Blackhawks Lose Seth Jones to Injury, Bench Taylor Hall Against Canucks
Injury Update
Seth Jones will be placed on injured reserve with a right foot injury he suffered during the Hawks’ loss Thursday against the Kraken, coach Luke Richardson said.
Severity and Timeline
The team will know more about the severity and timeline of his injury when they return home Sunday. It probably happened when he blocked a shot by Kraken forward Andre Burakovsky early in the third period; he looked pained afterward but continued playing the rest of the game.
Impact on the Team
The veteran defenseman currently leads the league in ice time, averaging 25:43 per game, and ranks third on the Hawks with 10 points in 17 games. His absence will put far more pressure on Alec Martinez — who just returned from his own lengthy absence Thursday — as well as Alex Vlasic, Connor Murphy, Wyatt Kaiser, T.J. Brodie, and rookie Nolan Allan to carry the load.
Opportunity for Others
“That’s a lot of minutes, and he’s crucial in a lot of areas in our team,” Richardson said. “It has happened over the last couple years since I’ve been here [that] the guys step up. It’s an opportunity [for them] to have more minutes, and more important minutes.”
Taylor Hall to Sit Out
Meanwhile, Taylor Hall will be a healthy scratch, getting former Canucks forward Ilya Mikheyev — a scratch himself in the last two games — in the lineup for his so-called revenge game.
Reason for Bench
Richardson said the decision to bench Hall, who had gone four straight games without a point while skating on the second line, wasn’t because of any singular mistake Thursday but rather made to get him more practice time to work out issues in his game.
Practice Time
“We just want to get him a little bit more work, and it’s hard to do that in the games and not get too frustrated and chase it,” Richardson said. “So that’s our plan. Players never like to sit out, so he’s not happy sitting out, but hopefully this is a good step for him and it will help our team.”
Goal for Hall
“Hopefully we can get a couple good up-and-down-the-ice days for him and [get him] feeling good with the puck and playing like Taylor Hall plays.”
Conclusion
The Blackhawks will face the Canucks on Saturday without Seth Jones, who will be on injured reserve, and Taylor Hall, who will be a healthy scratch. The team hopes that Hall’s practice time will help him work out issues in his game and return to form. The absence of Jones will put pressure on other defensemen to step up and carry the load.
FAQs
Q: Why is Seth Jones on injured reserve?
A: Jones suffered a right foot injury during the Hawks’ loss Thursday against the Kraken.
Q: How long will Seth Jones be out?
A: The team will know more about the severity and timeline of his injury when they return home Sunday.
Q: Why is Taylor Hall being scratched?
A: Hall is being scratched to get him more practice time to work out issues in his game.
Q: Will Taylor Hall return to the lineup soon?
A: The team hopes that Hall’s practice time will help him return to form and get back in the lineup soon.
