping the defending Stanley Cup champions is nice, but the Carolina Hurricanes would trade all four wins for a better spot in the standings. Keep up with the latest sports stories with our free e-mail newsletters, delivered to your inbox!
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