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The Pittsburgh Penguins have called up defenseman Alex Goligoski as "insurance" after Sergei Gonchar was injured Friday night against the Washington Capitals, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Tribune-Review reported Saturday.
Gonchar was leveled by Capitals star Alex Ovechkin on a knee-on-knee hit in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
According to the Post-Gazette, Penguins coach Dan Bylsma has not ruled Gonchar out for Saturday night's Game 5, which is in Washington, but it is doubtful Gonchar would be able to play.
There have been no details released on Gonchar's injury, but he was with the team Saturday, and was seen wearing a large black support on his right knee, according to the paper.
As Gonchar was skating out from behind the Pittsburgh net during a Washington power play in the first period, Ovechkin appeared to stick out his right knee a moment before the two collided. Gonchar spent about a minute unsuccessfully trying to get up before play was stopped in the Capitals' end.
As Gonchar was assisted off the ice, unable to put any weight on his right leg, Ovechkin was given a minor minute penalty for kneeing.
"It's kind of the same thing he [Ovechkin] did with me last game," Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik said. "I mean, you can run guys, guys are fair game, but the guy takes strides every time and leaves his feet a lot of times, too. To us, we got the feeling he's really trying to hurt guys at times."
About 10 minutes before he was injured, Gonchar scored the first of the three consecutive goals that gave Pittsburgh a 3-1 lead. The Penguins went on to win 5-3.
"I just tried to move him and I hit him, he turned to move to his left and, I don't know, I don't have time to realize what's going on and he hit my knee," Ovechkin said. "I think it was an accident. I'm not the kind of player who wants to injure guys, especially ones I know like Gonch."
Ovechkin, the NHL's leading scorer and MVP during the 2007-08 season, could be seen after the game explaining his side of the play to Penguins star Evgeni Malkin's father. Malkin, Ovechkin and Gonchar played on Russia's 2006 Olympic team.
Gonchar, who played for Washington from 1994 to 2004 and is annually one of the leading scorers among NHL defensemen, missed three-quarters of the regular season with a shoulder injury that occurred during the preseason.
Goligoski started the season with the Penguins when Gonchar was sidelined, but was assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL when Gonchar returned in February.
The Penguins didn't begin their late-season surge that carried them into the playoffs until Gonchar returned.
"We missed Gonch for a long time, we were forced to play guys in a couple of different positions, and now we've got to use that experience and find a way to still be productive without him," Penguins captain Sidney Crosby said. "There's no choice right now."
Gonchar was leveled by Capitals star Alex Ovechkin on a knee-on-knee hit in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
According to the Post-Gazette, Penguins coach Dan Bylsma has not ruled Gonchar out for Saturday night's Game 5, which is in Washington, but it is doubtful Gonchar would be able to play.
There have been no details released on Gonchar's injury, but he was with the team Saturday, and was seen wearing a large black support on his right knee, according to the paper.
As Gonchar was skating out from behind the Pittsburgh net during a Washington power play in the first period, Ovechkin appeared to stick out his right knee a moment before the two collided. Gonchar spent about a minute unsuccessfully trying to get up before play was stopped in the Capitals' end.
As Gonchar was assisted off the ice, unable to put any weight on his right leg, Ovechkin was given a minor minute penalty for kneeing.
"It's kind of the same thing he [Ovechkin] did with me last game," Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik said. "I mean, you can run guys, guys are fair game, but the guy takes strides every time and leaves his feet a lot of times, too. To us, we got the feeling he's really trying to hurt guys at times."
About 10 minutes before he was injured, Gonchar scored the first of the three consecutive goals that gave Pittsburgh a 3-1 lead. The Penguins went on to win 5-3.
"I just tried to move him and I hit him, he turned to move to his left and, I don't know, I don't have time to realize what's going on and he hit my knee," Ovechkin said. "I think it was an accident. I'm not the kind of player who wants to injure guys, especially ones I know like Gonch."
Ovechkin, the NHL's leading scorer and MVP during the 2007-08 season, could be seen after the game explaining his side of the play to Penguins star Evgeni Malkin's father. Malkin, Ovechkin and Gonchar played on Russia's 2006 Olympic team.
Gonchar, who played for Washington from 1994 to 2004 and is annually one of the leading scorers among NHL defensemen, missed three-quarters of the regular season with a shoulder injury that occurred during the preseason.
Goligoski started the season with the Penguins when Gonchar was sidelined, but was assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL when Gonchar returned in February.
The Penguins didn't begin their late-season surge that carried them into the playoffs until Gonchar returned.
"We missed Gonch for a long time, we were forced to play guys in a couple of different positions, and now we've got to use that experience and find a way to still be productive without him," Penguins captain Sidney Crosby said. "There's no choice right now."
