Canes lose preseason game to Sabres and lose Jordan Staal to leg injury

Carolina Hurricanes center Jordan Staal suffered a broken leg late in the Canes' 2-0 preseason loss Tuesday to the Buffalo Sabres at First Niagara Center.

Staal was helped off the ice, not putting any weight on his right leg, and was on crutches after the game. Staal was injured after a collision with the Sabres' Josh Gorges.

Canes coach Bill Peters had no update on Staal's condition after the game other than to say he had X-rays at the arena and was returning to Raleigh for further X-rays and evaluation.

“I’m concerned, for sure,” Peters said before the extent of the injury was disclosed. “He’s a big piece of what we’re going to do moving forward. Hopefully we catch a break here. We’ll see.”

Canes general manager Ron Francis later said Staal broke his lower right leg and did not yet have a timetable for Staal's recovery.

The Canes fell to 0-2 in preseason, losing 4-3 to Columbus on Sunday in their opener. They play another road game Wednesday against the New York Islanders.

Peters said he liked the play of center Victor Rask and goalie Anton Khudobin, who started and stopped all nine shots he faced before being replaced by Drew MacIntyre 10 minutes into the second period.

Staal is a solid two-way player who is entering his third season in Carolina. He is a four-time 20-goal scorer, and finished fifth among Hurricanes last season with 40 points (15 goals, 25 assists).

The Associated Press contributed to this article

This story was originally published September 23, 2014 at 9:51 PM with the headline "Canes lose preseason game to Sabres and lose Jordan Staal to leg injury."