Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour said the rookie forward, who was injured in a fight with Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin during Carolina's 5-0 win in Game 3 win on Monday, was at PNC Arena on Tuesday and going through the concussion protocol after being examined at a hospital following the game. The Capitals lead the the best-of-7 series to 2-1.
"It was good to see him," Brind'Amour said. "He did go to the hospital and everything was checked out there."
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Brind'Amour said Svechnikov looked much better Tuesday than when he saw him during the first intermission Monday. The 19-year-old had to be helped off the ice by teammates with 9:01 left in the first period.
"From seeing him now, he looks normal and he feels great," Brind'Amour said, "so that's a real positive sign." Still, Brind'amour said he assumes Svechnikov will sit out at least Game 4.
"We're going to be real careful," Brind'Amour said. "We're always careful. This year, we've dealt with [concussions] with I don't know how many guys and when they were ready to come back, we waited weeks after. So we're certainly not going to rush him back."
Brind'Amour said he had no update on forward Micheal Ferland, who also left in the first period of Game 3 after aggravating a lingering upper-body injury.
With Svechnikov likely out and Ferland's status unknown, the Hurricanes called up Patrick Brown from Charlotte of the American Hockey League on an emergency basis.
Svechnikov, the No. 2 pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, has three points (two goals, one assist) in three games during his first Stanley Cup Playoffs. He scored twice in Carolina's 4-2 loss in Game 1. Svechnikov had 37 points (20 goals, 17 assists) in 82 games during the regular season.
Ferland, who had 40 points (17 goals, 23 assists) in 71 regular-season games, has no points in the series.
