While he was unable to finish the game, he was able to skate off on his own, and hobble down the tunnel. And, during the post-game interviews, Coach Richardson reported that this injury is not as severe as the last one, and there is a possibility the 31 year old can join the team some time during their upcoming 5-game road trip.
Though leaving the game was absolutely the right choice, so as not to injure himself further, it was unfortunate, as Mrazek had been playing extremely well, stopping 16/16 shots, and even taking a puck to the mask about a minute before he left.
Luckily, the Blackhawks had a healthy Alex Stalock on the bench, who was able to jump in, make 23 saves on 26 shots and help his bottom-dwelling team beat the top organization in the league, 6-3.
This marks Petr's 3rd groin injury of the season. The first two were both in 2022, in October, and then December. He also suffered two more, before joining the Blackhawks. One with Toronto in March of 2022, and one with Carolina, back in November of 2021.
Hopefully his familiarity with this particular injury will help him find the safest and most efficient healing process.
