Oct 28, 2025, 10:44 PM ET<\/p>\n
RALEIGH, N.C. — The Carolina Hurricanes<\/a>‘ injury trouble following a lengthy road trip worsened in their return home.<\/p>\n Coach Rod Brind’Amour said defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere<\/a> left Tuesday’s 6-3 loss to Vegas with an apparent injury to his midsection, coming after he had been activated from injured reserve following a lower-body injury that had cost him the previous three-plus games.<\/p>\n “He felt something in I think it was his midsection area,” Brind’Amour said. “He had to come out. So that was tough.”<\/p>\n Gostisbehere, who works on Carolina’s top power-play unit, saw 7:19 of ice time in the first period but didn’t return for the second. It continued a rough two weeks for the perennial Eastern Conference contender on the injury front, with the troubles particularly acute on the blue line.<\/p>\n Carolina hasn’t had top defenseman Jaccob Slavin<\/a> since his early exit against Philadelphia on Oct. 11. Gostisbehere saw just 4:06 of ice time before exiting an Oct. 18 win at Los Angeles, while offseason acquisition K’Andre Miller<\/a> was a late scratch with a lower-body injury before last week’s win at Colorado.<\/p>\n Carolina also lost forwards Eric Robinson<\/a> and William Carrier<\/a> to injuries during its 4-2-0 road trip.<\/p>\n That has pressed younger and unproven talent into the lineup, including rookie defensemen Joel Nystrom<\/a> and Domenick Fensore<\/a>. Nystrom even missed time Tuesday when he took a puck to the mouth in the second period, which had him skating to the bench with a bloody towel and leaving Carolina with just four defensemen until into the third period.<\/p>\n As a result, veteran Jalen Chatfield<\/a> had a career-high 25:45 of ice time — more than two minutes higher than his previous high mark for a regular-season game — while rising prospect Alexander Nikishin<\/a> played 27:33.<\/p>\n