Raleigh, NC – Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Joni Pitkanen will miss the rest of the season with a broken left heel bone, the team announced on Wednesday.
Pitkanen was taken off the ice on a stretcher during the second period of Tuesday's game against the Washington Capitals.
Pitkanen was skating hard down the ice, trying to beat a Capitals player for a touch-up on a potential icing call when the injury occurred. He got to the puck first, but his skates went into the boards and he immediately crumbled to the ice, writhing in pain.
Pitkanen, 29, has appeared in 21 games this year and totaled one goal and eight assists this season.
A nine-year veteran, he has 57 goals and 225 assists in 535 games with the Flyers, Oilers and Hurricanes. He was the fourth overall selection of the 2002 draft by Philadelphia.
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