Kalman On Toucher & Rich: Horton Injury Is Worrisome
Athletes suffer injuries, it's just a reality. You hope that your team stays healthy, and if your team is playing for a championship, you hold your breathe when guys do go down.
The Bruins suffered a tough loss when Gregory Campbell took a puck off his right leg in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Pittsburgh Penguins, which resulted in a broken leg. In Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals against the Chicago Blackhawks, the Bruins lost Nathan Horton in the first overtime to an apparent shoulder injury.
It's still not clear what Horton's injury is exactly, though he appeared to be in great pain after shoving Niklas Hjalmarsson in front of the Chicago net. Bent over in pain, Horton skated off the ice in the middle of a Boston power play and immediately went down the tunnel to the locker room.
Horton's status is still unknown for Saturday's Game 2.
Back in April, Horton suffered an "upper-body injury" when fighting Jarome Iginla, forcing him to miss the final five games of the regular season. Is this the same injury possibly returning?
"Obviously he hasn't looked hurt most of the playoffs," Matt Kalman of CBSBostonSports.com said on 98.5 The Sports Hub's Toucher & Rich Thursday morning. "Maybe he was playing through something and maybe that just aggravated it. It really was a bizarre collision to see too; not a lot of contact there."
Did the Bruins keep Horton out for fear of further injuring the forward and delaying a possible return?
"I would guess so," said Kalman. "If it's a shoulder, like some people are wondering, then that would probably be the case here."
Kalman is worried that if Horton's injury is worse than everyone suspects then the B's could have a harder road ahead.
"If they lose him it's really going to get down to the bare bones here as far how many forwards you can get off the 'taxi squad,'" he said.
